Dracula Flashcards
Summary
- Introduction
Dracula is an epistolary novel, meaning it is written as a series of letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings, and other documents. The novel opens with the journey of Jonathan Harker, a young English solicitor, to Transylvania to help a nobleman named Count Dracula purchase an estate in England. - Jonathan Harker’s Journey and Imprisonment
Jonathan travels to Dracula’s castle, situated in the Carpathian Mountains. Despite the warm welcome, Jonathan soon realises that he is a prisoner. He begins to notice strange and terrifying things about the Count, such as his lack of a reflection in mirrors, his ability to scale the walls of the castle like a lizard, and his nocturnal habits. Harker eventually discovers that Dracula is a vampire, feeding on the blood of humans to maintain his immortality.
Harker tries to escape, fearing for his life. In his final entry before his escape attempt, he writes about Dracula preparing to leave for England, taking with him fifty boxes of Transylvanian earth, which he needs to rest in.
- Dracula’s Arrival in England
Meanwhile, in England, Harker’s fiancée, Mina Murray, is visiting her friend Lucy Westenra in Whitby. Lucy receives proposals from three men: Dr. John Seward (a doctor who runs an insane asylum), Quincey Morris (a Texan adventurer), and Arthur Holmwood (later known as Lord Godalming, to whom she becomes engaged). All three men become important characters in the story.
Dracula arrives in England, bringing with him chaos and horror. Lucy begins to suffer from strange symptoms, including sleepwalking and a severe loss of blood. Despite the best efforts of Dr. Seward and his former teacher, Professor Abraham Van Helsing, Lucy’s condition worsens.
- The Transformation of Lucy Westenra
Van Helsing suspects that Lucy is the victim of a vampire attack. Despite blood transfusions from her suitors and various protective measures (like garlic), Lucy dies and then returns from the dead as a vampire. Van Helsing, along with Seward, Morris, and Holmwood, track her down in her vampire form and destroy her by driving a stake through her heart and cutting off her head. - Jonathan Harker’s Return and Mina’s Danger
Jonathan Harker, who managed to escape Dracula’s castle and was found suffering from brain fever in a convent, returns to England and marries Mina. Upon his return, he joins forces with Van Helsing and the others, who are now determined to hunt down Dracula and end his reign of terror.
Mina begins to fall under Dracula’s influence after she is bitten by him. She becomes telepathically linked to him, which both puts her in danger and provides the group with crucial information about Dracula’s movements.
- The Hunt for Dracula
The group, now consisting of Van Helsing, Jonathan and Mina Harker, Seward, Morris, and Holmwood, work together to track Dracula. They use Mina’s psychic connection with him to anticipate his actions. They learn that Dracula is attempting to return to his castle in Transylvania, where he will be safe from them.
The group races against time to intercept Dracula before he reaches his home. They follow him across Europe, utilising various methods of travel, including train, steamboat, and horseback.
- The Final Confrontation
In the climactic battle, the group catches up with Dracula just before he reaches his castle. A fierce struggle ensues. Quincey Morris is mortally wounded but, with his last strength, helps to drive a knife through Dracula’s heart. As Dracula is killed, his body crumbles to dust, releasing Mina from his influence. - Conclusion
The novel concludes with a brief note written seven years later. Jonathan and Mina have a son, whom they name after their fallen comrades. The surviving members of the group have moved on with their lives, but the horrors they experienced have left a lasting impact.
Dracula ends with the triumph of good over evil, but the novel leaves a haunting impression of the dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the world.
Theme; Good and Evil
At its core, Dracula is a classic battle between good and evil. The characters—Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Professor Van Helsing, and the others—represent the forces of good, who come together to fight against the evil embodied by Count Dracula. Dracula, as a vampire, represents a form of ancient evil that threatens the modern world. This theme is portrayed in the way the characters must unite and use their collective knowledge, faith, and courage to overcome the vampire.
Theme; The Supernatural & Uncanny
Dracula delves into the theme of the supernatural, a common motif in Gothic literature. Dracula himself is a supernatural being, an undead creature with the power to transform into animals, control the weather, and manipulate the minds of others. The novel explores the fear of the unknown and the uncanny—the strange and eerie feelings that arise when familiar things are made unfamiliar. The characters’ struggle to understand and combat these supernatural forces highlights humanity’s vulnerability when faced with the inexplicable.
Theme; The Clash between Modernity and Tradition
Stoker’s novel reflects the tension between the modern, scientific world and ancient, superstitious beliefs. The characters are armed with the latest technology and medical knowledge of their time, yet they must also rely on old-world wisdom (like the use of garlic, crucifixes, and holy water) to fight Dracula. This theme is particularly evident in the character of Professor Van Helsing, who combines scientific knowledge with a belief in the supernatural. The novel suggests that modernity alone may not be sufficient to combat certain forms of evil, which require a blend of both the old and the new.
Theme; Sexuality and Desire
Dracula is often analysed through the lens of sexuality and repressed desire. The vampire’s act of biting and drawing blood is frequently interpreted as a metaphor for sexual penetration, with Dracula representing a corrupting influence that awakens hidden desires in his victims. The novel contains several instances of sexual imagery, particularly in the scenes involving the female characters, Lucy and Mina. Lucy’s transformation into a vampire and her subsequent sexual aggression invert the Victorian ideal of feminine purity, reflecting societal anxieties about female sexuality. Dracula’s influence over his victims can be seen as a violation of social norms and an exploration of forbidden desires.
Theme; Fear of the Other
Dracula is portrayed as an outsider, a foreigner from the remote regions of Eastern Europe who comes to England to spread his influence. This theme reflects the Victorian fear of the “other”—the unfamiliar and the foreign that threatens the stability of British society. Dracula’s invasion of England can be seen as a metaphor for anxieties about immigration, colonialism, and the infiltration of foreign cultures. The novel taps into xenophobic fears by depicting Dracula as an alien force that must be expelled to protect the purity of the nation.
