Dracula as a Gothic Novel
Introduction
Gothic is a term used in literary work to depict fictious work that has incorporated a lot of horror scenes, as well as, elements of the unreal world. Dracula is a novel that revolves around vampires such that the main literary garners in the novel include vampire literature, horror fiction, gothic novel and invasion literature. From the definition of gothic novels as illustrated by various literature authors, gothic novels are considered as those which entail lots of gloomy and eerie scenarios coupled with women in distress. Similarly, certain settings such as various episodes of the plot being conducted in a castle while the themes of the novel Dracula are based on romance, as well as fear ort terror. Hence the various themes, characters and settings of the novel “Dracula” will be analyzed in the text to identify ways through which gothic has been illustrated.
Discussion
Characters in the novel as depicting a gothic novel
Dracula
Dracula as a leading character after whom the novel is named has illustrated gothic elements of the novel in various ways. When the solicitor Jonathan Harker meets Dracula’s coachman he encounters series of horrific and eerie scenarios such that at some point he feels weak. The coachman disappears in a trance while at some point there are fierce looking wolves which attempt to eat them up. When he arrives at the castle, he notices that his host has unusually sharp teeth which are protruding from abnormally ruddy lips. The other extraordinary characteristic of Dracula is that he does not have a reflection on the mirror whenever he stands in front of such that it would be difficult to identify his presence through observing the mirror (Stoker, 1847).
Initially a reader would categorize Dracula as a normal human being until a visitor realizes that Dracula has more nocturnal activities than day time activities. This is further on enhanced by presence of Dracula’s concubines who are not real human beings but vampires. Consequently, the gothic element of staying in a castle which is the home of Dracula and his wives creates an eerie spectacle as various events are seen occurring in the darkness of the castle. Only vampires can have a relationship with other vampires hence Dracula is branded a vampire on this basis as a normal human being cannot marry a vampire knowingly (Redden, 1980).
Certain personality traits that are depicted by Dracula include lust for power and conquest in order to retain his family’s kingdom which is coupled with intense loss of lives and fear among the citizens as they are under the wrath of the vampire. This power is not restricted to geographical areas but also to the individual human beings as in exemplified in Mina’s case. Dracula bits her three times and goes ahead to suck her blood while in the process of drinking her blood, he injects some of his powers into her so that he may control her activities. The mode of seizure is questionable and unfathomable in norm al human beings as the tyrannical male Dracula has found his own way of tormenting the weak woman. This is a key element of gothic novels (Heldreth, 1999).
Another equally significant reason which can be used to brand Dracula a gothic novel is the presence of supernatural powers or inexplicable events which occur during the death of Dracula. Normally when human beings are dying, their physical body does not disintegrate immediately into dust. However, when Dracula is stabbed with a knife on his throat, he crumbles and disintegrates into dust such that it would be difficult for those who never saw the process to recognize what happened to his remains. Hence the inexplicable event of body remains disappearing upon loss of vampire powers is evidence to categorize Dracula as a gothic novel (Stoker, 1847).
There are quite a number of events when Dracula changes his physical self into vapor or ghost especially when he sees danger. Examples of such scenes include when he encounters the professor and priest after he had been drinking Mina’s blood. In order to save himself he converts into fumes and vanishes. Consequently, when Dracula is about to possess Mina, he gets to her room in the form of a ghost such that she cannot see her and the only indication that he is in the room is his two fierce looking eyes together with an eerie feeling (Eighteen-Bisang, et al, 2008).
The other reason as to why Dracula as a character makes the novel gothic is his intense love for evil and making other people live in fear. His deeds in the novel are depicted by harming others reducing freedom for otherwise free citizens and making people live according to his wish regardless of their well- being. When he visits Hampstead, queer deaths of children are reported almost immediately and they continue for as long as he was in the vicinity of the town. More people feared venturing out at night while remorse ness and grieving gripped the entire place as it was difficult to establish the cause of death or else who was next (Redden, 1980).
Mina Murray
Mina as a character in the novel was used to portray the gothic element of parted love whereby her sexual purity was used by the author to depict male conception of love. When her fiancée is imprisoned by Dracula, most readers would have expected her to remarry or break the engagement which was not as portrayed. Consequently, Dracula would have wanted to separate the lovers for his own benefits such that he could have included her in his Harlem of concubines upon spotting her in the company of Jonathan. However, Dracula manages to get to Mina and after sucking her blood, he transfers some of his evil powers into her so as to convert her into a vampire. This is exhibited by increased sharpness of her teeth a symptom of gaining the powers such that the sharp teeth can be used to pierce the throats of victims (Stoker, 1847).
