Permanent Reading Project - Book Report

Bram Stoker
Index
………………………………. 3

Characters ………………………………. 4

Settings ……..…………………………

12

Plot ……………...………………...

13

1
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report

Opinion Essay ……………...………………...

15

2
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report

Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker was born in Dublin on November 8, 1847. An essayist, mathematician,
civil servant, critic, theater manager, and writer of one of the modern world's most
absorbing tales.

Stoker lived during an era of great cultural transformation. Famine and decadence, tradition
and revolution, emancipation and nostalgia these are a few of the opposing forces that
abounded in Stoker's world.

Bram Stoker was a fragile who suffered from a life-threatening illness, he could not walk
unaided until the age of seven. His early sickness was replaced by vigorous health as he
became a young man, he competed in athletics at Trinity College and excelled in
mathematics and the sciences. After graduation, it appeared that Bram would follow in his
father's footsteps: He took a civil service post at Dublin Castle, where his father worked.
His position made him privy to Dublin's most exclusive salons, Oscar Wilde and his parents
were intimate friends, and Bram vied with Oscar for the hand of the future Mrs. Florence
Balcombe Stoker.

During his seven years of civil service, Stoker cultivated his nascent literary career. He
published theater reviews, short stories, and a political address, he also began a
correspondence with the American poet Walt Whitman. Although Stoker wrote his first,
much-admired book The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland (1879).

He ultimately chose to live a more artistic life in London. An 1876 reading of the poem The
Dream of Eugene Aram by the actor Henry Irving profoundly affected Stoker; the two men
became close friends, and Stoker worked as business manager for Irving's Lyceum Theatre
from 1878 until the actor's death in 1905. He devoted a great amount of energy and time to
Irving his only child, name decided in honor of his friend Henry Irving, and published
frequently.
He also lectured on the subject of the United States studied law, Stoker put his indelible
mark on the centuries-old vampire myth with the publication and stage debut of Dracula in
1897. The novel caused a sensation-reactions were mixed and heated Nevertheless,
Dracula's popularity has endured for more than a century. Stoker's mother, Charlotte,
perhaps praised Dracula most accurately when she said that no novel, apart from Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein, is comparable "in originality, or terror." Stoker continued to publish
widely, although his other works failed to attain the immortality of Dracula. While on tour
with the Lyceum Company in 1905, he witnessed the death of his longtime colleague and
friend, Henry Irving. The next year Stoker suffered the first of two strokes. With his wife
and son at his bedside, Bram Stoker died on April 20, 1912.

3
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
Stoker, B., & Brooke Allen. (2004). Dracula. New York, United States:
Barnes & Noble Classics.

Characters
Dracula (Antagonist): The antagonist of the book,
represented at the beginning as a solitary old man with great
modals and extensive knowledge the perfect representation
of a complete Aristocratic, ambitious to know everything
about England and particular friendly with Jonathan.
But by the middle of the book is presented as a strange thing
with unknown thoughts and uncertain purposes that give to
his character a mysterious aura of doubts.
At the end all his special character is collapsed in the
definition of a simple beast, a sanguinary animal without
purposes except survive and take pure souls to the evil
eternity that he is living.
“You think to baffle me, you—with your pale faces all in a row, like
sheep in a butcher’s. You shall be sorry yet, each one of you! You
think you have left me without a place to rest; but I have more. My
revenge is just begun! I spread it over centuries, and time is on my
side. Your girls that you all love are mine already; and through them
you and others shall yet be mine”-Dracula page 248

Jonathan Harker (Main): Jonathan is the first narrator in

all the book, he is who introduced the Count.
At the beginning is presented as an intelligent man polyglot
and skilled, his work is to prepare the Count for his new
land, as a type of special service where Jonathan as an agent
of Mr. Hawkins company went to the Count’s castle where
all should be a normal stay, it supposed that Harker should

4
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
talk with the Count about how wonderful is England and
respond all his question about it, but it turns creepy and
finally he conclude that all was a trap to keep him for
unknowing purposes.
He is one of the characters with closer relation with the
count in his stay as a prisoner and one of the most mentally
damaged by him, it is visible all that damage in his brief
period of mentally disorder in the hospital, but finally he
focused all of it in the fight against the Count Dracula.

