Irma Ramirez

Period 1, English 11

December 4, 2016

Dracula

By Bram Stoker

In this picture, we see Dracula envisioned by director Francis Ford Coppla and played by Gary

Oldman. In the picture, we see an old picture from past centuries of the Count, still looking as

young as he appears in the book.

 Conflict

A major conflict I noticed in Bram Stokers Dracula is how man interferes with a change

being made to society. During the late 1800s, female expression was frowned upon and was

seen as disrespectful and sinful. It was thought that women were to serve and always be

submissive to men. Dracula is seen as a threat by the male characters because his mindset and

power challenges the already established societal standards. The whole meaning of being a

vampire is that you represent evil and unholy ways. The boundaries of society is broken by

vampires since they are not human, establishing the idea that women who lust are seen as

inhuman and sinfully corrupted. The Counts power challenges the societal view of modesty and

is therefore seen as an evil and sinful monster. "The fair girl went on her knees and bent over me,

fairly gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive,

and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal... I could feel the soft,

shivering touch of the lips on the supersensitive skin of my throat, and the hard dents of two

sharp teeth, just touching and pausing there." (Stoker, 42). Harker describes how the woman

turned by Dracula was trying to seduce him in order to have a chance to turn him as well. He

describes her behavior as repulsive, but yet he was attracted to her in a lustful way. I believe it is

both an internal and external conflict throughout the book. It is external because it goes against

with what society believes is the perfect image of a woman and the Count was tainting that

image with his power and lust. It is also internal because although the men know that what the

vampire women stand for they cant help, but be seduced by them. There is an internal battle
amongst them between their morals and their lust. In the end, the conflict is detained when

Harker manages to kill the Count.

Another conflict I noticed in the book is how the group of people who have set out to kill

the count must also battle with his supernatural powers. The Count shows his various powers

throughout the book and it makes it more and more difficult to stop him. Some of his powers are

that he is much faster than the group, he can shapeshift into a bat, and he has the power to turn

you to do his bidding. His power however, varies through the book due to the fact that he has fed

on everyone in his homeland and is now searching for new food. This is an external conflict

because it is based on the physical strength and abilities of the characters. The conflict is

resolved when Harker and Seward catch the Count off guard and Harker manages to build up his

courage to push a stake through the Counts heart. Good God, Professor! I said, starting up.

Do you mean to tell me that Lucy was bitten by such a bat; and that such a thing is here in

London in the nineteenth century? (Stoker, 76). Here, Seward does believe such a creature

existed, but he does not believe it exists now in his modern 19th century. Once they realize that

the Count really is a vampire and that he has abilities more powerful than they imagined they

know they must fight with all will and with which ever weapon they can acquire. Not only are

they accepting such a big responsibility, but they are accepting to face probable death at the

hands of a supernatural creature.

 Main Characters

The protagonists of my novel are Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Dr. John Seward, Lucy

Westenra, and Dr. Van Helsing. I believe one major lesson the characters all together learn is that

no matter how much knowledge they learn, in the end it is like theyve learned nothing. After

Lucys death, Dr. Van Helsing politely asks of her husband if he could go to her grave at night

and cut off her head. Upon opening her coffin, the men realize that Lucy has two puncture

wounds in her neck and they spend the whole night examining her neck until finally they

conclude that she indeed was turned into a vampire. The men return the next night and Arthur

stakes his wife in the heart. Even after all the knowledge Van Helsing has on vampires it is as if

though it is all their first time learning of one. Continuing their journey to find Draculas last

coffin, the men believe that Mina is too fragile to take in the information of vampires and thus

leave her out of their conversations. During this time, Mina starts looking very pale and is

suddenly sleeping longer than she should. These symptoms are the same as the ones Lucy was

having when she got turned, but instead of noticing quickly it takes them days to piece together

what is happening to Mina. When they finally realized what was happening to her they rush into

her room only to find Dracula with his teeth sunk into her jugular. The characters all together

seem very dimwitted even after all four of the men kept journals with the knowledge they had of

vampires and the symptoms Lucy went through. I asked Dr. Seward to give me a little opiate of

some kind, as I had not slept well the night before. He very kindly made me up a sleeping

draught, which he gave to me, telling me that it would do me no harm, as it was very mild.

(Stoker, 277). Mina has been having trouble sleeping for days and would think all night. She

usually would fall asleep quickly but she cant seem to because of the vampire blood. She asked

for a bit of opiate to help her sleep and yet the doctor didnt even question if something was
wrong. Mina is such a pure woman, but even then, no one questioned why she may need a

dosage of a drug.

Jonathan Harker Mina Harker Lucy Westenra

 Van Helsing Dr. Seward
Connect to Life

This novel connects to my life in the way of how women must be viewed by everyone.

Today, the morals of women have changed very much throughout the different parts of the world.

Sadly, it is still viewed by many that a woman seducing a man is wrong and should be frowned

upon. I have been told so many times that I am to appear like the ideal woman in front of people

by my grandmother. She tells me I should be able to attend to every one of my future husbands

needs, that I am to obey my future husband in every way, and that I will remain polite and

submissive to my future husband. She is one of God's women, fashioned by His own hand to

show us men and other women that there is a heaven where we can enter, and that its light can be

here on earth. So true, so sweet, so noble, so little an egoistand that, let me tell you, is much in

this age, so skeptical and selfish (Stoker, 203). This quote proves how the representation of the

perfect woman was Mina and this is what my grandmother expects of me. To her and to many

others, I am to be the purest flower to be loved and have an amazing life. However, I dont want

to be perfect. I want to be able to make my own choices in my own life. The moment I hunch

over or eat too much, I get scolded by other members of my family because it doesnt appear

lady like. I believe we should have shocked the "New Woman" with our appetites. (Stoker,

