Did electricity bring Frankenstein's monster to life in Mary Shelley's novel?

Question

I know in the pop culture version of the story, the monster breathes life through a bolt of electricity. After reading the novel, I can't recall any part of the book that actually states how he is brought to life, through electricity or otherwise. Did I miss it, or was that just a detail added on later?

Answer 1

The book doesn't seem to detail that part.

"However, this is at odds with him creating a similar Monster later in the novel on an island that would not have a large enough selection of corpses. An alternate theory is that the bones in the charnel houses' were used to understand human anatomy, and the body was made from base chemicals. Subsequent visual interpretations of the story have included the creation of Frankenstein's monster through alchemy, by the piecing together of corpses, or a combination of the two. In films, the body is often given the "spark of life" in the form of a channeled lightning bolt, conducted from a lightning rod during a stormy night."

Answer 2

Electricity wasn't used in the book. In the book, the 'awakening' process is very vague, indeed. Dr. Frankenstein just sort of leave the creature, and later on it's awake and alive.

Answer 3

it was electricity. electricity was a new found thing at the time the novel was written shelley included it to show that advancements in technology could be very dangerous or something like that.

Answer 4

yup