Gothic Motifs In Bram Stoker's Dracula

In the gothic novel Dracula there are many gothic motifs. Gothic motifs are images that show up in other gothic stories. For example, in most gothic stories there are stormy nights, full moons, spooky castles, wolves, bats, horses and carriages, cobwebs, etc. From Dracula, the four things that show up most in other stories are the spooky castle, the stormy nights, blood, and carriage rides.
The first motif noticed in Dracula is the carriage ride in the evening. This shows up in other gothic stories such as Frankenstein. This carriage ride started out as a beautiful ride through the Transylvanian countryside. As the evening approached events started to turn. The carriage began to descend into the forest, the horses started to proceed at a faster …show more content…
This symbolizes the supernatural power that they really do have. Owning a large estate with nothing in it could show that they can own what they want and not take care of it because they have the power to do so. This makes the estate feel eerie as well because one wouldn’t know what the owner could do to someone. Stoker put this in the novel because it has always been thought that someone who is evil should live in a dirty, empty, eerie estate. It gives the feeling that the place has been abandoned, when really, someone is always watching. Utilizing creepy, abandoned looking homes in the novel set the tone for what would occur while in the home. For example when Jonathan was left alone in the courtyard when he reached Castle Dracula it foreshadowed how trapped and alone he would feel inside the home. The novel Dracula was full of gothic motifs. It is intriguing to go back and look at all of the recurrences in this novel and other novels. Gothic motifs like stormy nights, full moons, spooky castles, wolves, bats, horses and carriages, cobwebs, etc have an incredible impact on the tone and outcome of gothic novels. Gothic novels are thrillers, and the motifs succeed the limits of