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Examples Of Xenophobia In Dracula

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n Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula," there exists a correlation between xenophobia and disease, in the sense that the spread of disease is frequently employed as a metaphor for the spread of foreign influence or the fear of the foreign. It is one of the most prominent themes and is particularly evident in the portrayal of Dracula himself, who is often regarded as a symbol of otherness and foreignness. This anxiety is used to legitimize xenophobia and exclusion as a means to safeguard British society from the perceived hazards of foreign contagion. Through his portrayal as an immigrant from Transylvania who brings a deadly disease to England, Stoker highlights the xenophobic attitudes prevalent in Victorian society and the fear of foreign contagion …show more content…

According to literary historian Stephen Arata, Harker's journey to Castle Dracula resembles a condensed travelogue, and the initial entries in his journal follow the established norms of this widely popular genre in the Victorian era. By presenting the descriptions as a travelogue, Stoker portrays life in Eastern Europe from an Anglocentric viewpoint, offering a reassuringly familiar representation to his readers. Consequently, enhancing the sense of terror when the Eastern Count invades their …show more content…

Harker is determined to escape from Transylvania, and in the first part of the book, he loses his British composure and rationality, pledging to leave the castle and find a way home: "And then away for home! away to the quickest and nearest train! away from this cursed spot, from this cursed land, where the devil and his children still walk with earthly feet!" (Stoker 55). Regrettably for Harker, by this stage in the narrative, Dracula has already departed for England. By establishing the foreignness of Count Dracula and the culture he represents he affirms the British nationality and that anything else is “a disease that could weaken the Empire,” (Kern

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