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Motifs In Dracula

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In Dracula, author Bram Stoker has interesting ways of connecting various different instances to Count Dracula. He does so by using the motif of colours; specifically red, black and white. Each of these colours is used to describe different things well conveying one general message. Black, red and white relate to Dracula and connect to his character, while each having a purposeful meaning.

Connecting to Dracula’s character, the motif of black symbolizes darkness and evil. Dracula creates a dark atmosphere as he has an evil presence upon him. As Dracula was driving Jonathan Harker, the main character, they were “sailing through the black clouds”, until they were surrounded by “a ring of wolves”. (14) The “black clouds” set darkness into the atmosphere and tells us that the weather senses and perceives Dracula as evil. As Harker was describing the wolves, there had similar characteristics …show more content…

This is a juxtaposition of black which Stoker purposefully put in. The moon is a perfect example of the motif of white as it provides light and innocence according to the book. Harker had thought he had lost the wolves, “but just then the moon, sailing through the black clouds, appeared behind the jagged crest of a beetling, pineclad rock, and by its light I saw around us a ring of wolves”. (14) The moon warned Harker that Dracula was near by shining light onto the wolves. This is an act of innocence as the moon was trying to aid Harker from his possible demise. Later on when they reached Castle Dracula, Harker was describing the castle “from whose tall black windows came no ray of light”. This quote is making it evident that Dracula does not like light, which reinforces the juxtaposition of black and white. The darkness and evil that the motif of black brings is cancelled out by the light and innocence white provides. Therefore white is the light that keeps Dracula

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