Notes on Bram Stoker S Dracula

Notes on Bram Stoker’s Dracula By David Crews Part Two

Chapter Two As in chapter one, we see the motif of being asleep or dreaming. It is not explicit at to whether this is a defense mechanism that Harker is uses to deal with events that do not fit his concept of reality or that Stoker is bringing the reader into the world of the subconscious. There is also the motif of the prodigious strength of the mysterious driver, an observation which will be linked to the description of the count allowing the observant reader to conclude before Jonathan that the two are the same.(dramatic irony)

The dark opening into which the caleche is swallowed adds to the mysterious darkness and further adds to the uneasy mood of the story. The growing realization of Harker at this point that he is outside his realm of experience contributes another lever of anxiety to the mood of the story.

In the middle of Harker’s grim thoughts we see him thinking of Mina and the fact that he is no longer merely a clerk but a fully licensed solicitor (lawyer). Harker cannot comprehend what is happening as it is so out of his definition of reality that it can only be accepted as a nightmare from which he will awake to find himself back in the “normal” world. He literally pinches himself to make sure he is awake. When he finds that he is awake he is forced to accept the reality of the situation and to simply wait to see what will develop.

Note that Harker and Stoker are using Mina as an anchor to a familiar and comforting reality. It is Mina who will, even though she is not physically present, save Harker from insanity while giving him the will power to escape from Dracula’s “brides”. Here we see Stoker showing just how powerful Mina is even though she is not physically with Jonathan. The power and importance of Mina in the story makes the tale more about Mina than count Dracula. Stoker will continue to build the image of Mina as a modern woman who is beginning to realize her power.

The introduction of Dracula is preceded by the sounds of rattling chains and locks being opened. This provides the equivalent of a drum role, a dramatic entrance for the count.

The count is a study in contrasts. His white hair is in contrast to his black clothes. Stoker points out there is not “…a single speck of color about him anywhere”. The count’s courtly manners will be in stark contrast to his ruthless behavior late. The count is extremely courteous and kind, treating Jonathan like an honored guest. This behavior will be in stark contrast to the count’s later behavior. By making the count so charming and the setting of the initial interior of the castle do comfortable and inviting Stoker will make what happens later even more horrifying. Harkers’ previous anxieties are greatly reduced by these outward appearances of charm and comfort. These physical conditions are hints at contrasts in reality, that what appears on the surface is not what lies beneath. Stoker is incorporating a very old literary motif here.

In the count’s invitation for Jonathan to enter his house we see something of a reverse of the ancient idea that evil cannot enter your house unless you invite it in. Think of Lady Macbeth’s speech in which she invites “…you murdering ministers” to enter her castle. Jonathan notices the count’s great strength as well as the fact that the count’s hand is”…cold as ice, more like the hand of a dead than living man.” As Jonathan gathers more clues as to his situation he will realize that the coach driver and the count are one and the same. The count does not eat with Harker foreshadowing the count’s vampirism. This might also be an allusion to the eastern custom of not eating with your enemy.

Harker then produces his letter of introduction from his employer. This is a normal everyday kind of action that adds to the feeling of normalcy. The letter also fulfills the purpose of showing how competent Jonathan is considered to be as well as foreshadowing how Jonathan will deal with the dangers he will face later. In a more calm frame of mind, Jonathan now more closely examines his host. This examination gives Stoker the opportunity to further develop the character of the count and show him as a vampire-sharp pointed teeth, red lips, pointed ears and a very pale complexion. It is on this closer examination that Harker begins to notice disturbing contradictions that indicate the count is not quite as aristocratic looking as he had first thought. The count’s hands are “…coarse, broad, with squat fingers.” The hairs in center of the count’s palm indicate the count may also be a werewolf. Hair in this location was, in Victorian times, also thought to indicate “self-abuse”. The count’s breath is also rank to the point of almost making Harker sick. This connects the count, in a negative way, to the very important sense of smell, indicating decay.

The count is aware of Jonathan’s revulsion but it only amuses him as he knows he has the upper hand. He alludes to the hunt and the hunter, a reference that Harker does not understand refers to the count as the hunter and Harker as the hunted. This introduces the concept that the count is cruel and will enjoy making Harker his terrified prey before he is led to the slaughter. Late chapters will develop this theme more fully.

While he may not understand fully the count’s meaning, Harker is in a state of doubt and confusion. He senses he is in trouble but his rational self is reluctant to admit what he fears. The mood is now one of indecisiveness. Is the danger real or is he imaging it? At this point Stoker has probably brought the reader into the land of vampires. We know Jonathan is in great danger. Why doesn’t he realize this? What will it take to make him see just how dangerous the situation is? It is this holding back of belief on Jonathan’s part that makes us willingly suspend our disbelief. Note that this shows some skill on Stoker'’ part to so quickly make us believe.

The setting is indicative of great wealth and a long history. The reference to Hampton Court is a clue to the age of this castle. Harker notices there are no mirrors here. Yet another fact that makes Harker wonder what is going on. In addition, there are no servants and the daily schedule is not the norm, being slanted toward the nocturnal. There is a reference to “A Thousand and One Arabian Nights”, a story in which a sultan marries a young girl, have her tell him a story at night and then beheads her the next morning. The fact the story initially does not turn out well seems to foreshadow bad things for Harker.

Harker then discovers “..a sort of library” that seems to have a single subject- England. The count enters and tells Harker he has been studying this information for years. Why has he been doing this? The count is planning to invade England and like any good general he is studying his adversary. Why is the count planning to invade England? In Stoker’s time England was the most powerful country in the world. Control England and you controlled the world. The count is ambitious to restore the glory that once was his and his peoples’. To do this he must have a highly detailed and thorough plan. He realizes a foreign accent would make him easily recognized so he plans to use Harker to teach him to speak English without a foreign accent. Therefore, he needs Harker to teach him to speak like an English native. Such a native accent would allow the count to disappear into the background of daily English life. A wolf in disguise.

This reverse colonialism represents one of the fears of the Victorian British, that their culture would be significantly altered by exposure to the many cultures of the British colonies. England would be invaded by people from her many colonies and would find its own culture overrun by the influx of these people. Dracula certainly plans on using the class structure of England and the relations between men and women in English culture to provide him with a path to power and control.

Dracula reveals to Jonathan that the blue flames that he had seen on his nerve- wracking coach ride marked the location of hidden treasure. This is the source of the count’s wealth that he will use to finance his forray into England. The level of planning and use of resources by Dracula reveal what a formidable opponent he will be. The level of the count’s research is shown as Jonathan realizes from the count’s questions that he knows more than Jonathan about the geography of London.