According to the Victorian Web, a new and budding author named Bram Stoker entered the world in the year 1847, on the eighth of November. From a young age, Stoker loved to read about folklore, and later on in life he aspired to be an author. Although Stoker published several stories, only in the year 1897 did he publish his most well-known novel, Dracula. After this success, Stoker went on to write several other novels, and eventually died in the year 1912. (Scarborough) His novel, Dracula, tells the tale of five people who encounter and have to deal with the evil undead vampire Count Dracula, who terrorizes them and even causes two out of the five to become undead like himself. Thankfully, the group eventually discovers a way to eventually vanquish Dracula once and for all, and by the end of the book they destroy him, preventing him from terrorizing the people of Europe once and for all. Stoker explores several significant themes in this book, including the theme of deception. In Dracula, Stoker uses the theme of deception with the characterization of Dracula,
5. Describe the appearances Dracula makes throughout the novel. What does Stoker achieve by keeping his title character in the shadows for so much of the novel?
At first glance, the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker appears to be a typical gothic horror novel set in the late 1890s that gives readers an exciting look into the fight between good and evil. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that Dracula is a statement piece about gender roles and expectations for men and women during the Victorian age. Looking at the personalities, actions, and character development of each of the characters in Dracula bring to light startling revelations about Victorian society and how Stoker viewed the roles of men and women during this time period.
Everybody knows the classic tale of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It is most famous for its introduction of the character of Count Dracula into both deep-rooted and contemporary literature and media. One critic claimed,” Bram Stoker set the ground rules for what a vampire should be.” It follows the story of Jonathan Harker, an English solicitor who visits Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania – soon realising that he is being kept as a prisoner. Dracula forms a liking to the character of Lucy which ultimately leads to her death. Dracula learns that the group are plotting against him and feeds Mina his own blood to control her. In the final fight, humanity wins over the creature as they can kill him and Mina’s mind from his “spell.” The premise
A battle between good and evil is a common plot to Dracula. The forces of evil, Count Dracula and other vampires (the un-dead), try to take over Britain. The novel heroes Dr. Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward, Johnathan Haker, Quincy Morris, and Arthur Holmwood are the first responders for this evil invasion of the British Empire. In the novel the characters Dracula and Van Helsing play a major role for being the leaders of their respective groups, therefore they controlled the actions of their groups. Dracula’s actions in the novel have the purpose to flourish the rise of the un-dead, while Van Helsing’s actions aim to preserve and protect the human race.
In Bram Stokers novel “Dracula” there’s a battle between good and evil. The good uses Christian references to ward off evil. This starts a holy war. Stoker’s novel is an obvious ‘good versus evil’ kind of story. We all know that Dracula is going to get defeated, but how? What will the other characters go through to defeat Dracula? The good start a holy war against the evil. Throughout the whole story there’s multiple conflicts between the good and the evil.
Dracula is implied to be a God-like and/or Christ-like figure. As a so-called “Un-Dead,”(Stoker x) he is a being that, like Christ, has been resurrected and is immortal. Similarly, the vampiric act of drinking blood evokes the act of communion, in which Christ’s blood, represented by wine, is drunk. The zoophagy of Dracula’s disciple Renfield also evokes the idea of communion, as his consumption of animal bodies corresponds to Christian disciples consuming eucharist bread, which represents the body of Christ. This idea of Dracula as a God-like figure is seen in Renfield’s worship of him: “I am here to do Your bidding, Master. I am Your slave, and You will reward me, for I shall be faithful,” (Stoker 113). Not only does Renfield refer to him as “Master” and offer his faith, but the capitalization of “You” in reference to Dracula follows the convention of capitalizing words that refer to God. As these are spoken words, and are recorded in Dr. Seward’s audio phonograph diary, this capitalization convention would not actually be evident, so its use here is a significant and intentional means of portraying Dracula as God-like. However, it is apparent that this characterization of Dracula as a god figure is negative, a perversion of religion, because vampires are cast as abject monsters. Though they resemble God-like figures, they are considered “a blot on the face of God’s sunshine; an arrow in the side of Him who died for man” (Stoker 253), and thus are perverted parodies of religion. For example, as Mina begins to turn into a vampire, her unwitting consumption of vampire blood and the scar on her forehead, referred to as a
In dracula things don't get interesting until the end of Chapter 2. the chapter starts to show a dark and unpleasant horrible feeling that Stoker makes in the novel. Harker’s journal shows you how things change when hes at draculas castle. harker starts to feel like he isn't the
frustration. Dracula’s attitude towards Mina, and Mina’s interest in Jonathan Harker, shows the male vampire’s direct attempts at getting what is desired.
Bram Stokers Dracula is a novel that can be presented and interpreted in a number of different ways. Throughout the story, there are several themes that can be identified, such as womens rights, the importance of teamwork, and even the struggle between good and evil. However, considering Dracula to be a religious novel is quite debatable. Because of the several references and ties to religious thoughts and beliefs in the novel, Dracula should in fact be considered a religious novel, as the religious objects in the story are pivotal to the success of the protagonists, and Stoker is meaning to strengthen the power of these beliefs of the townsfolk.
The major theme in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker is the threat of female sexual expression. During this time period, female sexual behavior was frowned upon. Women were said to have to be either a virgin or a wife and mother. Social standards were very strict during this time, making it unheard of for women to show sexual expressions. In is era, the main concern was the role women had in society. In the novel, women’s looks and behaviors are different of what was going on in the Victorian era.
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula we follow the diary entries of a few characters, mainly Johnathon Harker a London solicitor as he travels to Transylvania to meet a rich nobleman, Count Dracula, to aid him in his move to a new estate in London, England. Harker is continually suspicious of his
This is a broad statement and in a book with over 300 pages, I will be focusing on certain parts in each of the books. Proving that fear can and really does challenge our sense of humanity and understanding in the world, from the start of the book where they tried to make up a rational solution to make this all seem like it wasn’t real, to actively fight against the evil they had so vehemently protested against existing. Bram stokers 19th-century fictitious Gothic novel 'Dracula ' is incredibly complex with many different characters from the meek and underestimated Mina, to the courageous and respected Van Helsing.
In the novel Dracula, author Bram Stoker creates a peculiar situation that pushes the main characters to decipher the supernatural from reality. Originally thought of as a myth, Dracula quickly becomes something more than the supernatural. By slowly building the conflict of Dracula himself, Stoker depicts all stages of the change from believing that Dracula is a fictitious character to being face to face with Dracula himself. As he terrorizes the lives of the characters in the novel, they soon come to the realization that Dracula is more than what they formerly believed, and in actuality he is their harsh reality.
“The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East”