The Influence Of Atmosphere And Setting In Dracula

Dreary Places Mysterious Faces

Dracula by Bram Stoker is known to be a one of the most famous horror stories of all times. The book well describes the atmosphere and setting throughout the book. Three things that influence the atmosphere and setting are the country before Transylvania, how the castle looks and how the estate that Harker is selling looks like.

The first thing that influences the atmosphere and setting in Dracula is the country before Transylvania on how it looks and feels to Jonathan Harker. The country is not like any other happy, delightful town; it is dark and dreary. It sets the horror and darkness that will soon come in the story. Almost foreshadowing for what is yet to come. “Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals” (Stoker 4). The castles on the steep hills set how everything looks in that part of the country. Harker also talks about the darkness and fog in his journal. Therefore, it sets a dark, and gothic theme to it all.

Secondly, how Dracula’s castle looks influences the atmosphere and setting.

The castle has many passage ways and cob webs. There is not much light expect for little bit of fire here and there. “He insisted on carrying my traps along the passage and then up a great winding stair, and along another great passage on whose stone floor our steps rang heavily. At the end of this he threw open a heavy door” (Stoker 18). This is Harker describing some features in Dracula’s castle. The winding staircase, stone floor, and heady door show how the castle is gothic like. Also, how dark and dreary it is. The atmosphere around the castle also sets it off as dark. Harker can hear wolves howling and he says that there are doors everywhere and windows. “Doors, doors, doors, everywhere, and all locked and bolted” (Stoker 27.) The doors are locked, now why on Earth would the doors be locked? This gives Harker a suspicion of something mysterious that he cannot quite figure

out.
Last but not least, is the estate that Harker is trying to sell to Dracula. Harker describes to Dracula all the details about the estate called Carfax.
There are many trees on it, which make it in places gloomy, and there is a deep, dark-looking pond or small lake…the house is very large and of all periods back, I should say, to medieval times, for one part is of stone immensely thick…There are but a few houses close at hand, one being a very large house only recently added to and formed into a private lunatic asylum (Stoker 24).
Dracula picks this kind of place that he wants to buy. Why would he pick a place a dark, and spooky place like this? It is because he is a vampire and vampires want to be in dark, cold, and mysterious place. The lunatic asylum really sets the horrific feel to it. This estate has such a gothic feel to that it completely describes the atmosphere of the book.
In conclusion, Dracula is one of the best horror stories of all time. Stoker describes the atmosphere and setting in the book to really set the gothic and scary feel to it all. The country before Transylvania, the castle, and the Carfax estate are the main settings that influence the atmosphere to the book. “Those who cannot find their own reflection in Bram Stoker’s still-living creation are surely the undead” (Quinn).