Gothic Elements Of Dracula Essay

“Dracula is already a reflection, a shadow, an apparition, a matter of mind rather than matter…” (Stade V). Dracula is a tale published in 1897 by Bram Stoker. It features seven characters who devise a way to capture and destroy Dracula. This tale features nail-biting moments as well as suspenseful moments that send shivers down the reader’s spine. In Bram Stoker’s timeless classic Dracula, there are many gothic elements that significantly enhance and affect the storyline in a monumental way such as death of a young woman, old, decaying setting and several more. To begin with, the setting is just one of the many elements that play a huge role throughout Dracula. It is common in gothic literature to find the setting to be old, dark, and decaying. Jonathan Harker’s journal says, “…we swept on our way, now in almost complete darkness; but all was dark” (Stoker 14). In this quote, Harker is sitting in the coach with the other passengers and observing the setting of his surroundings. This describes how …show more content…
When Mina and the others come face to face with Lucy, she notices that it is indeed Lucy but an odd and impure version of her. Mina writes in her journal, “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” (226). This shows how the others know Lucy to be a sweet, harmless, girl but the reality at the time is that Lucy is not who she once was. Instead, she is a vampire who is cold, heatless, and cruel. Another example is when Dr. Seward is writing in his diary about Quincey dyeing. Quincey says, “Now God be thanked that not all has been done in vain! See! The snow is not more stainless than her forehead! The curse has passed away” (411). What Quincey means by this is that perilous and frightening Dracula has been defeated and that good had surpassed evil yet