Power In Dracula

In the entire world no being or person has complete control and or power over another. “Power”: is defined as “the ability or right to control people or things.” (OED) While control is “characterized by directing the behavior of (a person or animal): to cause (a person or animal) to do what you want.” (OED)“ In the novel Dracula by Bram Stroker, the concepts of Nature, Humanity, Nature, and God have some say in the authority of whether it is in the means of blunt command or it can be the gauge of which someone else must utilize his or her own power.

A challenge to God’s power is indeed Dracula. One of the ways in which we can see this is how god gives little to no help to Strokers character Lucy. Why? Lucy unknowing to the reader has not

committed sin. Yet Lucy still subjugated to the mercy of Dracula. There can be are to explanations for this: God doesn’t have the required amount of power to save Lucy from Dracula. In other words Dracula is outside the will of Gods power.

Since Dracula has rejected the ways and ideals of God. He no longer has power over him. Or second, god feels that Lucy is being equitably scolded for her sins (sins that we are never actually informed of).Lucy is very flirty character, and can been seen in a more immoral view than what we are led to believe. Which gives even more evidence to the fact that God is incapable to save the innocent. But this is not saying that God is powerless when it comes to punishing those for sin. God can be seen preserving control over Dracula in several different ways. Some of the ways that God has control over Dracula includes Holy items such as the crucifix, holy water, and holy wafers repel Dracula.

One of the first times we see Dracula’s reaction to a holy item is when Harker is shaving in the bathroom. Dracula is behind him in the mirror and sees the crucifix. Dracula is then forced to stop looking at the crucifix. He states, “our ways are different than that of your England” and “ you should not put your faith in such objects of deceit.” We see, as well as Harker that Dracula has a deep dislike to the will of God. The crucifix can also be seen at the grave of Lucy. Van Helsing having a pure soul and good intentions uses the cross to physically force Lucy back. Lucy being a vampire cannot ignore the power of the cross, which shows the idea of God against vampire.

Lucy’s soul, which pertains to any undead being, is in a sense lost the goal of any soul is to go to heaven. But a soul, which is not pure, cannot go to heaven. True death requires the stereotypical stake though the heart. Which is usually followed severing the head and gagging the mouth with garlic afterwards. When all of these precautions and steps have been accomplished, this idea of truly being dead allows for the soul to move onto heaven. Whether or not god allows the soul of a vampire to ascend into heaven we may never know. God may not necessarily have complete and power, yet God in some aspects does hold some control over the stereotypical Dracula vampire.

Throughout the novel Dracula demonstrates many of his own unique powers.

Many of Dracula’s powers are seen in direct opposition of the laws of nature, and “gods laws”. Dracula is able to accomplish very difficult tasks, which would “normally be prohibited by Natural Law”. As mentioned in the text, which shows the reader how vampire powers play a significant role in the life of a vampire. Just some of Dracula’s numerous powers are: turn humans into vampires, he is immortal, no shadow, casts reflection, crawls on walls and so on and so forth. . As mentioned in the text,” “There is a reason why all things are as they are.” I find this interesting because Dracula himself is acknowledging that things are the way they are for a reason. And I think that it gives depth to the fact that he understands that he is a vampire. And those things will just somewhat fall into place.

One of the ways he defies this pre-existing natural law is Dracula’s ability to control animals specifically animals like wolves, rats, bats and dogs. Dracula has control over these specific creatures because they are creatures that are primarily nocturnal and usually vicious. Dracula controls them all because he is seen as almost their ruler in a way. God being associated with all things pure and good in contrast is at polar opposites of the

spectrum.

But what we know today in theory controls Nature. Just because Dracula has some ability to control nature, God controlling nature has control of Dracula. Nature can be seen controlling Dracula are as follows: Dracula has to sleep in unhallowed earth, meaning any place of worship, such as churches and temples he is not even allowed to enter, Dracula also follows the stereotypical sense that he is weakened during the day. Dracula can also be stopped dead literally in his coffin by having a wild rose on the coffin. Although Dracula can manipulate nature, nature can also be in control. Nature in a sense regulates what Dracula can and cannot do.

God controls nature, so this evens out the playing field in a sense. One thing we cannot for get is humanity; it cannot be forgotten because it also plays a large role with power and control. Humanity is also in a sense at the very epicenter of the entire story. Humanity actually hold power over Dracula God and nature all combined. Without humanity there would be no such things as holy artifacts, which allow god to spread his pureness and teachings throughout the world.

The only people who can use these artifacts is humanity. And only humanity can use it against Dracula. God cannot physically stop a vampire so he has to go through other means of doing so. God can only physically stop or kill a vampire through the doings of other people. “We are all God’s madmen!” –Van Helsing. When you think of evil, evil cannot kill evil. Only the righteousness and spirit of humanity can carry out the engineering of killing a vampire once and for all.

Yet still keeping with the Idea of Power over Nature: Only a human can place a wild rose over a vampire’s coffin. Which then means that no other living being can place the rose. It takes an uncontaminated soul of humanity to carry out this task. Humanity is in no way powerless when it comes to vampires. Humanity is following the righteous path of god to expunge these beings from earth.

God and nature require a pure being in order to over power Dracula. The power struggle in Bram Stoker’s Dracula is very apparent. The reader is constantly wondering who is actually in control and who holds the most amount of power. The cosmos is structured into a way where everything feeds and lives off of each other, figuratively and literally. Which then leads to the undisputable fact that no being supreme whether it is Dracula or even god truly is all-powerful and in control.