7 THEMES GOOD VERSUS EVIL: This is the most obvious theme in the novel, and is represented by the joint protagonists; Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, Quincy Morris, Arthur Holmsworth, Dr John Seward, and Mina Murray (later Harker) versus the antagonist; Count Dracula. The joint protagonists are further representative of God; Dracula is, of course, representative of Satan. Van Helsing says himself that he is a “minister of God’s own wish”, whilst there are several references to the Count in relation to Satan. His evilness is emphasised by the fact that he is repelled by anything holy (the crucifixes, the communion wafers etc). In this novel good is triumphant over evil, just as the Victorian society, which Stoker was writing for, would have expected. A novel in which evil was triumphant over good would have been thoroughly unacceptable to them, and would more than likely have remained unpublished. LOYALTY & BRAVERY: This is a very clear theme throughout the novel. The group of vampire hunters are loyal to each other, and to the memory of Lucy. They are loyal to both God and humanity in their determination to destroy the threat of the Count. Van Helsing is loyal to his old friend John Seward and comes to his aid when he asks for it. Quincy, Arthur and Seward are loyal to each other, despite their rivalry for Lucy’s hand in marriage. Jonathan is loyal to his wife, Mina, despite the fact that she has been ‘polluted’ by the Count. The protagonists as a group are loyal to the pact they made to destroy Dracula. The bravery of the main characters is commented on repeatedly by each other. Lucy’s bravery in facing her death, Mina’s bravery in facing her possible death, Jonathan’s bravery in escaping from the castle, as well as the bravery shown by all in the final pages. Quincy’s bravery leads him to make the ultimate sacrifice; his life. SCIENCE & THE MODERN WORLD: The stamp of the modern world is obvious throughout the novel. Dr Seward record his diary on a phonograph, Mina uses a typewriter, Van Helsing Copyright © 2004 FRET’s English Teaching Resources, Lesson Plans & Schemes of Work. www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk 8 uses very new blood transfusion methods to try to save Lucy, telegrams are used frequently by the characters to communicate, and so on. Science and its advancement in modern England is, in part, responsible for the delay in any action taken against Dracula. Ignorance of superstition means that it is almost too late for Lucy before any of those involved realise she is at risk. Lucy’s mother, who removes the garlic from her room, and the maid who steals the cross from her body, both contribute to the events which follow. The reader cannot help but become frustrated by the actions of these minor characters who unwittingly cause even more harm. Even when faced with what seems to the reader to be indisputable proof of supernatural involvement, Seward still searches for a logical explanation, revealing the strength of his belief in his own religion: science. This theme is most obvious in the sections of the novel which are set in England. SUPERSTITION & THE OLD WORLD: The theme of superstition and the old world is apparent almost as the novel opens. The peasants of Transylvania bless one another, make the sign of the evil eye to ward off spirits, understand the protection offered by garlic, wear crosses etc. Their understanding of the threat of the vampire keeps them safe. Even the mother who comes looking for her child at the castle obviously understands immediately what has become of it. The contrast can be seen clearly in the newspaper articles relating to the “Bloofer Lady”, who is dismissed as a child’s game. This theme is exploited by Stoker in the sections where sailors, traditionally (even today) an extremely superstitious group of people, are given a voice. This theme is most apparent in the sections of the novel which are set in Transylvania. THE ROLE OF WOMEN: This is a very important theme in the novel. Women in Victorian society had a very definite place, and it was certainly not as any kind of an equal to men. Copyright © 2004 FRET’s English Teaching Resources, Lesson Plans & Schemes of Work. www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk 9 Lucy is a pure woman, however her flirtatious nature is made apparent when she asks jokingly why she may not become engaged to three men. She allows herself to become the Count’s victim; this is symbolic of her allowing him to seduce her, and she is duly punished. When she dies and becomes a vampire, she becomes overtly sexual and predatory. A sexually predatory woman was unacceptable to the Victorians, and so Lucy is killed. Her death at the hands of her fiancé, is symbolic of the sexual act the couple never had the chance to perform; the stake is a phallic symbol. In death, Lucy returns to the virginal young woman whom Arthur fell in love with. Thus her innocent nature is returned and male society is saved. Mina is also a pure woman, and does not possess the flirtatious nature of her friend Lucy, thus, although endangered, she is saved by the death of the Count. Mina is virtuous and devoted to her husband, and so does not warrant the punishment which is meted out to Lucy. Mina represents womanhood in general, and its need to be protected by male society. The Weird Sisters represent the ultimate nightmare of the Victorian man. Sexually alluring yet deadly, they are everything which the Victorian ideal demands that women should not be. These women threaten men’s ability to reason and maintain control (as can be seen in both Jonathan and Van Helsing’s encounters with them). These sexually aggressive women must be destroyed before they can undermine the foundations of a male-dominated society. Copyright © 2004 FRET’s English Teaching Resources, Lesson Plans & Schemes of Work. www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk .