What you see is not always what you get. In fact, often times the truth is not revealed until the glittering, flawless outer coating is pried away, leaving behind wicked realities. Bram Stoker’s classic horror tale Dracula confirms this notion through it’s self-titled main character, and his startling resemblance to his home. The parallel created between Dracula and his mansion, specifically the contrast between their respective outward appearances and intentions, forges a rigid divide between Dracula and his home, and the rest of the outside world, suggesting that appearance is not always indicative of reality. Dracula is illustrated as an evil force through his comparisons to his mansion, despite his outwardly magnanimous disposition,
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As the mansion remains structurally sound and secure, Dracula’s own abilities flourish. For example, his handshake is described by Harker as so strong, he “doubted if it were not the same person to whom [he] was speaking”. Such brute strength is unhuman, almost unearthly; by including the fact that he lost nearly all intuition places emphasis on the awesomeness of Dracula’s strength. Additionally, by attributing such unworldly qualities to Dracula, Harker distances him from humanity, in effect insinuating Dracula is in fact a force that is from a different world than him, perhaps even a different reality. Furthermore, the mansion is blocked off from the outside world, suggesting that Dracula wishes to keep its true contents private, revealing the deceptive nature of his intentions. The faux politeness that Dracula exudes when greeting Harker, emphasized by the civil diction of “Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely”, shrouds his true demeanor. Similarly, the “great door” that protects the entrance to Dracula’s mansion functions in a comparable fashion. The rigid diction used to describe the door, saying that it was ‘massively carved’, implies it’s main purpose is to block outsiders from viewing the innards of the castle. Correspondingly, Dracula’s courteous behavior towards Harker serves to exude the feeling that he is a pleasant being, while hiding his true self. Thus, a parallel
As the mansion remains structurally sound and secure, Dracula’s own abilities flourish. For example, his handshake is described by Harker as so strong, he “doubted if it were not the same person to whom [he] was speaking”. Such brute strength is unhuman, almost unearthly; by including the fact that he lost nearly all intuition places emphasis on the awesomeness of Dracula’s strength. Additionally, by attributing such unworldly qualities to Dracula, Harker distances him from humanity, in effect insinuating Dracula is in fact a force that is from a different world than him, perhaps even a different reality. Furthermore, the mansion is blocked off from the outside world, suggesting that Dracula wishes to keep its true contents private, revealing the deceptive nature of his intentions. The faux politeness that Dracula exudes when greeting Harker, emphasized by the civil diction of “Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely”, shrouds his true demeanor. Similarly, the “great door” that protects the entrance to Dracula’s mansion functions in a comparable fashion. The rigid diction used to describe the door, saying that it was ‘massively carved’, implies it’s main purpose is to block outsiders from viewing the innards of the castle. Correspondingly, Dracula’s courteous behavior towards Harker serves to exude the feeling that he is a pleasant being, while hiding his true self. Thus, a parallel