In the Gothic Novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, Stoker establishes a theme of good versus evil. Through the use of journal entries, newspaper clippings, and telegrams within the novel, the reader is able to see the battle between good and evil from multiple character perspectives that illustrate the battle that occurs between the living and the undead.
This quote is written in Jonathan Harker’s journal dated the eighth of May. The quote is taken from the scene where Jonathan cuts himself while shaving. In this particular passage, Jonathan is the narrator and he is writing in shorthand in his journal. He writes his experiences in first person so that he can keep track of his trip to England. The scene he describes is one of his encounters with Dracula
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The quotes starts off with Jonathan cutting himself and “his blood trickling down his chin” (Stoker 31) and then looking for sticking plaster to stop himself from bleeding. The tension of the quote changes when Dracula notices that Jonathan is bleeding. The narrator shows that the tension has changed by the description he uses to describe Dracula’s eyes. “His eyes blazed with a sort of demonic fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat” (Stoker 31). In this moment, the suspense is at its peak. This is because the situation becomes a matter of life and death. Jonathan just barely escapes becoming Dracula’s victim all because of the crucifix on his neck. The tension at the end eases due to an “instant change” (Stoker) in Dracula 's behavior. The change happens so fast that Jonathan “could hardly believe that it was ever there” (Stoker 31) and leaving the reader wondering what had taken control of Dracula. The word choice in this quote helps create this …show more content…
The crucifix is a Christian symbol that is a representation of Jesus Christ on a cross. When Dracula reaches for Jonathan’s neck, his hand is repelled due to the crucifix Jonathan is wearing. This quote clearly shows that Dracula is an evil figure. The crucifix which is viewed as a holy object represents good, while Dracula represents evil by contrast. When Dracula touches the string of beads which holds the crucifix, he recoils his hand. His reaction to touching the string of beads further illustrates to the reader that Dracula is inherently evil because the holiness that the crucifix represents is intolerable for
The diary entries or notes used in ‘Dracula’ are fragmented and have an epistolary structure ‘Jonathon Harker’s Journal’. This emphasises each of the character’s feelings of isolation and loneliness, adding to the appeal of the reader. During the entries, Stok...
To begin, the author incorporates the act of Religion to parish off the malicious Dracula. When Jonathan Harker is shaving, Dracula emerges behind him without seeing his reflection in Jonathan 's mirror. stunned, Jonathan ends up cutting his face. Dracula replies: “When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew
...are depicted in many instances in order to draw upon a source of superstition for added affirmation. Finally, original narrative elements are conceived in order to bring together a central theme of unity, which stresses the teamwork by which the protagonists defeated the vampires. Bram Stoker applies these elements to create an enriching, compelling plot in the novel Dracula.
Religion was a big part of people’s lives back in Stoker’s time. A belief against religion was evil; therefore one who was not devout would be deemed bad or wicked. Dracula, was as evil as a creature gets and a nightmare for the pious; he was a symbol of an Anti-Christ and could even be called Satan. “I drew away, and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe it was ever there.” (Stoker 24-25). Because Dracula was harmed by holy items, it could mean that he was pure evil, which would be true in Stoker’s time. As a result the main weapons the men had to fight against Dracula with was sacred matter; their struggle was like a fight was like a battle between the holy and satanic. The Count was invading Lond...
In novels it is not uncommon for characters to be identified as morally ambiguous. It can be extremely difficult to identify a character as purely evil or purely good. In the novel Dracula, Bram Stoker presents a morally ambiguous title character, Dracula. Dracula can be seen as evil by the obvious: he is a vampire that bites people to get their blood. But on the other hand, Dracula can also be seen as good. Dracula is not purposely trying to kill people, he is just trying to protect himself. Lots of people believe that they can understand and analyse other people and try to come up with conclusions on how that person is but Stoker shows how in some cases, analyzing a person cannot easily be done. Most people are not black and white. Their
What if in between good and evil did not exist? Where would you stand? Today, it is believed that everyone was born with the slightest bit of evil in them. In the Victorian Era, this theory would be considered very wrong, because one would either be all good, or all evil. In Dracula, by Bram Stoker, good versus evil was symbolised throughout the book as two antithetical forces without an in between. By clearly demonstrating the relationship between the dualistic ideas of intuition versus logic, good characters facing figures comparable to the devil, and symbolism within the natural world, Bram Stoker effectively recounts a “holy war” between the antagonistic forces of good and evil.
The late nineteenth century Irish novelist, Bram Stoker is most famous for creating Dracula, one of the most popular and well-known vampire stories ever written. Dracula is a gothic, “horror novel about a vampire named Count Dracula who is looking to move from his native country of Transylvania to England” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Unbeknownst of Dracula’s plans, Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, traveled to Castle Dracula to help the count with his plans and talk to him about all his options. At first Jonathan was surprised by the Count’s knowledge, politeness, and overall hospitality. However, the longer Jonathan remained in the castle the more uneasy and suspicious he became as he began to realize just how strange and different Dracula was. As the story unfolded, Jonathan realized he is not just a guest, but a prisoner as well. The horror in the novel not only focuses on the “vampiric nature” (Soyokaze), but also on the fear and threat of female sexual expression and aggression in such a conservative Victorian society.
Stevenson, John Allen. A Vampire in the Mirror: The Sexuality of Dracula. 2nd ed. Vol. 103. N.p.: Modern Language Association, 1988. JSTOR. Web. 6 Jan. 2014. .