“The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!” page

22 Jonathan
“At least God’s mercy is better than that of these monsters,
and the
precipice is steep and high. At its foot a man may sleep—as
a man. Good-bye, all! Mina!” Page 43 Jonathan

Mina Harker’s (Main) : Mina, the fiancée of Jonathan and

future wife of him, she’s described as a young woman with
some light in her, always aware from Jonathan, very loving
but also smart, that ultimate could be proved in some part of
the book where according to Professor Van Helsing, he said
“that wonderful Madam Mina! She has man’s brain - a brain
that a man should have were he much gifted- and woman’s
heart. The good God fashioned her for a purpose, believe,
when he made that so good combination.” Talking to John
Seward. And even if she is a woman and in all the book is
visible the hard stereotypes of the age, she is somehow one
of the main characters being part of one of the principal
dramas in the book when she is bit by Dracula converting all
the task of murder Dracula in a harder work because now
5
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
they need to protect her, and she makes difference when
professor Van Helsing hypnotizes her to know the possible
location of the Count, but is possible to interpret her alter
ego when they are near the Count Castle and she is
defending the professor Van Helsing against the other
women vampires.
Also she is the second narrator presented in all the book,
after the presuming death of Jonathan, describing her depth
relation with Lucy Westenra, a plot that takes almost a fourth
part of the book and describes the arriving of count Dracula
in England.

“Well, my dear, what could I say? I could only tell him that I
was the happiest woman in all the wide world, and that I
had nothing to give him except myself, my life, and my trust,
and that with these went my love and duty for all the days of
my life.” Mina describing when she got married with
Jonathan in the hospital page 84.

Lucy Westenra (Secondary): She is the third narrator in the

book, introduced as a close friend of Mina, she is an
extremely sweet woman with extraordinary beauty and high
innocence.
That awesome is the introduction of the perfect woman that
only in the first’s narrations of her, is exposed that three men
asked for his hand, tree men that will avenge her death.
As Mina she is one of the main plots of the book, but
specifically her case is one that took almost half of the book
ending with her false death, a false death and a surprising
undead case which with her simple existence confirm all the

6
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
suspicious that the Professor Van Helsing had about this new
superstitious world that were against them.
Although she and her strange disease was the primal
problematic of the 4 men that were taking care of her, she
could be consider a secondary character because she were
rarely the narrator of her disease –being commonly the Dr.
Seward or Professor Van Helsing who describe it- and in
general almost all the paraphernalia of blood transfusions,
garlics in all the room and till her own death were described
by the main characters.

“How good they all are to me. I quite love that dear Dr. Van
Helsing. I wonder why he was so anxious about these
flowers. He positively frightened me, he was so fierce. And
yet he must have been right, for I feel comfort from them
already. Somehow, I do not dread being alone to-night, and I
can go to sleep without fear.” page 105 Lucy Westenra.

Mrs. Westenra (Tertiary) : The mother of Lucy Westenra,

introduced as an old woman with heart problems and weak
health, Dr. John Seward described that any hard emotion
could be tragic to her, and it happened when the wolfs
entered in her house at the Lucy’s room dying by the
affright.

Dr. John Seward (Main): At the beginning is presented as

one of the pretenders of Lucy a middle aged man. He is a
doctor in his psychiatric hospital, he feel devastated when
Lucy refuse him, and to calm his mind he focuses all the
pain in his clinical cases, specially Renfield.

7
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
But all turns different about his importance when Arthur
called him to attend Lucy in her strange case, here is when
Dr. Seward forgot all the pain and doubts to help her, turning
his character in a main character in charge of found what
type strange problem were they fighting, and it stay as that in
all the book, being the second of Van Helsing.
“Dr. Seward’s Diary.

20 September.—only resolution and habit can let me make

an entry tonight. I am too miserable, too low-spirited, too
sick of the world and all in it, including life itself that I
would not care if I heard this moment the flapping of the
wings of the angel of death. And he has been flapping those
grim wings to some purpose of late—Lucy’s mother and
Arthur’s father, and now.... Let me get on with my work.”
page 126 when Lucy die for the first time.

Professor Van Helsing (Main): One of the most charismatic

and interesting characters, presented as almost an old man
“a man of medium weight, strongly built, with his shoulders
set back over a broad, deep chest and a neck well balanced
on the trunk as the head is on the neck.” pag 145, perfectly
described by mina in her diary.
Someone “who knows as much about obscure diseases as
any one in the world.” pag. 89 said in words of Dr. John
Seward.
He is the character that guide the others, the voice of the
knowledge and also the first one in imagine and interpret the
terrible disease of Lucy, as fast as he know about her bloody
problem he started the garlic therapy in notion about some

8
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
probable evil spirit causing it, something that was
superstitious and risky but right.
Although he were old in his own words and not as energetic
as his friends, he made the majority of dangerous and
difficult tasks, he were in all the book an intelligent, astute,
and full of young spirit man.

