More handpicked essays just for you.
Changes of religion in the scientific revolution
Impact of religion during the industrial revolution
Changes of religion in the scientific revolution
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Those who seek power will stop at no cost, sacrificing anything to accomplish their conquest. In the process, they lose sight of who they are, twisted by the power they possess, until inevitably, they become evil. This was a concern in Stoker’s time with the rampant introduction of new technologies following the first Industrial Revolution and amidst the second. In the pursuit of Science and advancement, many abandoned their Christian beliefs. With the abundance of discoveries and improvement to life, “God was not only no longer necessary for progress but he was not necessary for life itself” and “science would become the new faith of the masses” (Christy). However, without Christian faith, people lose sight of the values and morals associated …show more content…
with it, essentially becoming soulless without it. Bram Stoker believed that Christianity was a necessity in society and tells a cautionary tale about abandoning one’s faith in his novel Dracula. Stoker utilizes vampires to symbolically represent the religious condemnation of society by turning away from Christian values. If Christianity is abandoned then people will become the monster that vampires are. This is seen in the vampires’ perversion of the Christian faith, the power that Christian icons hold over vampires, and the theme of sexuality. Similar to how people abandoned religion in pursuit of Science and advancement, Count Dracula perverts the Christian faith to further himself. The very basis of vampirism includes the same elements of Christianity such as immortality, blood, and the soul, but they are incorporated in stark contrast to how they are incorporated in Christianity. Count Dracula is an immortal and soulless being who consumes the blood of others to become stronger and “as a vampire, [he] inverts one of the principal Catholic sacraments: holy Communion” (“Dracula”). Christians drink the symbolic blood of Christ to be granted spiritual life, while “Dracula prolongs and revitalizes his physical life by drinking the real blood of humans” (“Dracula”). Moreover, Christians believe that flesh is transient and their spiritual life to be more important while for Count Dracula, “blood is […] life” (Stoker 152). Additionally, Christians believe in life after death seeking an everlasting spiritual life while Count Dracula can not die by natural causes and is a man “who has centuries before him” (Stoker 322). Count Dracula’s perversion of the Christian faith to further himself symbolizes those who abandon their faith in the pursuit of power. This symbolism is continued in the power Count Dracula obtains through his perversion of the Christian faith. Furthering this connection, Count Dracula has newfound power, much like those who abandoned Christianity in the pursuit of Science. Count Dracula is described to “[have] the strength of twenty men” and he cannot be hurt the same way that “[humans] can be hurt” (Stoker 265). He is believed to be so powerful that “no weapon wrought alone by man’s hand would have any effect on him” (Stoker 71). This mirrors how those who have made advancements through abandoning Christianity and pursued Science gain a newfound power. Compared to primitive tools and mechanisms, technological inventions are extraordinary, with each new invention severely outmatching its primitive counterpart, much like how vampires severely outmatch humans. However, through abandoning their faith, those who possess this newfound power are no different than vampires, as they are not bound by any moral code. In their pursuit for more power, those who abandon their faith become soulless. To further emphasize vampires’ perversion of Christianity, one of the greatest weaknesses vampires have are icons of the Christian faith. Through making icons of the Christian faith a weakness of vampires, Stoker clearly illustrates that vampires are linked to Christianity as a direct enemy. This weakness is seen when Harker starts to bleed and “the Count [sees Harker’s] face, his eyes [blazing] with a sort of demonaic fury, and he suddenly made a grab at [Harker’s] throat. [Harker] drew away, and [the Count’s] hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in [the Count], for the fury passed so quickly that [Harker] could hardly believe that it was ever there” (Stoker 33). Moreover, when confronted with an “envelope which contained […] Sacred Wafer [,] The Count suddenly [stops …] and [cowers] back” (Stoker 301). The effect Sacred Wafer has on the unholy is so powerful that when Mina, who is infected by a vampire, has holy wafer placed on her forehead, “it [burns] into [her] flesh as thought it had been a piece of white-hot metal” (Stoker 316). Vampires are weak to icons of the Christian faith because they are so unholy, thus the enemy of Christianity. Vampires are unholy due to their perversion and lack of Christian values, furthering the parallel between vampires and those who abandon Christianity. However, this also implies that those who abandon their Christian faith are both unholy and enemies of Christianity. They are unholy because they have rejected God’s love and will remain so until they regain their Christian faith. Additionally, they are enemies of the Church as they are supporters of an ideology in which God does not exist. Through continuing the advancement of Science in a way which does not incorporate the Church, people push themselves and others further away from God. Stoker emphasizes the consequences of abandoning Christian faith while strengthening vampires as a symbol for those who abandon faith through making vampires, the representation of those who abandon their faith, weak to Christian icons. To those who pervert the Christian faith or those who abandon it, sin becomes second nature.
