Characters like Seward and Jonathan are discomforted by this transferring of blood because it symbolizes an impurity of Victorian social class that needs to be destroyed. This common fear among the main characters demonstrates the deeper concern of reverse colonization. Through Dracula, Stoker is able to use the recognizable symbol of blood to advocate his concern about a bigger threat to British imperialism.
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Pssst… we can write an original essay just for you. Your time is important. Get essay help. Feminine Features of Count Dracula Essay. Gender in Gothic Literature Essay. We notice the stamp of modernity almost immediately when the focus of the novel shifts to England. Seward records his diary on a phonograph, Mina Murray practices typewriting on a newfangled machine, and so on. Indeed, the whole of England seems willing to walk into a future of progress and advancement.
While the peasants of Transylvania busily bless one another against the evil eye at their roadside shrines, Mr. Swales, the poor Englishman whom Lucy and Mina meet in the Whitby cemetery, has no patience for such unfounded superstitions as ghosts and monsters. The threat Dracula poses to London hinges, in large part, on the advance of modernity. Advances in science have caused the English to dismiss the reality of the very superstitions, such as Dracula, that seek to undo their society.
Van Helsing bridges this divide: equipped with the unique knowledge of both the East and the West, he represents the best hope of understanding the incomprehensible and ridding the world of evil. Instead of recording his journal entries on a phonograph an early recording device , Dr. Seward would blog about his patients. Instead of sending a telegraph to warn the men that Dracula was on the move, Mina would whip out her iPhone and send a text.
Why does Stoker include all these details to show how up-to-date and high-tech his characters are? Well, one effect is to create a contrast between the science and technology Van Helsing and his crew have on their side with the tradition and superstition governing the world of Dracula.
But even though the good guys in Dracula are able to use technology to their advantage in many cases, it has its limits: the blood transfusions don't save Lucy's life, and a blip in the telegraph system keeps Seward from getting Van Helsing's message in time rush to Lucy's aid.
Technology and science, it seems, don't have all the answers. In fact, Van Helsing, Seward, and the others actually have to get over their faith in science, logic, and modern technology in order to defeat Dracula.
They have to accept, first of all, that vampires exist, and they have to re-educate themselves, learning ancient traditions and superstitions, to figure out how to kill a vampire. The Winchester rifles that Quincey Morris brings are great against the Szgany in the final fight scene, but killing Dracula requires something more primitive — a big knife and a stake through the heart. Another effect of all the science and technology in Dracula is to create a contrast between modernity and history.
Dracula is, after all, centuries old. He lives in a crumbling old medieval castle, and the surrounding countryside is filled with superstitions and traditions. Jonathan Harker describes his travel from Britain to Transylvania as being like a trip back in time, and that transition is represented by surprise, surprise the punctuality of the trains. The further he gets from Great Britain, the center of modern civilization in Harker's opinion , the less reliable the trains are.
So Dracula could be read as representing history or the past, and Great Britain as representing the present. If that's the case, maybe Dracula's "invasion" of Britain is meant to remind us of the way history has of influencing or haunting the present. Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Bram Stoker. Previous Next. Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory Blood This one is practically a no-brainer — of course blood is important in a vampire book. Windows and Doors If Dracula's immigration to Britain can be read as an allegory about foreigners invading England, it seems reasonable that border-crossing in general will be important in Dracula.
Sleep and Sleepwalking In the world of Dracula , if you don't want to have your blood sucked, you better down a lot of Red Bull, because being asleep tends to get you bitten. Maternity and Motherhood The only real mother we meet in this novel is Mrs.
Technology and Superstition Bram Stoker, as you've probably noticed, is totally obsessed with trains. Modernity and History Another effect of all the science and technology in Dracula is to create a contrast between modernity and history. John Seward Dr. What's Up With the Ending?
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