The Defense Mechanisms In Bram Stoker's Dracula

Throughout everyday life, people feel threatened and overwhelmed as if they are going to collapse under the pressure of society. This feeling is called anxiety. According to Freud, the body has a way to deal with this anxiety from conflicts in life. Freud stated that the Ego employs a range of defense mechanisms that operate at an unconscious level to help ward off unacceptable drives and urges. Unfortunately, these drives and urges don’t disappear. Our body keeps these painful or socially undesirable thoughts and memories out of the conscious mind with defense mechanisms. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a perfect example of Freud’s theory on defense mechanisms, because of the repressed feelings of desire and temptation present, normally very unusual

When Renfield was being questioned, he consistently said, “I don’t want any souls,” but while being asked if he “likes life, and wants life,” he agreed, but when he was asked, “how are we to get the life without getting the soul also,” he seemed very puzzled and full of excuses. Renfield was very specific that he “doesn’t want any souls,” but when the question came up that asked how can you get life without souls, he began denying and “put his fingers to his ears and shut his eyes.” The reason why he “put his fingers to his ears and shut his eyes” was because he does not want to face the fact that he is afraid of having souls and taking responsibility for them, which would make him a vampire. Even though Renfield is a zoophagous and craves the lives of the things he eats, he is afraid of becoming like Dracula, so he denies being like a vampire, and avoids any words that remind him of vampires. While being questioned by Van Helsing, Renfield has started saying, “Blow spiders! What’s the use of spiders? There isn’t any-thing in them to eat…, he stopped suddenly as though reminded of a forbidden topic,” this is the second time he has suddenly stopped at the word ‘drink’.” Stoker has intentionally made Renfield avoid using the word “drink,” and to talk of the “forbidden topic” because Renfield is afraid that he is becoming like a vampire. The pauses before the word “drink” is him using a defense mechanism of denial because he is failing to acknowledge the information, which would cause him anxiety knowing that he is becoming what he is most afraid of. Renfield’s mind is using a defense mechanism by making him avoid certain words like drink, and souls because he does not want become a vampire, and he is protecting himself from turning into