Dracula And Religion Essay

Since the beginning of time, science has attempted to disprove religion and superstition. The novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker voices the central concerns of the Victorian Era (1837-1901) by providing insight into the conflict between logic and mysticism. Christianity had provided the beliefs that underlay the moral code of society for hundreds of years, but, along with old superstitions and folk remedies, it was being rejected in Stoker’s day in favor of faith in science and technology. In Dracula, Stoker shows a society on the edge of moral collapse and implicitly warns against the wholesale rejection of Christian values. It seems as though all horrific events in the novel can be traced back to a lack of faith in religion, each character

However it is Dracula’s consumption of blood that is truly a perversion of Christian ritual. How the count became a vampire is unclear, although it is mentioned in the text that his family had a long history of dealing with the devil. Essentially, his vampirism could indeed be traced back to once upon a time, turning his back on Christianism. After all, it will be the union of faith, religion, and technology that will lead to victory in the battle against

Seward, is greatly limited by rational prejudices that blind him to the real nature of Lucy’s sickness. Seward, who keeps his diary on a phonograph, is an extreme skeptic of the validity of long-held religious beliefs. His high-tech gadgets contrast strongly with the superstitions and ancient traditions surrounding Dracula himself. Later in the novel, Van Helsing warns his pupil that “to rid the earth of this terrible monster (Count Dracula) we must have all the knowledge and all the help which we can get.” Van Helsing uses garlic and other Transylvanian superstitious items to repulse Dracula and Seward finally gives into the mysticism by using the communion wafer and crucifix when he encounters Count