ipl-logo

Christian Symbolism In Dracula

366 Words2 Pages

for. This choice has consequences, rewarding or punishing effects by going to Heaven or Hell after death depending on what God decides. The vampire is said to be damned, he is a minister of the Devil and therefore an adversary of God and humankind. Vampires offer a false immortality, a continuation of life in misery, contrasting with the real death that leads people to God and Paradise. Within this context, the mortal represents the role of the protagonist hero who offers his or her own life to keep Christianity and mankind safe. In Stoker's Dracula is possible to appreciate the force of Christian symbols and God, motifs that are used to threaten the undead and never calling into question the faith that his character has on those symbols.

Show More
Related

  • Hades In Dracula

    581 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Ah, it is the fault of our science that it wants to explain all, and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain” (Stoker 272). Stoker was selective in his choice of mythical creature; the vampire, it's characteristics and weaknesses create the necessity for superstition hand in hand with science to be defeated. Stoker repeatedly refers to the head, or rational thought and the heart, or superstition and irrational thought. He also uses the symbol of blood countless times to represent “life-force” in contrast with “bloodless” and

    Read More

  • Thesis On Dracula And Religion

    332 Words  | 2 Pages

    The topic I have chosen for my essay is how Dracula is meant to remind society of the importance of religion, specifically Christianity, in Stoker’s time. I intend to do this through analyzing symbols in Dracula, drawing connections between these symbols and Christianity, and analyzing the implications Stoker attempts to make. I chose this topic because vampires and their sacrilegious implications, such as burning when touching a cross, have always been of interest to me, hence why I chose to study Dracula in the first place. My thesis is: Stoker uses Count Dracula as symbol to represent what society may become if they abandon religious beliefs.

    Read More

  • The Central Idea Of Fear In Bram Stoker's Dracula

    509 Words  | 3 Pages

    The central idea of this excerpt from Dracula was the fear of the prisoner living in the castle of Count Dracula who felt trapped and alone. The authors use of first person point of view of the prisoner was able to develop this central idea of fear because prisoner was able to describe his feelings first hand living in the castle with the Count as well as emphasize the thoughts that were scattered inside of his head during this time. An example of the author using first person point of view to help develop the central idea of fear was when the prisoner had realized that he was helpless in the situation of his current living conditions. The prisoner said "I think I must have been mad for the time, for I have behaved much as a rat does in a trap" (lines 4-5).

    Read More

  • Good Vs. Evil In Dracula

    889 Words  | 4 Pages

    All throughout the story there is conflicts between the good and the evil. In Stokers novel it’s a battle between the good and the evil. The good defeat Dracula by using Christian references. All throughout the book is a holy war.

    Read More

  • Renfield In Bram Stoker's Dracula

    1367 Words  | 6 Pages

    evil (dark). To begin with, light colors, such as white, are highlighted through characters such as Lucy Westenra, as she is both literally and figuratively characterized to be among “the white garments of the angel,” indicating that Lucy is a character who represents all that is pure and noble in a lady (Stoker 209). On the other hand, the vampires in the novel, Count Dracula and the three female vampire wives, are associated with the colors black and red. For example, when Jonathan Harker first encounters Count Dracula, Dracula is revealed to be “clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere” (Stoker 13). This emphasizes his role as an antagonist in the novel.

    Read More

  • Desire In Bram Stoker's Dracula

    1160 Words  | 5 Pages

    The horror genre of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, combined with mild eroticism is able to draw in readers due to the fact that Stoker is able to intricately weave suspenseful sexual scenes/scenes of desire throughout the novel—making it clear that

    Read More

  • Christianity In Frankenstein Essay

    588 Words  | 3 Pages

    Christianity in Frankenstein         Throughout the novel, there were many biblical allusions. Christianity play into novel by comparing the creation of Frankenstein's monster to the creation of Adam and Eve. Mary Shelley incorporating this into the novel to show that no one should ever come close as Frankenstein was to receiving "God" status because it will ultimately drive them to destruction. The purpose of these connection is that no one should not play God.

    Read More

  • Violence In Bram Stoker's Dracula

    1461 Words  | 6 Pages

    Bram Stoker, describes one of the verbal taboos of the Victorian era, violence, through the representation of vampires as “monsters” through the point of view of their victims in his novel Dracula. Stoker portrays violence in three distinct categories- physical, visual and psychological. Each one of these categories is described by one of the antagonists in the Novel, with Count Dracula as the physical aspect of violence, his underlings, the female vampires as the visual and Renfield, the patient at Dr. Seward’s mental asylum, as the psychological aspect of violence. This essay looks at the portrayal of such Categorical violence as different renditions of a “monster” and considers why Stoker would segregate violence in such a manner.

