Introduction
The novel “Dracula” narrates how he attempted to shift to England from Transylvania in the midst of a tussle between him and a group of men and women. In the context of the novel, several scenes define thematic expressions that reflect the current world and it moral values and culture. Dracula’s character is one of the major trends in the current times where people have adopted supernatural beliefs and differentiated themselves from other human beings. Sucking of human blood, magical appearance of Dracula in several places is sign of how the world has evolved to accommodate such categories of people. Dracula represents people who have profaned the will of god and engaged in evil ways. This is a specific diversion from the norms to the unethical code of conduct. Major themes that evidently channel the message of the novel to several scenarios are sexual conventions and the responsibility of women. The novel revolves about the strange character of Dracula that draws the attention of characters like Jonathan hacker, Mina and Westenra.
In the context of the novel purity and impurity is evidently described in the behavior of characters and their reaction towards contentious issues. The novel also exposes what is viewed as evil and against religious beliefs. For example for the behaviors of Dracula, he fits the traits of a vampire, which religious beliefs are against it. In the religious background ,mention of Vampires is viewed as having inadequate faith and to some extent ,a non-believer. Strong emotions dominates the narration of the story especially the mysterious deaths of characters like Lucy.
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a tall old man, clean –shaven aside from along –white moustache. This description introduces the concept of magical thinking of how Dracula looks like.This concept draws the attention of any reader in comparing the physical description of Dracula to the real world. Dracula reminisces of the past when his people had power at their discretion. He notes of “the brave races that fought just as lions” and now power belongs to other people. He say “I long to be in the midst of the whirl and rush to its humanity share its life, death and change” These word portray him to have power hunger. Dracula is described with pointed ears, abnormal pale skin and very sharp teeth. This reveals the uniqueness in Dracula’s physical composition, different from that of a normal human being. Use of narration to describe Dracula is a concept that achieves to instill fear in people. In a real world, every person dreads a person with such description. This can only be attributed to a monster.
One morning Dracula bumps into hacker while shaving and accidentally cut himself. Harker is surprised to notice that Dracula image could not reflect in the mirror. Moreover, he suspects the way he salivates at the blood that spills from the cut. Against Hacker’s religion against the existence of superstition, this scene makes him think otherwise. On another night, hacker forces another door open and spends the night there despite warning from Dracula. Three women appear to him and one of them suggestively forges towards his neck. Dracula intervenes and promises them that they would have their chance to kiss him at their own will. “When am done with him you will have a chance to kiss him at your own will.” He awards them with a “small smothered child” and they fade away. Christians value the life of a person. Impurity in both the mind and heart is always revealed through utter of words and behaviors. Dracula is therefore depicted as evil and satanic for lacking value to human life. In this scene, sexual expression by females is portrayed through the behavior of these women.
In chapter four, when Hacker follows a dark stairway he finds collection of fifty boxes. He opens several only to find Dracula in one of them never to know whether he was dead or alive. This context depicts the magical thinking the author had. This is because it is not logical for a human being to fit in a box. Further, the intuition of monsters is explicit in this context. Every time Harker tries to leave the castle, he is prohibited by a pack of wolves that is symbolic. In addition, the presence of Dracula in the boxes surprising considering that Dracula had left earlier in the morning. In this context, magical thinking invokes the mind of a reader to correlate the description with the reality. Through this approach emotional deductions are made to condemn the behavior of Dracula
Lucy Westerna
Concept of purity features eminently in the behavior of Lucy Westerna. She is as woman with an irresistible beauty due to the many suitors she had. Dr. Sewad, Quncey Morris and s Arthur Holwood suit Lucy for her love. Lucy accepts Arthur’s love as she maintained only friendship ties with the rest of the suitors. Lucy’s behavior to seduce multiple men is against the traditional culture. The traditional norms state that a woman should be diligent and exercise chaste in her lifetime. Further, women should be submissive to their only trusted husbands or lovers. In her letter to her close friend Mina, she asks, “Why can’t they let a girl marry three men or as many as want her” This quote describes Lucy as a woman who desire a lot and cannot sustain the satisfaction by one man. This character describes the character of beautiful ladies to play with the men’s insatiable sexual desire towards beautiful women. Lucy’s ambitions in her future marriage indicate her innocence and purity. In England, the society held high expectations on women. A Victorian woman had only to options; either she was chaste or was committed to her husband in marriage. If not neither of the two, she was regardless as a whore and earned disrespect from the society. The venom of Dracula destroys Lucy when he infects her with his blood to ensure he retains good relationship with her and other enemies.
Seward and van Helsing notice that one of the wounded children has marks on the neck that resembled that of Lucy. Seward also witnesses a white streak and wondered if it was Lucy. This is confirmed when they find Lucy’s tomb empty. This scene contravenes beliefs of Christians whose reference for an open tomb is only about Jesus. The dead are not believed to rise physically. Van Helsing suggests that rituals must be done to cleanse Lucy’s spirit by filling her mouth with garlic and a stake pierced into her heart.
Communion wafers are used to seal the door to the tomb to prevent Lucy from entering. Later Lucy appears, carrying a child with blood filled in her mouth. Van Helsing brandishes a crucifix when Holwood moves closer to Lucy. She recoils and slips into the tomb. In this context, physical features of a monster describe Lucy. “Unclean eyes and full of hell fire and her mouth stained with fresh blood” This context symbolizes a monster which depicts impurity among Christians. Further, it is dangerous to the society.In the Christian context purity was associated with physical outlook. This is because of their reference to Jesus who was pure physically and inwards. Further sacrifices were believed to be performed by anointed people to cleanse one’s impurity. Van Helsing action of using communion wafers to overpower Dracula contravenes the accepted use of communions by Christians
Jonathan Harker
John Harker is an English solicitor who travels To Eastern Europe as to represent Dracula in a real estate transaction. He takes the journey by train and records all the features he sees on the way to narrate them to his fiancée, Mina Murray. When Hacker prepares his journey for castle, the inner keeper’s wife warns him “It’s the eve of St. George’s day when all evils take their sway” the inner keeper then puts a crucifix on Hacker’s neck which he accepts reluctantly. Hacker is an Anglican believer and frequently criticized Catholic’s display of paraphernalia, referring to them as adulterous. This reveals the thematic expression of religion inclination. Every religion has its own believes besides their overall belief in God. When peasants perform the sign of the cross as Hacker takes his journey, depicts a wish against evil .The crucifix was meant to protect him gainst evil.
Weird women
The three weird women who appear to seduce Jonathan have a sense of expressing themselves sexually. Despite their intention being to suck Jonathan’s blood, they use suggestive sexual language to win over men. This describes the way sexual activity has literally been abused at the expense of being sacred. Beauty is their tool to win over men‘s insatiable desire. Further, their evil actions are depicted when they are provided with “a small child” by Dracula .Their acceptance reveal their evil actions. Further, the vampire issue that most Christians rarely believe in their existence is evident. These characters feed on the child, assign that they are demonic. Their actions echo the act of sacrificing a child by Abraham but now in a satanic way.
Mina Murray
She is an assistant schoolmistress who is dutiful to her husband. Her beauty is as notable as her friend’s Lucy is. This spares her from Dracula’s evil motive of luring beautiful women and converting them into vampires. This describes the culture in which men expose women too risky of exploitation. She remains mum about sexual desire. As a result, she maintains her purity. Unlike her friend who plays on men’s psychology, Mina retains her moral virtues that shield her from Dracula’s motive. Van Helsing praise Mina as one of God’s women, beautifully created to show men and women that there was heaven for them to enter and its light was on earth. “So true, so noble, so sweet, with little egoism” His declaration implied that if a woman could not truth and sweetness had no place in victoria society. This explains the culturally endorsed virtues of faith and chaste that have since time immemorial been upheld with lot of dignity. In her diary, Mina writes, “sleep begins to flirt with me”. These utterances are symbolic as Mina meant that Dracula was seducing her during the night. An act of impurity is evident in mina when she falls as the next victim to Dracula. Mina sucks on the Dracula’s wound .as a presentation of mockery as nursing mother when he offers her blood instead of milk. The feeding act is symbolic of ritualism and portrays Eucharistic ceremony. Eucharistic ritual, according to Christians involves ingestion of water that articulates one’s beliefs towards Christ. Use of crucifix by Helsing complements Catholics beliefs of use of holy companion to attest their beliefs in Christ.
Renfield
He was an insane man who trapped insects using sugars and consumes them. This is contrary to the accepted norms that people should not feed on insects. Despite acting subconsciously, eating of walking flying creatures was unacceptable. He claimed that the creature gave him strength and life force. This explicitly reveals mental intuitions that people are inclined to in the society. It is out of our stern beliefs that we act rationally or irrationally. People believe that an insane person is a curse to the community. It is a sign of impurity in the society and thus a punishment for their deeds. Strong emotions engulf the reader when an insane person is mentioned .his is due to the sufferings they go through. In the case of Renfield ,He is suffering because of Dracula infection
When Van Helsing and the team launch a man –hunt for Dracula, they use whistles to summon dogs and chase away rats. The presence of rats in the chapel is symbolic of the impurity in the holy place .This is contrary to the Christian belief who view a chapel as a holy place where only the pure are allowed to enter and worship (White bread protestants)
John Seward
This young doctor brings his knowledge to save the life of Lucy .He sacrifices his life to fight the Dracula. This is despite Lucy rejecting his proposal to be her lover. The idea of strong emotions dominates the characters behavior. Helping a person who is infected is believed to be rationally right. From this context, we realize about the moral virtues that cannot be eroded by knowledge from the books. The doctor forgets about his feelings towards Lucy and vows to fight Dracula and save her and the rest of the society. Therefore, Science and knowledge will always rule in different worlds and natural knowledge will always supersede school knowledge.
Bibliography
Sack, Daniel. White bread Protestants: Food and Religion in American Culture. New York: St. Martin’s.
Bram Stoker. "Dracula", London: York press, 2006.Press,
Loewenthal, Kate Miriam. Religion, Culture, and Mental Health. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
