Dracula

823 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Variations of Bram Stoker's Dracula

Dracula is the nightmare many have and fail to forget. A creature that

sucks blood, with the persona to match. Steel vise, the infamous cape, the complete Gothic black attire, he is a creature of mystery, fear, and confusion. "He was very pale, and his eyes seemed bulging out as, half in terror and half in amazement, he gazed at a tall, thin man, with a beaky nose and black moustache and pointed beard..." (Stoker 274) Author Bram Stoker’s character Dracula is examined to portray a direct representation of the constant human weaknesses and flaws present throughout the novel, whether it be fear of man itself, or the constant misunderstanding that no one person rules the entire world. People hide these fears behind artificial masks, and feel they are powerful over one another. The problem is, when one’s outer mask starts to crumble, his/her true colors shine brightly through the cracks of the outer mask.

The novel tackles the vampire’s strengths and weaknesses, and some of these reflect the dark side to the age of moralistic views and actions. Bram Stoker brings light upon the humanity’s dark and cloudy weaknesses and limitations of their everyday living. Dracula is the Satan to this story, for he is fake, cruel, humiliating, and outright evil. "My revenge has just begun! I spread it over centuries and time is on my side." (Stoker 339) Dracula continues to boast about his great powers to the ones that have set out to rid of his existence. Dracula cannot look past his own selfishness to see that he is not immortal, but simply another creature of a higher power (God). The novel is set in the Victorian era, and this opened the gate for numerous beliefs about the vampire, and also the speculation on the unknown skyrocketed. People reac...

... middle of paper ...

...exist, and God is immortal. He does things only an Almighty God has the power and capability to do. Dracula’s flawed power struggle just mirrors the human flaws of believing the insane and not relying on knowledge to get them through.

As to the government today, people live by a system of checks and balances, where no single person can take control and reign over someone else. Human beings are equal and only God contains a power that mighty. In Dracula, every human character seemingly has some sort of dominance and authority over someone of less stature. Humanity is absolutely not without a power or authoritative demand, yet all the while god is the only one who can exert a meaningful power. Dracula is simply on a power high taking on the unsuccessful role and ruler of the world. "I don't want to talk to you: you don't count now; the Master is at hand." (Stoker 111)

Show More
Related

  • Comparing The Lost Boys, Dracula and Peter-Pan

    3005 Words  | 7 Pages

    The story of Dracula has many components of it used in the film The Lost Boys. The comparison’s begin with the vampire. Dracula is centered around the main vampire, Dracula. Dracula has many powers and ways he can alter reality. In the novel Bram Stoker's Dracula we see that there is a power struggle. In all of the universe, no one being has complete control over another. In Dracula God, Dracula, Nature, and Humanity have some form of dominance over another, whether it be direct control or as the instrument through which another must exert its power. In this paper we will examine the different ways that control and power are used.

    Read More

  • Use Of Empiricism In Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'

    1776 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bram Stoker’s Dracula includes themes of death, love, and sex. Stoker’s use of empiricism utilizes the idea that everything is happening “now”. The book offers clear insight into who is evil without explicitly saying it. Stoker’s interest in empiricism uses British womanhood as a way to distinguish between good and evil.

    Read More

  • Dracula: A Simple Tale of Good vs. Evil

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    If one wants to be powerful, the only way is through the right path because with deceiving and tricking it only leads to problems, which is what happens to the count. Stoker life showed signs that he believed in this since he followed in his father’s footsteps and was very close to family, which was one of his keys to success. What Dracula was lacking was the trust between him and the other vampires. If he followed good practices like Helsing he would be all powerful, but then again ‘good’ Dracula, is an oxymoron. Stoker lived in a changing time period where there was a mix of different feelings and ideas coming about.

    Read More

  • Dracula and the Threat of Female Sexual Expression by Bram Stoker

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    The late nineteenth century Irish novelist, Bram Stoker is most famous for creating Dracula, one of the most popular and well-known vampire stories ever written. Dracula is a gothic, “horror novel about a vampire named Count Dracula who is looking to move from his native country of Transylvania to England” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Unbeknownst of Dracula’s plans, Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, traveled to Castle Dracula to help the count with his plans and talk to him about all his options. At first Jonathan was surprised by the Count’s knowledge, politeness, and overall hospitality. However, the longer Jonathan remained in the castle the more uneasy and suspicious he became as he began to realize just how strange and different Dracula was. As the story unfolded, Jonathan realized he is not just a guest, but a prisoner as well. The horror in the novel not only focuses on the “vampiric nature” (Soyokaze), but also on the fear and threat of female sexual expression and aggression in such a conservative Victorian society.

    Read More

  • Inverted Gender Roles: Dracula by Bram Stoker

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, Stoker’s use of inverted gender roles allows readers to grasp the sense of obscureness throughout, eventually leading to the reader’s realization that these characters are rather similar to the “monster” which they call Dracula. Despite being in the Victorian era, Stoker’s use of sexuality in the novel contributes to the reasoning of obscureness going against the Victorian morals and values. Throughout the novel the stereotypical roles of the Victorian man and woman are inverted to draw attention to the similarities between Dracula and the characters. Vague to a majority of readers, Bram Stoker uses Dracula as a negative connotation on society being that the values of the Victorian culture are inverted amongst the sexes of characters, thus pointing out the similarities of the characters and the so called “monster” which they call Dracula.

    Read More

  • Vlad III Dracula And Dracul Vlad The Impaler

    1802 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bram Stoker’s Dracula has increased the number of vampires in media exponentially, partly because of one man: Vlad the Impaler. He, as well as other various sources, led to what is known as the vampire today.

