The IId And Superego In Bram Stoker's Dracula

Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula also weaves the conflict between the id and superego into a tale with creatures of the paranormal variety. On the surface, Dracula is nothing more than a story about a group of gallant heroes exterminating evil demonic creatures threatening their lovely city. A book this simple would not studied over one hundred years after its publication. If one were to examine the novel with a metaphorical microscope, one would see that the book is layered and deeper than it would seem. Dracula is actually a novel about the ego and superego trying to suppress the id. The vampires are depicted as animalistic, id-like abominations that go against both nature and the rules of society and must be destroyed by the main characters. In the beginning of the novel, when Harker finds Dracula in his crypt, he gives the vampire a bestial description, saying, “It seemed as if the whole awful creature were simply gorged with blood; he lay like a filthy leech,

The best horror novels are not just about goblins, ghosts, or ghouls that haunt the protagonists. Novels focus purely on a conflict between the heroes and monsters may entertain the reader, but they are almost always forgotten in the sands of time. The famous novels that last for years may use supernatural entities, but these creatures all mirror traits that are human. The best works of literature and art are introspective. They examine the animalistic tendencies of humanity, the controlling nature of the superego, and the ego’s constant struggle to strike a balance between the two. Dracula, The Haunting of Hill House, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde all focus on people fighting against their primal sides, and it is this struggle that causes horror to rear its ugly head and work its way through the mind. Horror novels are chilling because they force the reader to look at the savagery that lurks within their own