Carol A. Senf uses a critical theory lens when she picks apart Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The majority of literary critics interpret this popular myth to be the opposition of good and evil, they turn a blind eye to the more specifically literary matters such as method of narration, characterization, and style. Carol Senf’s critical essay “Dracula: the Unseen Face in the Mirror” she believes that Stokers novel “revolves, not around the conquest of Evil by Good, but on the similarities between the two” (Senf 421). Her argument is as follows:
In Bram Stoker's Dracula, the most blatant and powerful symbol is blood. He takes the blood that means so much to the believers of this legend and has it represent more than even they could imagine. Blood is the main object associated with vampires and vampirism. From a mythical standpoint, it is the basis of life for the vampires as they feed off of the blood of young, vibrant souls. From a more scientific standpoint blood is what would drip out of the corpse's mouth when family members would dig up their dead kin to check for the dreaded disease. Stoker takes the significance of this symbol and puts his own unique twist to the meaning of blood. He combines the traditional folklore of vampirism and the immense sexual undertones of the Victorian era to create a simply horrific tale which completely confuses the emotions of his readers. Stoker knew bloods importance in vampire history and used the overwhelming symbolism to convey his own personal lust and sexual obsessions. The scenes where Lucy is receiving transfusions; first from Holmwood, then from Seward, and the unforgettable vampire baptism between Dracula and Mina all have these very erotic, sexual feelings associated with them. What makes these so powerful is the combination of violence and sex. As a reader, you know that what Dracula is doing are horrific and wrong, but because they are so sexually described and associated you think you should enjoy them, but you can't. This is the confusion which stoker implements into his readers minds, especially ones of the Victorian era. This is why stoker used blood as the most important symbol in the novel; to create an intense horror that was not just in the words of the book, but in the minds of the reader.
While the character of Renfield is ostensively extraneous to the central plot of Dracula, he fulfils an important role in Stoker’s exploration of the central themes of the novel. This paper will examine how Renfield character is intertwined with the three central themes of invasion, blood and otherness. Firstly, through Renfield’s inner struggle we learn that he is ‘not his own master’ (Stoker, 211). The theme of invasion is revealed by the controlling and occupying powers of Count Dracula. Secondly, the recurring theme ‘the Blood is the Life’ (Stoker, 121), is portrayed throughout the novel and has been interpreted through Stoker’s character Renfield. Then finally, a look at the social construction of the ‘other’ in Dracula and how, through Renfield, who is ‘unlike the normal lunatic’ (Stoker, 52), the Count emerges as the ‘other’ of all ‘others’.
‘Dracula’ is a novel that probes deeply into people’s superstitions, fears and beliefs of the supernatural. The creature Dracula is an evil being with no concern for others, he kills for his own ends and cannot be stopped, and this is what makes ‘Dracula’ truly frightening.
He is on his way to Transylvania to complete a property transaction with Dracula at his decaying castle (Swan). Then Jonathan soon realizes he is a prisoner at the castle with Dracula and the three sisters who reveal themselves as vampires to Jonathan (Stoker). But there are differences between the novel and the film with the first being in the movie when Jonathan ask the Count why are you buying houses in these specific locations (Bram Stoker’s)? The movie never answers this question, but the novel explains the fifty boxes that have Transylvanian dirt in them need to be at these locations neighboring London, so Dracula could rest and rebuild his strength which must be in a coffin with his homelands dirt (Bram Stoker’s). Next are the variations of how he became to know the sisters of Dracula (Canby). The movie shows the sisters morphing up through his mattress while he is trying to sleep. Although the novel states he wanders into their room where he sits down to write in his journal when he becomes sleepy and they appear out of nowhere trying to feast on his neck (Canby). Next is the contrasting effect of Jonathans religion. In the novel, he is a devout religious God-fearing man praying and asking Him to help and keep him safe each step of his way while in the movie Jonathan wears the crucifix he received on his carriage ride to the
Over the course of cinematic history, many filmmakers have attempted to recreate the chilling, unprecedented world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Arguably very few have succeeded, for the majority of directors tend to avoid the pervasive sexuality inherent in the novel. It is a difficult task to achieve, considering the blatant imagery surrounding sex and vampirism, such as the reproduction following a vampiric encounter and the phallocentric nature of the violence committed both by and against these creatures: penetration is involved in their hunting, and one must impale them with a stake in order to destroy them. Readers are thereby forced to admit that Dracula is, in fact, a highly eroticized piece of literature, though whether or not Stoker himself was aware of this suggestiveness, we cannot be sure. The most successful effort at capturing that sexual energy on film has been Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie, Bram Stoker's Dracula. In fact, it has often been proposed that Coppola’s version is too carnally focused in comparison to the original work, which leads a viewer to wonder about the purpose in this overt sexualization. It can be concluded that adding copious amounts of eroticism to the film is directly related to Coppola’s strive to depict Count Dracula as more human rather than monster, and sexuality in his film serves as a balance so that the lines between good and evil are blurred. Evidence for this deduction is found in three scenes in particular: Jonathan’s seduction by Dracula’s vampiric wives, Lucy’s demonic transformation, and Mina and Van Helsing’s relationship during the climax of the story.
In the book, Dracula by Bram Stoker there are many characters that display qualities of good verse evil. The Count Dracula is a mysterious character who appears as an odd gentleman but the longer the story goes on Dracula shows his true self. Dracula started infiltrating the lives of anyone who crossed his path and he was not stopping his destruction of others’ lives. Many people were affect by Dracula’s actions but there were two people that Dracula caused an impact on during his rampage. Dracula is an evil, cunning, and selfish character who harms the life of a young man and ruins the future of an innocent woman.