How does the monster kill Elizabeth in the novel?
Answer
Strangles her
The monster kills Elizabeth by strangling her in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. He attacks her on her wedding night, fulfilling the threat he made after Victor destroyed the unfinished female companion he had promised to create.
Victor misunderstands the warning. He assumes the creature intends to attack him personally, so he sends Elizabeth away while he searches the house. The creature instead enters Elizabeth's room. Victor hears a scream and discovers her body, with the marks of strangulation visible on her neck.
Elizabeth's murder is the final major blow in the creature's revenge against Victor. Earlier, the creature kills Victor's younger brother William and causes Justine Moritz to be executed after framing her for the crime. He later murders Henry Clerval, Victor's closest friend, before targeting Elizabeth.
Popular film adaptations sometimes change the details. Some versions depict Elizabeth being shot, having her heart removed, or being resurrected, but Shelley's 1818 novel presents her death as strangulation. The creature is also often called Frankenstein, although Frankenstein is Victor's surname.