Dracula Good Vs Evil Essay

Dracula: A War Between Good and Evil

Bram Stoker, author of 1897 novel Dracula, shared a common belief, a common hope, with today’s modern world. Just as bedtime stories and fairytales of today point to a triumph of all that is good and pure, Stoker tapped into this yearning for the righteous to prevail when he wrote the story of the Count and all the people that would come against him to bring about his ultimate demise. Throughout the novel, Stoker draws upon this timeless battle between good and evil, showing its importance through Mina's good character, Dracula’s vile nature, and theological references.

The battle between light and dark is shown as Stoker chooses to include specific characters in the fight against the evil forces that

lie ahead. Mina Harker, a gentle woman who marries Jonathan Harker during the course of Dracula, is one example of goodness and purity that will counteract the Count as the novel progresses. From the beginning, Stoker sets up Mina as a sweet, lovable character, referring to her by Mina instead of her formal title. Readers feel a sense of familiarity and comfort when she writes, understanding that she is not aloof and cold, but one that they can relate to and love. By using journal entries, Stoker allows readers into the depths of Mina’s heart and mind, and it is there they continue to discover the wholesome, caring nature of her character. This kindness is shown when she pours out blessings upon Lucy, saying “my dear, please Almighty God, your life may be all it promises: a long day of sunshine, with no harsh wind, no forgetting duty, no distrust” (Stoker 100). Mina harbors no ill feelings, but focuses on extending goodwill to those around her instead. This unfettered goodness of character contributes greatly to the defeat of Dracula, as Mina is the one to ultimately overcome the pull of Dracula, or evil, in her life.
Though a sweet, peaceful soul at times, Mina has a strength in her as well, one that helps her to remain resilient in the war against Dracula.

Stoker chooses to give her strong will and protective instinct, all necessary qualities to defeat the darkness looming ahead. When Mina discovered she had been violated by Dracula, for instance, she adamantly told those around her “‘if I find in myself- and I shall watch keenly for it- a sign of harm to any that I love, I shall die!’” (Stoker 270). Her words serve as a testament to her concern for the men in her company, and her unfailing devotion to do what is necessary to blot out the growing vampirism around her. By carefully developing these characteristics, Stoker constructs Mina to serve as the embodiment of what the Victorian woman should be. Mina is devoted to her husband, has a strong commitment to the Lord, and later in the novel serves as a maternal figure to those around her. When Mina’s male counterparts are emotionally weary, for instance, she comforts them, writing, “we women have something of the mother in us that makes us rise above smaller matters when the mother-spirit is invoked” (Stoker 214). This caring, parental trait is one that Stoker sees as the ideal form of social stability, valuing it as one of the greatest forms of goodness that a woman could

represent.
However, with good comes evil, and while Mina is a strong representation of all that is good, Dracula is the purest form of depravity portrayed in the novel.

Dracula is an embodiment of darkness, and he dwells in this as a source of power and strength. Is it any wonder that Dracula thrives in the night, but Mina and her companions thrive in the day? Stoker crafts the book to prove to readers that Dracula is a malevolent force to be reckoned with. When Jonathan first traveled to Dracula’s castle in the Carpathians, Stoker ensures that readers will feel the eerie mood evoked by “the rising wind as it moaned and whistled through the rocks” and other unnerving landmarks as Harker travels to a land that is on the fringes of society (15). Not only that, but one of the first things Harker notices is the Count’s mouth, “fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth” (Stoker 20). Dracula’s physique screams of malice and hatred, and his actions align well with his appearance. Dracula’s sole purpose is to steal blood- life, vitality- from his victims. He is a silent killer, robbing humanity of not only physical life but spiritual eternity, a crucial ideology in the time period Dracula was written. Simply put, Dracula’s main purpose is to compromise the stability of society at its core, ranging from dark thoughts to anti-religious

activity.
It is comparisons like these that show the heavy focus Stoker places on theology and the effect religion plays to highlight the theme of good against evil. Dracula, a symbol for the devil, comes to seek, kill, and destroy all those that dwell in the light. Just like the Satan, he is cunning, but not as cunning as God, who will use Van Helsing and the other protagonists as “ministers of God’s own wish, that the world, and men for whom His Son die, will not be given over to monsters” (Stoker 297). Stoker shows that Van Helsing, Mina, Jonathan, Seward, Morris, and Holmwood are all crusaders for God, and repetition of the phrase “we are in God’s hands” serves to emphasize their unwavering faith that God will protect and provide (336). Religion was an important factor in Stoker’s time period, and he expertly interwove the era’s fundamental belief of religion and its importance into a compelling story of right defeating wrong.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a novel for the ages, an enduring story that combines character, setting, and allusions to religion to form a tale of good overcoming the darkness. Stoker walks readers through the minds of the characters through diary and journal entries, and incorporates theology as a major focal point in the fight of light and dark. Through Dracula, Stoker says to the world, both the one present in 1897 and today, that goodness will prevail and evil will be defeated. The light will endure.