“No trifling with me! I never jest! There is grim purpose in

all I do; and I warn you that you do not thwart me. Take
care, for the sake of others if not for your own.” Then seeing
poor Lucy scared, as she might well be, he went on more
gently: “Oh, little miss, my dear, do not fear me. I only do
for your good;” page 104, Van Helsing when he puts some
garlic flowers in the neck of Lucy.

Lord Arthur Holmwood (Secondary): One of the

pretenders of Lucy and who took his hand, described as an
impulsive man and with affluent contacts, angry for the
dishonor death that Dracula gave to Lucy.
Although he were almost all the story present, he could be
considered as a secondary character or support character
because he almost never had an opportunity to talk or
contribute to the pilot.

“I am with you,” said Lord Godalming, “for Lucy’s sake, if

for no other reason.” Page 192

Mr. Quincey P. Morris (Secondary): Other of the

pretenders of Lucy, An American specifically from Texas
affluent man, described as a man of actions, impulsive and
astute, he were only a secondary action or support character
9
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
with few real approbations in the story, being one of them his
death, and in honor of his death in the middle of the fight
against the Gypsies who protect the Dracula coffin Jonathan
Harker and Mina Harker named their son Quincey Harker.

“Count me in, Professor,” said Mr. Quincey Morris when

they were discussing fight against Dracula page 192

The Gypsies Who Protect the Dracula Coffin (Tertiary):

The gypsies who protect the coffin are tertiary characters
that defend the Dracula coffin only for some pay, one of
them is who attack Mr. Quincy P. Morris.

Rufus Smith (Tertiary): The person who will alert to Arthur

in case of the arriving of the Czarina Catherine –the boat
where the Dracula coffin was- a tertiary character.

The Captain (Tertiary): The captain in charge of the

strange ship that arrive in Whitby from Varna, all his
passengers die in the trip and he documented all specially the
strange thin and large shadow that were taking his men, his
ship arrive lonely without other signal except his diary, diary
that mina copied in her own journal.

Renfield (secondary) : A zoophagous, in words of Dr.

Seward, one of the secondary characters with most mystery
behind him, is described as a very big man who easily can
fight against some of the medics when he escaped, mad for
get eternal life or prolong it he ate different insects and
expect Dracula as his own god.

10
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
““I don’t want to talk to you: you don’t count now; the
Master is at hand.” The attendant thinks it is some sudden
form of religious mania which has seized him.” Seward
writing about Renfield and his new strange devotion for
some master. Page 80.

Quincey Harker (tertiary) : The son of Jonathan and Mina,

named Quincy in honor of the dead Quincy Morris, only
mentioned in a little paragraph at the end of the book, he
never talk, he is never described.

The Westenra Maids (Stock characters): they only are

mentioned sometimes, with only few lines and they never
made any special contribution to the story.

Arthur’s Father: Only mentioned when he was sick and

Arthur needed to attend him while Lucy was with her
problem, and finally when he die Arthur returns with the new
tittle of Lord.

Mr. Hawkins: At the beginning he was the Jonathan’s boos,

but when he return, Jonathan and mina –the two were
orphan kids “I never knew either father or Mother” in
words of Mina- moved to live with him, Jonathan as his
partner, and in his death he left everything to them.

11
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report

SETTINGS
The book is almost based in a linear story with some isolated micro
stories that complement the pilot.
All starts the May 3 in Bistritz, Transylvania, with Jonathan Harker in his
trip with destination to the Dracula’s castle.
“3 May. Bistritz.—Left Munich at 8:35 P. M., on 1st May, arriving at
Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an
hour late” page 5 Jonathan
All the beginning of the story where almost all the story is based in
Jonathan and Dracula, is placed in Transylvania, first in the normal
villages, later is described mysterious roads that Harker followed to
arrive in the castle of Dracula, Harker described those roads as mazes
that he was almost secure that Dracula was going in circles on purpose.
Later in the castle, where Jonathan would stay almost 2 months (he scape
the 30 of June), is described as dark, heavy and lonely construction
where only Dracula and Harker are, almost like a prison with the unique
free rooms that were his room, the library and a common room, also
Jonathan described an special room where he like to pass the time while
Dracula weren’t in house, but this turns problematic when he fall in sleep
there and he met the others women vampires.
Later in Whitby, in the Mina journal, the 24 of July, is described a town
with green valleys and beautiful coast where she and Lucy past the time
in a near a church with a graveyard full of tombstones, Mina remark the
comfortable breeze that it had.
“This is to my mind the nicest spot in Whitby, for it lies right over
the town, and has a full view of the harbour and all up the bay to where
the headland called Kettleness stretches out into the sea.” Page 51
Mina.

