The novel’s epigraph is from John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, which tells the story of humankind’s loss of innocence in the Garden of Eden. This reference alludes to Genesis in the Bible: "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay / To mould me man? / Did I solicit thee / From darkness to promote me?"

In Paradise Lost, Adam speaks these words to God and curses him for creating him, just as the Monster eventually curses Victor for making him. Victor plays “God” by finding and harnessing the secret to life. Victor sees his scientific knowledge as a path to glory and achievement. Yet these ambitions fail, and lead to horrific consequences.

In Letter 4, Victor alludes to Paradise Lost when he tells Walton:

You have hope, and the world before you, and have no cause for despair. But I—I have lost everything, and cannot begin life anew. 

In his words to Walton, Victor references Satan’s words in Paradise Lost: “The world as all before them, where to choose / Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.” Like Walton, Victor was once highly ambitious and on a grand quest for knowledge. However, Victor’s story is a cautionary one. His ambitions only bring him misfortune. Victor immediately abandons his creation and fails to fulfill his responsibilities as its maker. This eventually leads to a chain of deaths, beginning with Victor’s beloved brother William and ending with the monster’s suicide.