Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, is written in a series of letters and diary entries in order to display a distortion of events. Although the diary entries of Jonathan Harker is more personal, allowing the reader to be drawn into the plot, the diary entries also includes bias. The mental state of the Harker is unstable due to his fear of Dracula and death; therefore, his diary may not portray an accurate description of what exactly happened. Words spoken as facts in the diary cannot be fully trusted and deemed credible for Harker does not know the truth of everything himself. Instead, the reader has to form their own opinion of the truth.…
Have you ever got yourself in a tough situation? If so, what did you do or what would you do? The author of the novel “Dracula”, Bram Stoker, provides an example of how a person in a predicament should not let him or herself be engulfed by fear and helplessness; this is done through the use of characterization. When you let yourself to be overcome by fear and helplessness, your mind can not be able to think straight.…
Despite Mina’s lack of friends the death of Lucy was her motivation to defeat Dracula; well as protecting innocent people. These motivations were selfless and show her caring nature. In contrast the Mina portrayed in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was motivated by more selfish incentives. In addition to wanting to protect people, Mina Harker sought revenge on Dorian Gray; she wanted to personally kill him for his betrayal. The Mina shown in the film is a more complex and flawed character compared to the altruistic woman in the…
Kassandra Valle Jones 1 Dracula Essay 27 December 2014 Christian Tradition in Dracula In Bram Stoker’s epistolary novel, Dracula published in 1897, Christianity is often portrayed through a positive light. Corresponding to most gothic/horror based literature books; many of them have Christian symbolism. The actions taken by the vampire Dracula are faintly similar to many features of Christianity, yet they are metaphorically/darkly misleading. If count Dracula is meant to symbolize the devil then it is Stokers’ way of saying that the evil one is resisted through the power of God.…
People often state that one of the most precious gifts in the world is life itself. A vast majority of the people on this planet go above and beyond to protect this universally cherished concept. The glorious and lofty value life is taught from a young age. Most legendary authors, artist, and playwrights have touched upon the importance that life has in this world. However, after an analysis of the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller the validity of Reverend Hale’s statement “Life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.…
The Tragedy of a Hero “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.” With these perplexing and baffling words, John Proctor’s sense of bravery of changing himself truly shines in Arthur Miller’s powerful play, The Crucible. The Crucible, portrays the Salem people and their beliefs in witchcraft that lead to citizens blaming others to protect themselves, progressing into the idea that if you are an accuser then you are safe. No other character expresses this type of courage, to falsely confess and admit his sins to the court, as much as John Proctor. He is a well-known farmer in the Salem community and minds his own business until his former mistress: Abigail Williams accuses people of witchcraft, including…
In his 1897 gothic novel, Dracula, Bram Stoker defined the modern form of the vampire. His character, Dracula remained popular through the ages, being one of the most popular adaptation source in history. Dracula has created an extraordinary vampire subculture, and an enormous amount of films have been made that feature Count Dracula as it’s main antagonist, or protagonist. However, most adaptations do not include the major characters from the novel, focusing only on the now traditional characteristics of a vampire, created by Stoker. In this essay I will focus on the novel and how different adaptations through the 20th and 21st century differ from it.…
Phenomenon of vampires is highly incorporated in today’s popular culture with a large number of books, films, and TV-series about them emerging every year. Still, many people cannot deny that Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” is an exceptional literary creation that stood at the origins of the cult of vampires. Not only did this Victorian novel, written in 1897, become a landmark piece of gothic literature, but also it defined the contemporary form and image of vampires and paved the way for multiple interpretations in modern culture. Nevertheless, “Dracula” is not just an outstanding horror fiction book. It is also a profound insight into Victorian age – a defining time in the history of the Western world, when so many cornerstones of society began…
One of the strongest human drives is a desire for power. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Abraham Van Helsing is a classic example of this behavior. Throughout the novel, Van Helsing seeks to gain power over others believing that he is to carry out God’s message by ridding the world of evil. This is exemplified in his killing of Lucy Westenra, leading the other men to destroy vampires alongside him, and in introducing Catholicism into the lives of the English. By integrating himself into the circle of characters, Van Helsing seeks to exert power over the others as the figurehead of unwavering righteousness.…
Victor and Captain Keeney, both had to make sacrifices in their own ways, for example Captain Keeney made the sacrifices of losing his wife’s trust by putting his motives before her and not turning the boat around until he gets a full ship when he clearly told her he would. While Victor’s sacrifices is that he lost everyone that was close to him by creating a monster that he should have killed right away because he knows that it is a monster himself, but he was so surprised that he brought something to life so he could not kill his own invention so he made the sacrifices of having everyone that was close to him killed rather than killing the monster himself. I would have to say that their sacrifices were not worth it because both Victor and…
(Dracula, 3.29). This novel brings to light the sexual desires both men and women were experiencing, but society wouldn’t let them express. But, Bram Stoker doesn’t stop here, the sexual actions in the…
Purpose and questions. This essay has 2 main goals. The first goal that will be concentrated on now is to find the similarities and differences between the two vampire characters Edward Cullen and Count Dracula and how they are portrayed in terms of aspects of behavior, actions, life and appearance. The aim is the following questions: How is Edward Cullen portrayed in contrast to Count Dracula?…
Gender roles play a huge part in society’s life because they help regulate behaviors and attitude that are socially acceptable. Aaron Devor, a dean at the University of Victoria and author of the article “Gender Roles Behaviors and Attitudes,” argues that men and women have clear rules and guideline in society on the way they should act. Traditionally, masculinity defined as being aggressive and domineering, while feminity defined as nurturing and passive. Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula was set in the late 19th century, when Victorian gender roles were very restricted. However, society behavior and attitudes about woman began to change.…
In the exposition of the hair-raising novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, Jonathan Harker, an English lawyer, travels to a mysterious and unknown place by the name of Transylvania. He helps a nobleman by the name of Count Dracula who wishes to purchase a house in England. Upon arrival, Harker’s suspicion about Count grows and soon comes to the realization that he is in fact a vampire. Dracula does not wish to move to London for the house but instead he has the desire to drink the blood of English people. Next up in the inciting incident, Harker escapes from Dracula’s castle and manages to flee without being killed.…
Until the man she loved knows the truth and ends her everlasting life. When Lucy is presented in the novel she is described as having, “sweet purity” and “loveliness”, along with the simplicity behind her wearing white. Wearing white gives the impression of innocence and so does the, “beautiful color” in her cheeks as she is blushing. She is portrayed as being very vulnerable and gives men in the novel a reason to have desire for her. In a letter wrote to Mina, Lucy asks, “Why can't they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?”…