100). Once Mina and Lucy are turned they slowly go against the idea of the perfect woman. They

begin eating far more than before until they are satisfied. It makes the men both shocked and

uncomfortable just as it does to my grandmother when I reach for a second slice of cake.
 International Connection

While reading the book, I connected the story to a major problem happening in the world

today. Many of the scenes in Dracula connect to sexual rape. So many young men and women

have been victims to rape. I find it very hurtful knowing that girls and boys as young as 4 years

old are used for the pleasure of dirty minded people. These victims must not only go through the

physical pain it caused them but the mental pain as well. Many are left with trauma that haunts

them every time they close their eyes. Some even begin to feel as if they have lost their worth as

a person and they have various trust issues with lovers or they have breakdowns because of the

trauma. With his left hand he held both Mrs. Harker's hands, keeping them away with her arms

at full tension; his right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his

bosom. Her white nightdress was smeared with blood, and a thin stream trickled down the man's

bare breast which was shown by his torn-open dress. (Stoker, 300). In this scene, Harker walks

in on his wife being forced by the Count to drink his blood. The Count represents the lustful

minded rapists who force their victims to do as they want for their pleasure. Mina represents the

young women, married or single, who are kidnapped and raped. In Minas case, she was forced

in her own house on the bed she shares with her husband. However, this does not happen to only

girls, but also to many men. The fair girl went on her knees, and bent over me, fairly gloating.

There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched

her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal, till I could see in the moonlight the moisture

shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth. (Stoker, 43).

Jonathan Harker was taken by the weird sisters and one was about to suck the blood from him.

This scene is known to represent rape, but this time with a male victim and a female rapist.

Harker is held down so he wouldnt try to escape which is always present in scenes of rape.
 Theme 1

The most obvious theme in Dracula is good vs. evil. It may be very clich, but as you

read the book it is obvious to see who will triumph in the end. The Crew of Light who set out to

end Dracula are obviously the good guys whereas Dracula is obviously the bad in the story. Even

if it is obvious who will win the question is how big the cost will. The first mentioning of how

evil the Count is happens when Harker observes his menacing figure. But my very feelings

changed to repulsion and terror when I saw the whole man slowly emerge from the window, and

begin to crawl down the castle wall over that dreadful abyss, face down, with his cloak spreading

out around him like great wings. (Stoker, 39). Bram Stoker describes what Harker sees as one

would describe a dark and scary monster. So, what is scarier than a dark monster? When the

monster disguises itself. Lucy's eyes in form and colour; but Lucy's eyes unclean and full of

hell-fire, instead of the pure, gentle orbs we knew. (Stoker, 226). Dracula turned Lucy and she

was full of the same evil as his. What frightened the crew more is that what they saw in front of

them was the same sweet gentle Lucy theyve known. Her eyes although the same werent full if

her kindness but of darkness and fire. To make matters worse, they knew they had to end her. It

was tough for them since appearance wise she was their Lucy. Their friend theyve known for so

long. However, they knew she wasnt inside. That makes the Count far more frightening. H can

corrupt whoever he wants even your best friend because he knows that in the end you must kill

them and it will destroy you along with the action. Thus are we ministers of God's own wish:

that the world, and men for whom His Son die, will not be given over to monsters, whose very

existence would defame Him. He have allowed us to redeem one soul already, and we go out as

the old knights of the Cross to redeem more. Like them we shall travel towards the sunrise; and

like them, if we fall, we fall in good cause. (Stoker, 339). Van Helsing describes how their
voyage to kill the Count is something they must do in order to stop the Earth that God has given

us from being run by monsters. He knows that many may die on the way, but he assures them

that their loss will not be in vain.

 Symbolism

Throughout the book there are various signs of symbolism. Symbolism plays an

important part in the story and it helps the ready understand the story more and go into more

details when they find out as to why a certain symbol was used. Two symbols I noticed in the

story where the bats that always seem to be around when Dracula takes his victim and the

crucifix used in defend towards him.

A group of bats always seem to appear whenever Dracula feeds on his victim. Vampire

bats are an animal representation of Dracula because of how they feed. Vampire bats feed

primary on the blood of other animals just as the Count feeds on the blood of his victims. These

bats are also nocturnal creatures just as the Count doesnt enjoy the light of day and prefers to

feast and search for victims in the night. The animals also are very small in size and can fly into

places the count as his human figure cannot which is why he has chosen them as the ideal

creature to take the appearance of. Little by little the characters begin to notice how many times

they have seen a bat when they encounter the Count. "Between me and the moonlight flitted a

great bat, comeing and going in great, whirling circles." (Stoker, 103). Harker explains how he

noticed a bat flying in circles near him after he saw the Count outside of his castle. At first, he

didnt notice until Mina and Lucy begin noticing them too. However, once the Count is defeated

the bats that where at his command seem to have been hypnotized by the count and left to where

they would reside before.

Another use of symbolism is when the crucifix is show to the characters as a way of

protection from Dracula. The cross to Dracula is a symbol of fear and loathing because of the

fact that his actions bring sin to the world and a Christian figure is his enemy. Sin can be

redeemed if one comes to the cross and the Count fears it for he does not want to end his ways.
The cross is also seen as a symbol of resurrection and the gift of an eternal life to Christ.

Dracula, being undead, has already been given the curse of immortality but not through Christ.

He can be seen as an anti-Christ since his ways go against what the Christian church has taught

the followers of Christ. When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demonaic

fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away, and his hand touched the string of

beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly

that I could hardly believe that it was ever there. (Stoker, 28). The characters start using the

crucifix against the count and start wearing them so he could avoid them at all cost. It was like

both a shield and a sword to them used to attack and to protect.