Consequently, as Dracula’s powers continue to have an upper hand on Mina, she is able to trace the whereabouts of the vampire and in some way he is able to connect with her to extract information about the intended plans. This way the two are able to connect and reveal details concerning the geographical distance between them hence Dracula is able to keep track of what Mina is doing. Such a scenario is illustrated in the sense of having Dracula in control of the activities of Mina hence he possesses her in a way (Eighteen-Bisang, 2008).
Lucy Westernra
Lucy is an unlucky victim who is identified and used by Dracula to get to other human beings thus integrating them into vampire world. Her first indication of possession by Dracula is illustrated by the instance when she moves in with Mina and in the course of the night she sleep walks, as well as, mumbling strange things while deep asleep. As Mina cannot comprehend either words or events, hence she seeks help from a doctor as the paleness in her friend is equally promininent (Geary, 1982).
Various unexpected events occur to her and as she continues loosing blood even after getting transfused blood from her fiancé, Dracula wins and Lucy succumb to death. During her funeral most mourners would expect her remains to be pale as her last days on earth were coupled with paleness; however, to the surprise of many she appears quite healthy. The dullness that often accompanies human remains was not present such that it was difficult to imagine that she was dead (Redden, 1980).
Strange happenings are exhibited by Lucy’s death as Dracula moves into Hampstead and numerous deaths among children are seen. When the doctor and professor proceed to Lucy’s grave at night, they are surprised to see no body inside the coffin. The second visit to Lucy’s grave they find her there looking extraordinarily radiant for dead body. Similarly, her teeth are exposed to reveal a set of sharp teeth which are characteristic of vampires. The disappearance and reemergence of her body in the coffin was gothic as it is abnormal for dead bodies to walk in and out of a coffin at their own wish (Stoker, 1847).
Later on in the evening they get to see Lucy in action and upon sighting her, she growls like a wolf. Wolf growls are characteristic elements of gothic novels and in the process of growling, her radiant self which had been seen in her body recently had been transformed into an eerie face which lacked any human element in it. She has just finished sucking blood from a child hence her lips and clothes are covered in the fresh blood a characteristic of vampires. Consequently, she uses a spell to make Arthur move towards her when summoned such that despite the intense horrific sight that she is, the spell pushes him forward. Thus were it not for the efforts of the professor, Arthur would have been the second victim of blood sucking for Lucy in that day. Lucy also has an aspect of inexplicable events such that when she discovers that the coffin has been sealed (Heldreth, 1999). Eventually when some putty is removed from the coffin, she changes herself into a non-solid form that fits into a thin chink into her coffin. These changes of events where an individual is able to change their physique into waves or vapor is characteristic of gothic novels as normal literary novels are void of such eerie scenes (Heldreth, 1999).
Similarly, an atmosphere of suspense is exhibited by Lucy when she disappears from her coffin as the team cannot comprehend what she is doing outside her “home”. This is also illustrated when she summons Arthur to move closer to her when she identifies him in the team as the call could have culminated into anything which was beyond imagination of the observers (Redden, 1980).
Jonathan Harker
Jonathan Harker; a solicitor has exhibited intense gothic elements of the events that surround his visit to the castle. Romanticism is one area which he has expounded on quite extensively in the way through which he describes the geographical surroundings of his trip to the castle. Consequently, when he enters the confines of the castle, he does not hesitate to make the reader understand the eeriness that was evident all over the place. At some point he explains that he felt so frightened that screaming was the only way to reveal this fear. Screaming and fright are characteristics of gothic novels especially where the occurrence is caused by unfathomable conditions (Geary, 1982).
Jonathan experiences several encounters with wolves and female vampires who literary fight for his recognition. These sights are gory while plenty of suspense and mystery surrounds the concept of not hurting him despite the close proximity with his attackers (Eighteen-Bisang, 2008).
Settings as evidence of Dracula as a gothic novel
The first instance where the reader encounters gothic is the castle where substantial amount of time is spent by Dracula and his entourage. This was the first place where Jonathan had an encounter with the “tall, pale man”. Castles are often associated with ghostly and haunted dark rooms which trigger claustrophobic feelings. Similarly, mystery regarding what is contained in the rooms, as well as, the reason as to why Dracula and his brides do not form shadows is spectacular of life in the castle. The unending maze of corridors and rooms coupled with high end walls was a weird place for Jonathan such that he got lost on several occasions of his excursions (Stoker, 1847).