This is represented in Dracula, through the theme of sexuality. Lust is one of the seven deadly sins, and it is the cause of premarital sex, a sin in Christian culture. Though sex is never explicitly shown in Dracula, vampires are commonly associated with sex, thus drawing a connection between vampirism and sin. The act of a vampires feeding have sexual implications and are “described in terms of illicit desire and sexual repression” (Shmoop). Moreover, the manner in which Count Dracula feeds is extremely sexual as “he waits to be beckoned into his victim’s bedroom, then he pierces her body in a way that makes her bleed” (“Dracula”). Additionally, upon transitioning into a vampire, humans are increasing sexualized. When Lucy is a vampire, she says to her husband "Arthur! Oh, my love, I am so glad you have come! Kiss me!” (Stoker 171). As a vampire, Lucy’s “repressed sexuality comes to the surface, and she becomes the sexual aggressor – women in 1897 weren’t supposed to be the ones to ask for kisses; they were supposed to be kissed” (Shmoop). The sexualization of vampires associates them with lust, thus associating them with sin. Through this, Stoker further draws the connection between vampires and those who abandon their Christin faith as both groups are more prone to sin. Upon abandoning Christian faith, the repressed desires and urges of people will arise, and without the moral compass of Christianity to guide them, they will commit sin. The lust Stoker uses to symbolism sin can represent various types of sin, including horrid acts such as robbery, assault, or murder. Additionally, both vampires and those who abandon their faith create more of their kind through their actions. This is symbolized in the book through the creation of more vampires and the vampires’ sexuality compelling others to sin. If someone were to die after being fed upon by a vampire, they would
become one, and the cycle would continue with each new vampire fostering more vampires. Moreover, through their sexuality, vampires compel normal humans to sin. Upon seeing the three female vampires, Johnathan “[feels] in [his] heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss [him] with those red lips” (Stoker 45). Despite his loyalty to his wife, the compelling sexual nature of the vampires makes him sin through feeling lust. The influence vampires have mirrors how those who abandon their faith and commit sin may encourage others to sin as well. Both vampirism and soulless scientific advancement start off small, with a few individuals, but if left unchecked can become vast. If decline for Christianity and continuous advancements in science were to occur simultaneously, people would rapidly abandon Christian faith. Through using sexuality to symbolize sin, Stoker furthers the parallels between vampires and those without faith, while emphasizing how dangerous the faithless are, as they are capable of committing a myriad of sin. Through the usage of vampires, a soulless monster, to represent those who abandon Christian faith, Stoker is able to tell a strong cautionary tale. He warns against abandoning religion to pursue Science through illustrating how vampires, which pervert Christian faith, are evil. The concepts of vampirism are all elements of the Christian faith, but they are twisted into evil and darkness, representing the evil that comes with abandoning Christianity. This is furthered by the fact that vampires are weak to icons of the Christian faith, portraying them as unholy. The sexuality which vampirism induces symbolizes the sin and desires that come with abandoning Christianity. Additionally, it serves to warn readers about how dangerous those without religion are. Ironically, Van Helsing and Seward can both be considered scientists as they study to further Scientific advancement. However, they are both fighting against vampires, a representation of those who pursue Scientific advancement and abandon religion. This illustrates that Scientists need to be the ones who fight for advancement which actively involves religion. Despite this, there were no symbols for Scientific progress in Dracula, showing that Stoker has no interest in it. In the end of the novel, society remains stagnant and unchanging, starkly contrasting our world today. This raises the question; are we soulless?
Bram Stoker was born into a lower-class Irish family in late 1847. He grew up with six siblings, at least four of which were brothers. Throughout his childhood, Stoker was an invalid, sickened with an unknown disease. Many days were spent listening to his mother tell stories of Ireland. It is thought that her stories played a large role in his writing (Stoker 5). Perhaps due to Stoker’s childhood illness and relationship with his brothers, his writing in Dracula exhibited a great deal of homosociality, the idea of same-sex relationships on a social level, rather than romantically. In the novel, Stoker introduces the idea of homosociality by creating a friendship and camaraderie between the main male characters.
“Dracula, in one aspect, is a novel about the types of Victorian women and the representation of them in Victorian English society” (Humphrey). Through Mina, Lucy and the daughters of Dracula, Stoker symbolizes three different types of woman: the pure, the tempted and the impure. “Although Mina and Lucy possess similar qualities there is striking difference between the two” (Humphrey). Mina is the ideal 19th century Victorian woman; she is chaste, loyal and intelligent. On the other hand, Lucy’s ideal Victorian characteristics began to fade as she transformed from human to vampire and eventually those characteristics disappeared altogether. Lucy no longer embodied the Victorian woman and instead, “the swe...
