Comparison Of Dracula And The Woman In Black By Bram Stoker

The theme of good against evil is common in gothic fiction, and the novels Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897) and The Woman in Black, by Susan

Hill (1983), contain clear examples of this theme.

The novel Dracula contains an obvious example of evil, through the main character- Count Dracula. Dracula is powerful and tyrannical and, more interestingly, he is the only male vampire within this novel.

This emphasises his dominance, and the power that he has over the characters as he alone is terrorising them. His name has evil connotations; stemming from the Romanian word ‘dracul’ meaning dragon or devil, this would have evoked fear in some as it suggests a threat.

When describing Dracula, Jonathan, the initial protagonist ‘could not repress a shudder’.

This imagery suggests violence and pain, as though even Dracula’s nails are dangerous. Jonathan describes the

Counts teeth as ‘peculiarly sharp white teeth’. The adjectives used in this phrase suggest animalistic qualities, as though Jonathan is already seeing abhuman qualities in the Count.

Religion is also an important element of this novel, as it represents the force of good that opposes Dracula, and vampirism. The ‘good’ characters within this novel believe that they are carrying out an act of God, shown in the phrase ‘we are ministers of God’s own wish’. The collective noun used in this phrase suggests that they are all now ministers, despite and are willing to die for their cause; this is shown through the phrase ‘if we fall, we fall in good cause’. The repetition of ‘fall’ suggests that they doubt whether they will be able to defeat this evil. When Dracula is finally defeated, he has a

‘look of peace’. This phrase suggests Christian redemption, as Dracula has been defeated in the name of God, and it is as though with his death he has been cleansed of his ‘sins’.

The theme of good against evil is not only made apparent through the characters that oppose Dracula and theme of vampirism but

They also both feature deserted houses and graveyards, as well as the encounters with mysterious strangers. Setting is an important feature of this novel- Eel Marsh House is almost just as important a character as Arthur or the Woman herself. It is a traditionally gothic setting, its isolation and belligerent atmosphere reflecting perhaps upon the nature of the Woman. The house is personified; described as ‘rising out of the water’, ‘tall’ and

‘gaunt’. Giving the house human qualities adds suspense to the novel as it seems like another character that could potentially harm Arthur.

The location is haunting, and causes Arthur to experience an ‘awful ghostly repetition of the whole event’ or Nathaniel’s death. Imagery and syndetic listing is used in the phrase ‘then, above it all, and above the whinnying and struggling of the pony, the child’s cry, that rose and rose to a scream of terror and was then slowly choked and drowned; and finally, silence’. This phrase is effective in giving background to the experiences that caused Jennet’s haunting and