There are many reasons to read the classics, and in the following paragraphs I will inform you why I think you should include Dracula in your list. It’s not just a horror story, it’s a brilliant examination of humanity, life, death, and the roles of gender in society.
You may have heard the story before, but there is much more to it than you will discover in a simple narration. Bram Stoker’s magnificent novel introduced a whole new theme of horror to the Western world. Vampires became a common aspect of literature and film, well known for their blood-sucking abilities and propensity to transform into bats. But just how much of the original story do you know?
First, a Synopsis
Dracula is an epistolary novel, so the entire story is told by letters and journal entries from the characters. It begins in Transylvania, with Jonathan Harker, who is visiting the Count so he can aid him in purchasing a home in England. While there, the Count locks him in his castle for some time, and Jonathan discovers the horrific pastime of his cruel host (i.e. sucking blood).
While Jonathan is stuck there, we meet Mina Murray, Jonathan’s fiancé, and her friend, Lucy Westenra. For some time, the story follows the ladies during their trip to the seaside, where a vampire bites Lucy and begins draining her strength. We also meet Lucy’s three admirers: her friends Dr. John Seward and Quincey Morris, and her fiancé Arthur Holmwood. When Lucy falls ill, Dr. Seward calls his friend Dr. Van Helsing to come from Amsterdam and help him treat her, not understanding what ails her. Van Helsing discovers what has happened but is too late to save Lucy. Following her death, he enlists the help of all three of her admirers to “kill” her Un-dead form and help him find Dracula so they can destroy him.
The four men then meet Jonathan, who escaped Transylvania and returned to marry Mina, though still quite troubled by what he has seen. The Harkers join forces with the four men, but, much to their chagrin, Mina is also bitten by the vampire. Through a series of events I won’t go into, the men chase the Count all the way to Transylvania, determined to save Mina from the fate that met poor Lucy. Once there, Jonathan and Quincey kill him, though Quincey dies in the process.
Second, an Evaluation
Death
This book had far more in it to consider than I had expected. Generally, the purpose of horror is to frighten viewers without leaving much in the way of value. However, I didn’t find that Bram Stoker’s horror is at all like that which one might see in a horror film today. If his purpose was to scare us, it was not to do so with unrealistic and ridiculous creatures. Rather, he takes something that we all fear naturally–death–and makes it even more terrifying. What if we were doomed to live eternally, not in peace, but in a grave? Or what if we escape death only in the dark of night, where all we can do is suck the life from others? And what would happen if such an end were the fate of one we loved…or even our own fate?
Heroism
While darkness is certainly prevalent in the story, Stoker does not end his story in a dark place. All good stories must have a hero, and while many characters have heroic traits, the ultimate savior for Dracula’s victims is found in Dr. Van Helsing.
Since vampires are deeply evil, one of the only things that repels them (aside from garlic) is a sacrament of the church, such as a crucifix. Van Helsing consistently uses the sacred wafers he brought from Amsterdam as a defense against the evil. When the Jonathan, Arthur, Quincey, and Dr. Seward first discovered that he was using the wafers they reacted strongly.
“We felt individually that in the presence of such earnest purpose as the Professor’s, a purpose which could thus use the to him most sacred of things, it was impossible to distrust.”
Throughout the novel, Van Helsing stands in contrast to the evil of Dracula. He never falters, never questions his faith that God will enable them to deliver the world of such evil, and never stops showing love to his friends. It is his passion for purity and holiness that leads him as he battles the present darkness.
His desire is for good, as he says when they finally “kill” Lucy’s body: “No longer is she the Devil’s Un-Dead. She is God’s true dead, whose soul is with Him!” In whatever he does, he strives to glorify his God and maintain holiness in the world.
Gender Roles
Another interesting aspect of the book is the relationships between men and women. Many readers have considered this story to be somewhat (if not entirely), sexist, as Stoker often paints women as the “weaker sex.” The Count preys almost exclusively upon women and children, and the entire plot of the story is driven by the desire of the men to protect Mina and Lucy. Both women also see their role as that of a supporter, one who must comfort and care for the men as no one else can. This is evident when Mina first meets Arthur after the death of Lucy, when she writes that “No one but a woman can help a man when he is in trouble of the heart…”
I am not here to tell you whether Stoker was right or wrong in his assertions. I am not a literary critic, apart from my own personal joy in the task, and I cannot say what he meant or how that might be reflected in other literature of the time. What I can say is that, for my own part, I enjoyed the perspective.
Stoker was able to express the differences between men and women and paint a picture of them working together by each using their unique strengths. Without Mina’s help, the men would have failed entirely. She gathered together the relevant information, she provided them with comfort, and she used her spiritual connection with the vampire (a result of his bite) to help them find him. And yet, without the men fighting for her and protecting her, Mina would most certainly have died.
The picture was, perhaps, too simple, but he was on the right track. By applying a little more nuance, I think we can understand what Stoker believed about the relationships between male and female. Men and women are not created to be the same in every way, as is evident even in their physiology, and it is proper that they should use their individual strengths and weaknesses to help one another effect change.
Third, a Conclusion
Dracula is a story of death, heroism, and love. It is an adventure tale that is sure to entertain, but, beyond that, it is a book that provokes contemplation. As my purpose is not to tell you what to think, I suggest you read it and consider these questions:
- What is the purpose of death?
- What part does God play in the battle of good and evil? Do men and women have separate parts to play? If so, what are they?
- What does it really mean to love someone (especially considering the necessity of cutting Lucy’s head off to prevent her from remaining “Un-Dead”)?
And finally, as you step out into whatever battle you face today, consider this statement of Van Helsing’s:
“This battle is but begun, and in the end we shall win–so sure as that God sits on high to watch over His children.”