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. .
Bram Stoker’s Dracula illustrated fears about sexual women in contrast to the woman who respected and abided by society’s sexual norms. Joseph Sheridan LeFanu’s “Carmilla” represented not only the fear of feminine sexuality, but also the fear of sexuality between women. John William Polidori’s “The Vampyre” showed society’s fear of sexuality in terms of the seductive man who could “ruin” a young girl.These texts are representative of vampire stories in the Victorian Era, and will be the focus here.
The Victorian England setting and culture of “Dracula” by: Bram Stoker attributes to many stylistic components and character behaviours in the novel. One of which is the behaviour and actions characters express that are a result of sexual repression. In Dracula, sexual repression is best expressed by the character’s desire to create. This desire is exemplified by the way Dracula creates other vampires, Lucy’s sexual desires, and the men’s expression of aggression. The creation of other Vampires is evident through events including Dracula’s aggressive encounters with Lucy and Mina, and the fact the Dracula is building up a Vampire army. Lucy’s sexual desires are exemplified through her longing to have sex with multiple men and how she compares
Dracula is a mythical creature designed to wreak havoc on the lives of mortals through the terror and intimidation of death by bite. Vampires are undead beings that kill humans for their blood to survive. Human blood is the vampire’s sustenance, and only way of staying alive. Throughout time, humans have come up with ways to repel vampires, such as lighting jack-o-lanterns on All Hallows Eve, placing garlic around the neck, a stake through the heart, sunlight, etc. Both beings have a survival instinct, whether it be hunger or safety, both are strong emotions. In the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, the characters Lucy, John, and Van Helsing strive for survival, therefore killing Dracula.
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.
In act 2 scene 6 and act 3 scene 6 of the play ‘Dracula’, the
Similar to almost every piece of literature ever created, Dracula by Bram Stoker has been interpreted many different ways, being torn at from every angle possible. Just as one might find interest in interpreting novels differently, he or she might also find interest in the plot, prose, or theme, all of which ultimately lead to the novels overall tone. Throughout the novel, it becomes blatant that the novel contains an underlying theme of female incompetence and inferiority. Through a true feminist’s eyes, this analysis can clearly be understood by highlighting the actions of Mina and Lucy, the obvious inferior females in the book. Through Stoker’s complete and utter manipulation of Mina and Lucy, he practically forces the reader to analyze the co-existence of dominant males and inferior females in society and to simultaneously accept the fact that the actual text of Dracula is reinforcing the typical female stereotypes that have developed throughout the ages.
In reading Bram Stoker's Dracula, I find the treatment of the two main female characters-- Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker-- especially intriguing. These two women are two opposite archetypes created by a society of threatened men trying to protect themselves.
In 1897, after seven years of writing, Dracula was finally published. Written by Bram Stoker during the Victorian Era. There was much sentiment towards the emancipation of woman. Though these feelings came mostly from women, there were also opposing sentiments, mostly from men, who did not feel the same way towards the liberation of women. The feminist movement was beginning to take ahold of society and many would have to become accustomed to the new ideals of women possibly being in power.
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.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the story about how the small company of men and a woman lead by Professor Abraham Van Helsing combats against Count Dracula, who moves from Transylvania to England in order to manipulate people as “foul things of the night like him, without heart or conscience, preying on the bodies and the souls of those [they] love best” (223). Stoker employs an epistolary format in this novel and nowadays, Dracula becomes one of popular literary works representing epistolary novels written in the nineteenth century. The term “epistolary novels” refers to the novels composed of different types of documents, such as journals, letters, newspaper clippings and so forth. One of the effects created by using an epistolary format is providing the characters’ inner state throughout the story, which “focuse[s] on a broader exploration of the insights that made up the conscious self by and [the broader context]” (Ştefan 73). Consequently, Stoker’s use of fragmentary narratives delivers the main characters’ emotions and thoughts in more picturesque ways. In Dracula, the epistolary format of the novel increases terror and suspense, which derived from tension when the story alters after alluding characters’ insecure future and immense power of Dracula affecting not only the main characters, but the third parties who are irrelevant to them.
From Transylvania to Hollywood, vampires have transformed from unfamiliar, mysterious personalities to one of the most dominant monsters in the horror genre today. Vampires are one of the oldest and most noted creatures in mythology, with many variations of them around the world. Although the most famous version is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, many variants have come before and after telling of the same legend with their own added ideas and modifications to relate to their cultures. Today, there is a multitude of literary and film works that convey and resurface peoples’ fear of vampires. As gothic works like Dracula, by Bram Stoker and Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire directed by Scott Jeralds share certain traits reflective of the genre;
An Atmosphere of Fear and Horror in the Opening Chapter of Dracula by Bram Stoker