12
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
Those are the main environments where the book is developed, it could
be included other places but they were only by some days and there is no
much context about them except that they were there to catch Dracula.

PLOT
All started with Jonathan and Dracula, Dracula was
interested in bought some lands in England, and to be
prepared for this, Jonathan was sent by the company of
Mr. Hawkins.
Before arrive to the castle Jonathan noted that
Transylvanians people were superstitious and believe in
things as vampires and werewolves.
Being in the castle Jonathan start to feel uncomfortable
and wanted to go home with mina, his fiancée, but every
time he suggest it Dracula said something that was
limiting Harker to stay in one or another way, finally all
this game of being a kind of prisoner of Dracula despair
Jonathan and he decided that it would be better die trying
to escape that being eternally in the castle or in the worst
case being consume by Dracula and his terrible women
(by this part he knows about the unnatural shape of
Dracula and the existence of the other devils women).

Keeping apart the story of Jonathan, The second narrator,

Mina, describe his stay with Lucy (her best friend almost
13
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report

like a sister), but it start happening some problems as the

sleep walks and the strange chapter where Lucy is
apparently bitten by Dracula in the hill where they use to
pass the time, and this could be complemented with the
journals of Dr. Seward and his patient Renfield who also
feel the presence of Dracula in the country, in this first
part of the middle is introduced the pretends of Lucy.

And staying in the middle of the book pilot, in the second

part, it continues the Lucy problems now with more
drastic symptoms as loss of blood and horrible
nightmares. In this situation is introduced the last main
character, the professor Van Helsing, who will guide and
got together all the characters who were devastated by the
presence of Dracula, either Jonathan who was directly
affected by he or the other 3 men and Mina who were
closer to Lucy and by the atrocity of the evil spirit was
transformed in an undead (by this time and to close the
middle phase of the book there is the Lucy double death).

And finally but with a large development there is the

haunting of Dracula where all the characters are focused
in destroy him, they planned different strategies that fail
in the practice and the ultimate desperate action that they
would take when Dracula was escaping was following
him to his own lands where obviously they would be in
disadvantage, but in one form they got it, almost in the
castle of Dracula, almost in the sunset, and with the death
of Quincy as a big damage, they did it.

14
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report

OPINION ESSAY
I have a positive opinion about the book, although it is kind a large and
with lot of plot in it, is very exciting and interesting, especially the
introduction where Jonathan is describing how he was living as a false
prisoner. At the beginning I think that all the book will follow the same
structure, and actually I was in part disappointed when the Jonathan first
part end, but with the time and keeping reading it, I took some interest in
other of the interesting parts of the book as the disease of Lucy.

But in my personal opinion the best part was the beginning because in all
the book the central plot is the problems of the characters and how much
they are suffering for the presence of Dracula, and they said some things
about Dracula and his debilities and strengths, but no more.

Instead, in the beginning is the unique part where we can see the point of
view of Dracula, when he talked about his feats, and how intelligent he
are, also when he got exited learning about England with Jonathan and
how he protect Jonathan from the vampire women, and an interesting
point of view is to examine how really evil was Dracula, because it is
said that Dracula needed to take blood as a diet, and although in one part
of the book Jonathan is scratched by accident and he drop some blood,
Dracula try to contain himself, we could said that all that part was
because Dracula wanted Harker for his own evil proposes, but he was a
powerful creature, he had the ability to control animals, the weather,
something like the powers of hypnosis that professor Van Helsing had,
and more, why keep him in a relative freedom in his own castle?, why he
said in one part of the book that even he can love sometimes seeing at
Harker?, all the characters where frighten by Dracula, but it was because
he was really a demon or it was because they know how powerful he was
and how weak they were?. Maybe instead of the only direct interaction of
15
 Permanent Reading Project - Book Report
Harker with Dracula it would had interactions with the other characters
the book could be being better.

But in conclusion it was an amazing book and with all the Drama and
tension that any actual contemporary story could have.

16
Permanent Reading Project - Book Report

17