    Read More

  • Morality And Morality In Dracula

    1329 Words  | 6 Pages

    During the Victorian period in which Dracula was written, morals and ethics were often strictly enforced. Some of the morals that were upheld had to do with personal duty, hard work, honesty, as well as sexual proprietary. It was very important during this period that one was proper in their sexual behaviors and conventional in whom they had sexual relations with. However, during this period, many authors sought to challenge the ‘norm’ with ideas of reform and change and Bram Stoker was no exception to this. In his novel, Dracula, Stoker provides a critique of this rigidity in his portrayal of Dracula and Dracula’s relationship with Jonathan Harker.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Dracula In Stoker's Dracula

    1253 Words  | 6 Pages

    Gothic horror novel Dracula, the title character makes only several relatively short appearances, some of which are while in disguise. Throughout the novel, Stoker keeps Count Dracula in the shadows, both literally and figuratively. This essay will describe these appearances and analyze Stoker’s use of them to determine what effect they might have on the impression of the character and the novel overall. It will be claimed that by keeping his title character hidden for much of the novel, Stoker’s Dracula is made much more frightening to the reader. Human beings tend to fear the unknown, and by leaving Dracula to the imagination,

    Read More

  • Theme Of Evil In Dracula

    711 Words  | 3 Pages

    The appearance and clothing of characters is not the only way of how good vs. evil is exemplified. Iconography is used many times throughout the novel as well. For example, the crucifix in the novel is a notable obstacle, which separates and saves good from evil a few times. A specific example early on in the novel is when Jonathan Harker is in his room within Dracula’s castle. After he cuts himself with his razor, Dracula springs on him at the sight of blood, but as soon as Dracula notices the crucifix hanging below Harkers neck, he backs away and leaves the room.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism Of Religion In Bram Stoker's Dracula

    785 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Bram Stoker’s gothic novel, Dracula, the overall and fundamental theme of the book is given away the further you read, expressing Stoker’s view of religion. The novel is an account of the paths taken by many different characters such as Count Dracula, Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra. Since this poem was written with ideas focused primarily on the concepts of evil, as it was viewed during an appearingly-conservative nineteenth and twentieth century society, the book can be seen as a parallel to Eliot’s and others’ own religious quests. While Bram Stoker attempts to acquaint the reader with a frightening tale on the accounts of a dreadful vampire named Count Dracula, he also expresses the goal of strengthening

    Read More

  • Dracula And Van Helsing Analysis

    711 Words  | 3 Pages

    He is supposed to represent science and advancement, yet he relies in the use of old fashioned or ancient practices to resolve conflicts in the novel. Dracula himself has been roaming the world for centuries; he is ancient. In a way his practices are ancient

    Read More

  • Dracula Rationalism Analysis

    1263 Words  | 6 Pages

    In order to defeat Dracula, the protagonists use both religion and rationalism; as a result, arguments in favour of both sides of the debate are presented, which makes it impossible to reduce Dracula to one side or the other. The vampire hunters rely heavily on faith and religious objects, such as crucifixes and the eucharist, which presents an argument in favour of looking beyond rationalism and science to faith. As noted above, Dracula, by his fantastic nature, is something that defies reason, and thus religion is necessary to explain what rationalism cannot. Van Helsing makes a case for this when he urges “I want you to believe… in things you cannot.…I heard once of an American who so defined faith: ‘that which enables us to believe things

    Read More

  • Van Helsing Symbolism In Dracula

    544 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the folk legends and traditions Van Helsing draws upon suggest that the most sufficient weapon used while trying to combat supernatural evil are symbols of divine good. The symbols that Helsing uses in the fight against Dracula take form of the icons of Christian Faith. In the novel, a crucifix is used to “shield” the human life from Dracula when he attempts to kill them. In chapter 21, Dracula lunges to attack Van Helsing and the men and this is when Christian icons appear in the novel; “Van Helsing brandishes a holy wafer, and the men advance with their crucifixes. Dracula draws back, and the room is enveloped in darkness as a cloud obscures the moon.

    Read More

More about Christian Symbolism In Dracula

Open Document