    Read More

  • The Devil In Dracula

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    While studying the diabolical figures in the devil, the idea of presenting Dracula came to mind. Dracula represents the devil in many similar ways. Dracula remains as a character in many diabolical movies and films. For instance, Van Helsing provides a good interpret of how Dracula remains noticed in the past and in present day. Although Dracula’s character obtains different views in every movie and film, he plays an important role in Stephen Sommers Van Helsing movie. In the movie, he acts as many different things. Demonstrating both the kind and evil inside, Dracula portrays his character as a mystery. Different views of Dracula throughout the movie include harsh, strong, powerful, evil, the devil, and unstoppable. The studies of Dracula

    Read More

  • Good by Evil

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    Carol A. Senf uses a critical theory lens when she picks apart Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The majority of literary critics interpret this popular myth to be the opposition of good and evil, they turn a blind eye to the more specifically literary matters such as method of narration, characterization, and style. Carol Senf’s critical essay “Dracula: the Unseen Face in the Mirror” she believes that Stokers novel “revolves, not around the conquest of Evil by Good, but on the similarities between the two” (Senf 421). Her argument is as follows:

    Read More

  • Dracula - Symbolism Of Blood

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Bram Stoker's Dracula, the most blatant and powerful symbol is blood. He takes the blood that means so much to the believers of this legend and has it represent more than even they could imagine. Blood is the main object associated with vampires and vampirism. From a mythical standpoint, it is the basis of life for the vampires as they feed off of the blood of young, vibrant souls. From a more scientific standpoint blood is what would drip out of the corpse's mouth when family members would dig up their dead kin to check for the dreaded disease. Stoker takes the significance of this symbol and puts his own unique twist to the meaning of blood. He combines the traditional folklore of vampirism and the immense sexual undertones of the Victorian era to create a simply horrific tale which completely confuses the emotions of his readers. Stoker knew bloods importance in vampire history and used the overwhelming symbolism to convey his own personal lust and sexual obsessions. The scenes where Lucy is receiving transfusions; first from Holmwood, then from Seward, and the unforgettable vampire baptism between Dracula and Mina all have these very erotic, sexual feelings associated with them. What makes these so powerful is the combination of violence and sex. As a reader, you know that what Dracula is doing are horrific and wrong, but because they are so sexually described and associated you think you should enjoy them, but you can't. This is the confusion which stoker implements into his readers minds, especially ones of the Victorian era. This is why stoker used blood as the most important symbol in the novel; to create an intense horror that was not just in the words of the book, but in the minds of the reader.

    Read More

  • Dracula

    1700 Words  | 4 Pages

    The vampire, or monster, could be seen as the unfavorable downturn in social status. The trust that the family put into Dracula only to be betrayed by him could be looked at as fraud. The hypothetical of what Dracula stands for, being the lower class, tricks the high class family into believing he is higher class than he really is. This makes him the villain. It also means that he needs to be outed for what is really is. This being shown when Van Helsing figures out that Dracula is a vampire. This would mean that the overt is a monster killing people, and the covert is secretly being lower class.

    Read More

  • Dracula

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    While the character of Renfield is ostensively extraneous to the central plot of Dracula, he fulfils an important role in Stoker’s exploration of the central themes of the novel. This paper will examine how Renfield character is intertwined with the three central themes of invasion, blood and otherness. Firstly, through Renfield’s inner struggle we learn that he is ‘not his own master’ (Stoker, 211). The theme of invasion is revealed by the controlling and occupying powers of Count Dracula. Secondly, the recurring theme ‘the Blood is the Life’ (Stoker, 121), is portrayed throughout the novel and has been interpreted through Stoker’s character Renfield. Then finally, a look at the social construction of the ‘other’ in Dracula and how, through Renfield, who is ‘unlike the normal lunatic’ (Stoker, 52), the Count emerges as the ‘other’ of all ‘others’.

    Read More

  • Heart of Dracula

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...gue of Vampirism. Stoker plays upon the irony of England, at this time one of, if not the largest, colonizing countries, being colonized, not by another country but by an intangible immigrant. Dracula’s intent is not of material wealth or power, but of controlling the people and using them as livestock. We can see this when Dracula tells Jonathan Harker that he “[has] come to know your great England, and to know her is to love her. I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is” (Stoker 19). Kane reaffirms this by contending that Dracula is an example of “invasion literature” acting upon the readers on England by playing with “a considerable variety of fears regarding the state of England and the English themselves” (9).

    Read More

  • Dracula

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a classic tale of Gothicism. Traditionally, gothic tales only carried single theme of horror. Through Dracula, Stoker breaks this single theme barrier. The theme throughout Dracula is clearly displayed through the characters as they step from ignorance to realization in this tale of horror.

    Read More

  • Dracula Character Analysis

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book, Dracula by Bram Stoker there are many characters that display qualities of good verse evil. The Count Dracula is a mysterious character who appears as an odd gentleman but the longer the story goes on Dracula shows his true self. Dracula started infiltrating the lives of anyone who crossed his path and he was not stopping his destruction of others’ lives. Many people were affect by Dracula’s actions but there were two people that Dracula caused an impact on during his rampage. Dracula is an evil, cunning, and selfish character who harms the life of a young man and ruins the future of an innocent woman.

    Read More

  • Insanity of Dracula

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Dracula is portrayed as a monster made evident by his gruesome actions. An analysis of Dracula shows that: shows his evil nature in his planning, brutally killing Lucy Westrenstra causing a violent response from Dr. Seward and others, and how his evil ways lead to his downfall. To characterize Dracula in one way, he is a ruthless, cunning monster who uses tricks, torture, and wits to manipulate people to his will. However when he trifled with some courageous people, he had no knowledge that it would be his undoing.

    Read More

More about Dracula

Open Document