Gothic Elements In Dracula

Dracula is a popular novel published in 1897. It is a well-known piece of literature and resembles a great deal of characteristics associated with gothic literature. Dracula, by Bram Stoker, and my short story, The Crow, share many characteristics that make them a gothic tale. Three main components of gothic literature used in Dracula, as well as my short story, The Crow, are forces of nature, the supernatural, and isolation. Forces of nature are used throughout Dracula. In Dracula, the wolves share an important role when it comes to forces of nature. Dracula has a particular power over the wolves that controls when they come and go. “All at once the wolves began to howl as though the moonlight had had some peculiar effect on them.” (16, Stoker) In my short story, The Crow, Mr. Acker shows this characteristic a little when he opens the door

Dracula’s castle is far from humanity, as John Harker states, “I have not yet seen a servant anywhere, or heard a sound near the castle except for the howling of wolves.” (22, Stoker) Similarly, in my short story, Egor explains how he, “didn’t see anything remotely close to where they were.” Egor is also alone for most of his life, as an orphan. He is, in a sense, a prisoner to Miss Hindley in the orphanage, and is stuck there without being able to escape. John Harker, in Dracula, is also a prisoner in Dracula’s castle with no way of escaping. “This castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!” (28, Stoker). Isolation is a key factor in gothic stories, because it causes fear of being alone with no help. Looking at the entire perspective of both Dracula and The Crow, they are very similar in many ways. The three main components that connect these two stories are, forces of nature, the supernatural, and isolation. These three ideas are used numerous times throughout each story, and give them a gothic