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Wenling Lu
Mr. Orapello
English Honors Period 7
November 4, 2014
Dracula Essay
In Bram Stokers novel, Dracula, he uses allegories, symbolism,
and allusions in order to dictate specific problems within society.
Dracula is filled with social commentary about gender roles,
xenophobia, and the balance between new and old.
Stoker wrote Dracula during a time when Europe was losing its
dominance. The British were afraid of invaders and this makes
xenophobia a prominent theme in Dracula. It was such a frightening
novel during its time because the threat of foreign individuals invading
Britain was very real. People were afraid of Dracula because he was an
invader.
The Victorian era was a rather traditional era. Women were
expected to be conservative and proper and there were strict
standards on how they should behave. Those who defied the rules that
society set for them were seen as tainted or impure. They were
expected to suppress their sexuality and remain according to societys
expectations. When Dracula infected Lucy, she lost her innocence.
Lucy became more sensual and seductive and this instilled fear in the
characters. A women acting more sexual was seen as unnatural and

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wrong. The three vampires that Jonathan encountered in Draculas
castle is a prime example of what Victorian women should not be. Both
Lucy and the three vampires were frightening. Becoming more sexual
allowed women to lure and seduce men. This allowed women more
independence and more equality towards men. Killing Lucy became the
only way to restore her innocence. That task was left to Arthur, her
husband, because he was the only one that could purify her.
It is easier to accept things with logical reasoning behind it rather
than to accept something that is foreign. The captain of the Demeter
did just that. He made up reasons that seemed logical to explain the
strange happenings on his ship. Even in todays society, people try to
come up with rational explanations for the abstract events that happen
around them. There are some things that cant be explained and some
people cant accept that. Dracula has survived all these and still
continue to strike a fear in people because the acceptance of
something that is of a foreign nature is still difficult.
Blood transfusions, telegraphs, and phonographs were really high
tech for its time. These modern technologies helped the characters in
prolonging the life of Lucy but she eventually dies anyways. Although
the modern technologies helped the characters in defeating Dracula, it
wasnt enough to destroy Dracula. They needed to research the history
and the origins of Dracula in order defeat him. Van Helsing was the
middleman. He was a combination of modern technology and historical

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roots. That was what made him so effective against Dracula because
he was familiar with the new technologies and still preserve his roots in
Western Europe. Van Helsing represents Stokers message. It is okay to
develop and improve with the times, but remembering the history and
the roots are important.
Dramatic irony is very prominent in the novel. The reader is
inside the head of all the characters except Count Dracula. When Mina
was wondering the whereabouts and well being of Jonathan, the reader
knew that he was hurt but Mina did not. The reader knows something
that the characters do not. Dramatic irony starts to disappear when the
Crew of Light is formed and all the characters come together and tells
each other what they know. This is the point when dramatic irony
disappears and the reader is left to wonder whats going to happen
next. Draculas point of view is not expressed in the novel so thats the
point when the reader knows the same things as the characters.
Bram Stokers choice of presenting the story to us in a series of
journal entries and news articles help the reader understand the story
better. There are different points of views presented throughout the
story and this allows us to get a first hand experience of the events
that happened. There isnt a narrator that tells the reader how to feel.
The events are merely presented to us in a series of perspectives from
the different characters. There is not just one person who tells us the
story so the reader is able to interpret the events according to their

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own observations rather than sympathizing with one character
because theyve only heard one side of the story.
Dracula is filled with social commentary on society. Most of
Western Europe was xenophobic and unaccepting of foreign
individuals. Van Helsing represented a balance and thats why he was
so effective against Dracula. He had a combination of the new
technologies and historical. Theres hidden meaning behind everything
in Dracula, like the how men were afraid of women becoming
independent. People rejected the idea of the supernatural because it
was hard to accept something out of the ordinary.