Bram Stoker’s most renowned epistolary novel Dracula deals with numerous themes portrayed through the utilization of various symbols. One of the most potent ones would definitely be the ubiquitous struggle between the forces of good and evil, or in other words, between the angelic messengers of God and their nemesis, a demon from Hell. The strength and power of Christian paraphernalia serve as symbols of earthly as well as divine good, such as crucifixes and prayers, while the soulless entity of the Count and his undead brides symbolize the curse of longevity at the cost of one’s soul. In this sense, it is up to the novel’s protagonists, Jonathan, Mina, Van Helsing and the others, to utilize these Christian symbols, in order to fight and defeat the demonic presence on Earth in this holy crusade against the forces of evil, and to finally return the lost souls to their rightful eternal abode.
At the very beginning of the novel, Jonathan Harker shuns the superstitions of the simple country folk on his journey through the Carpathians; his cynicism and disbelief as they mutter prayers and give one another charms to ward off the evil eye is more than evident. On being offered a crucifix, he thinks the whole affair “ridiculous” and “in some measure idolatrous,” “yet ungracious to refuse an old lady meaning so well and n such a state of mind” (Stoker 5). Eventually, it will be the very thing he mocked that saves Harker’s life. Later on, professor Van Helsing arrives, bringing with him similar equipment for fighting evil: crosses, holy water, garlic, Communion wafers. This proves the fact that Van Helsing is intended to stand for a messenger of God, a “[minister] of God’s own wish,” whose assignment is to fight the evil, embodied in Count Dracula (Stoker 289). Thus, Christian symbols are found in abundance in the novel, proving the fact that Stoker intended the protagonists to be fighting on the side of good and religion.
On the other side of this holy battle is Dracula, a dominant fiend, a servant of the Devil and generally, the embodiment of all that mankind considers evil. He is unnaturally connected to wolves surrounding his castle, referring to them as “children of the night,” wild creatures of whim, who are controlled by the Count’s very thoughts (Stoker xiv). His lack of a mirror reflection and shadow, his monstrous appearance of a ghoulish quality, with blood-red eyes and impish ears, residing high up in the mountains, in a desolate place of Devil worship, all make him a an evil creature out of this world, the Devil’s mercenary sent to Earth to do his wicked bidding in snatching souls.
Possibly the most frightening notion of the theme of religion in the novel is Count’s blatant mocking of all that Christianity and its symbols stand for. Dracula is the antichrist himself, reversing the image of the Biblical savior. He is pure evil manifest, drinking the blood of his victims to sustain his blasphemous existence, which is actually recalls the image of pious Christians drinking the blood of Christ for that very same reason: to become divine, like Christ and earn entrance into Heaven. Thus, the novel emphasizes the Christian notion that humankind can only be saved through God, by resisting the temptation of evil and remaining on the path of righteousness.
The manipulation of faith and the inversion of its imagery are more than evident in the novel, bordering the beliefs of Christians during Stoker’s time into an even more fervent conviction that resisting wickedness and temptation, while struggling against the forces of darkness are a certain way of being granted access to a blissful eternal life. For those who do choose to follow the ways of Count Dracula and become his (un)willing followers, the eternal lake of fire awaits.
Works Cited:
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: Signet Classics, 1986. Print.
