Theme Of Corruption In Bram Stoker's Dracula

Vampires have been a common monster used in horror literature; dating back to the 18th century. These creatures have been able to make an identity for themselves within the genre. For years authors have been able to take the essence of the vampire’s identity and ability by turning it into something new. The reinvention allows for there to be a fresh new take on the vampire’s identity and ability. The original template for a vampire has been created through Bram Stokers, Dracula. In this story, Count Dracula has a strange and refined way of communicating and behave strangely towards the protagonist Jonathan Harker; he also displays a wide collection of supernatural abilities, such as strength, the ability to shapeshift and his thirst for blood. Many authors have used this template in order to create their own vampiric

We know very little about Dracula and his background but we only know the little information that he tells Jonathan Harker about his ancestry, still not addressing Dracula’s personal history similar to famed heroes like the Punisher and Batman, a shadowy history. We learn that he comes from noble blood and an influential family line, adding to the power that he holds over the characters of the story. Another anti hero trait that separates itself from the others is Dracula’s lack of social interaction. He lives in exile with seemingly little interaction with people as noted by Jonathan Harker. Harker remarks in his journal entries that he has yet to see anyone other than the Count in the castle. “If there were any one to talk to I could bear it, but there is no one. I have only the Count to speak with, and he! – I fear I am myself the only living soul within the place” (21). Dracula does not rely on servants to attend to his guest. When Harker arrives, Dracula carries his bag and shows him to his room and even the Count making his bed for him one day, confirming that Dracula has been doing the tasks of a servant (62). This leads the reader to believe that Dracula doesn’t have any servants and has been preparing Harker’s meals as well. The lack of servants may indicate that Dracula has been treated as an outcast by the people of

Lucy is a character who in the beginning follows the social norms for women of her time. Lucy believes that when marrying, her future husband should have knowledge of events going on in her days. She proves this when she writes in a letter to Mina, “You will tell him, because I would, if I were in your place, certainly tell Arthur. A woman ought to tell her husband everything—don’t you think so, dear?”(61). Now that Lucy is a vampire, obviously her idea of social norms changes. She has transformed from a normal “house wife” into a creature which is not believed to exist. Now that her family and friends see her as a vampire, they will no longer treat her the same.

Within Dracula, Van Helsing discovers new material about vampires by witnessing them in the flesh. During one of these instances, Van Helsing says to Mina, “‘Will you not come over to the fire?’ for I wished to make a test of what she could. She rose obedient, but when she have made a step she stopped” (Stoker 325). Van Helsing is testing Mina through an experiment with a ring of holy wafer around her. Mina is unable to break that ring of holy wafer due to the superstition of holy objects against vampires. Van Helsing is applying his supernatural knowledge with the scientific ways, by testing Mina to learn weaknesses for vampires. Without testing his theories before using them against Dracula, he would have had no idea if they would actually work. The ability to understand Dracula’s powers is key when fighting him. If the group were to take on Dracula without the knowledge they have gathered from the mini experiments they have witnessed, they would end up fighting an immune monster. Towards the end, Van Helsing tells Dr. Seward that, “to rid the earth of this terrible monster we must have all the knowledge and all the help which we can get” (Stoker 202). By “all knowledge” he really means every bit he can get. By discovering new ideas from the superstitions, the group is finally able to grip what has been happening the past months. This

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. Though he could not be explicit in his representation of homosexuality or queerness, in the

Dracula traps Jonathan Harker in his castle, but he finally escapes without the Count killing him. Dracula then sucks Lucys blood and turns her into a vampire. At this point everyone is against the bloodsucker. Since Lucy died, well turned into a vampire. Lucys friends have to stab her in the heart and cut off her head. Dracula gets to Mina, which is Jonathans wife. Dracula is going after everyone that is close to each other. The Szgany also has a few conflicts with the good characters of the story. He doesn’t deliver Jonathans letters to Mina and they help Dracula. The Szgany also killed Quincey P. Morris. All throughout the story there is conflicts between the good and the evil.

The presentation of Good vs. Evil is one of the main themes in the novel, Dracula. The portrayal of good and evil is seen in each character throughout the book. The characters considered “evil” in the novel are Dracula and his vampire brides. Dracula converts humans into vampires and has immense power over certain individuals. Everything he does demonstrates that there is no good in him at all. His vampire brides assist to Dracula’s dark deeds. What they all have in common is that they prey upon humans. On the other hand, the characters that are considered “good” in the novel are Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, John Seward, Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood. Throughout the novel, the good characters are constantly doing generous deeds to save others from Dracula.

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.

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,

Bram Stoker’s Dracula, is a classic that has been enjoyed by readers for many years. It is one that involves fantasy, gore and even has the potential of scaring readers. It is a story that has been enjoyed and feared by readers for centuries. With that said, even though it is commonly known as a classic horror novel, it can also be seen as an erotica. Throughout the novel, Stoker incorporates sexual scenes, and scenes of desire that may or may not capture readers’ attention due to the presence of horror. 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

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?

What would it be like to be a vampire? What would it be like to have a vampire in one’s life? What were the vampires of folklore like? These topics will be reviewed throughout this essay by comparing four of the vampire books and movies. All the vampire movies have some similarities and differences but four literature pieces in particular will be gone through in this comparison. The four pieces of literature to be compared in this comparison are Dracula by Bram Stoker, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) by Francis Ford Coppola, Nosferatu (1922) by F.W. Murnau, and Dracula (1931) by Tod Browning. In these works of fiction, there are answers to what it would have felt like to be a vampire, what it would have felt like to have a vampire in one’s life,

Dracula is about vampires in general, the myth, the mystery and the horror. Even though Dracula wasn’t the first vampire story, it was the first really popular one. Throughout the novel, the author, Bram Stoker, portrays many different aspects of women's roles in the 19th century. With the use of imagery and symbolism, the theme of sexuality and gender roles has an enormous presence in the novel. Social gender roles of women and men during the Victorian Era were very strict and looked upon differently than any other time period. One of the many characteristic features of the Victorian culture was its patriarchal ideas about women. This culture looked upon sexual activity as a negative matter amongst women. The theme of sexuality is very significant

Dracula is a household name; however, the actual meaning is not as well known. The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker contains a unique story, one which due to the structure of the book there are multiple main characters. The book is written in the form of letters, allowing the focus to be on many different people and viewpoints. Dracula starts out with Jonathan Harker an, Englishman, who takes a trip to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula. On his way to the castle he is warned of the dangers of Dracula, however, Jonathan chooses to persist. Once he arrives at the castle he meets the count. Jonathan is told of Dracula’s longing to live in England. After Jonathan left the castle, Dracula, with Jonathan's help moved to England. Dracula’s arrival was

“The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East”