The other gothic element of the novel is illustrated in quite a number of events occurring at the graveyard where ghosts and dead bodies rule. Ghost and dead bodies are paramount in gothic novels as they often result in hair raising episodes due to their ghastly appearance. These setting increases fear among those who are taking part in the events as vampire stories are known to cause unconquered fear in their victims (Geary, 1982).
Similarly, most of the actions of vampires in the novel are quite active at night as it is at this time when they get to their targets and suck their blood. This is attributed to the fact that when human beings fall asleep, they lapse into state of unconsciousness such that they have minimal control over their bodies. This was, the vampires and bad omens hovering around their vicinity are able to lure them more easily and capturing is made even more efficient. This explains why Dracula and Lucy were only attacking their victims at night when reluctance was equally minimal hence the prey was obtained much easily (Redden, 1980).
Themes in Dracula that support gothic
Surprise
Surprise is a theme that has been used to illustrate pathos in the novel especially in the way in which Dracula operated. In most instances, Dracula had to enact scenarios which made his victims feel his presence and obey his commands by instilling fear in the individual. At the time when Jonathan was thinking of escaping from the confines of the castle he was confronted by pack of wolves which growled unto him long enough to retrace his steps back into the castle (Redden, 1980).
Surprise is also illustrated by the novel in the behavior depicted by Dr. Stewart’s patient who has queer activities at night and he happens to lack any clear understanding as to why someone would mutter strange tings in his sleep. Consequently when the doctor, carries out several blood transfusions on Lucy, the most her health back but to the surprise of many she worsened and in due course succumbed (Geary, 1982).
Similarly, there was some cause of alarm when the residents of Hampstead discovered that their children were dying in a particular way which had not been seen before. The alarm was however, raised even higher upon noticing that Lucy was rarely in her coffin and when she got back she seemed quite happy hence certain more alarm. The team made up of the doctor, professor and Arthur were equally surprised to see Lucy suck blood from a child and later on growl at them in the same way a wolf would do. This is the same degree of astonishment which was seen on Jonathan’s face when he saw Dracula in Hampstead as he was able to foresee danger among his friends (Stoker, 1847).
Sorrow
Sorrow is another theme that has been used widely in the novel especially after death looms in Hampstead. The citizens are engulfed in a mourning session which is made worse by the mystery surrounding the deaths. More sorrow follows when Mina discovers that her friend has been made the vampires latest victim and that she is responsible for the fear looming in the village (Eighteen-Bisang, 2008).
At the point when Jonathan sends letters to Mina airing his problems and imprisonment by Dracula Mina is thrown into turmoil as she cannot imagine the pain which her fiancée has to undergo in the hands of vampires. The horrid and terror filled episodes especially when non-vampire victims are made to encounter fresh vampire actions are quite terrifying. When Jonathan finds Dracula sucking blood from his wife he vows to fight the vampire out of anger and remorse as he has witnessed several other innocent victims fall into that trap. The horrid picture of the vampire in the sucking process gives courage to Arthur and Jonathan when revenging and they feel no guilt when slicing the body of Dracula (Redden, 1980).
Feminity
The other theme used to depict gothic is manipulating female sexuality to depict men as incapable of controlling their sense (Redden, 1980). The three brides of Dracula were sent to torment Jonathan so that Dracula would have access to his entire plans prior to extracting the information from him. Consequently, women proved to be easy targets for Dracula due to their vulnerability to male power hence he was fully aware that women would not resist his moves. Similarly, the powerful love portrayed by Mina and Lucy towards their husbands is used by Dracula to get to the men such that through the women, Dracula would get an insight into the plans which are being laid to finish him (Stoker, 1847).
Conclusion
Dracula qualifies to be a gothic novel as the various elements of a gothic novel have been illustrated vividly in the character traits, themes and settings. Consequently, the events described in the novel are more gothic than real hence providing sufficient evidence of the gothic nature of Dracula. The characteristics of gothic novels have being found in the plot and narrative of Dracula thus making it a gothic novel.
References
Eighteen-Bisang, Robert and Miller, Elizabeth. Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile EditionToronto: McFarland, 2008
Geary, Robert. The supernatural in Gothic fiction: horror, belief, and literary change. Edwin Mellen Press, 1992
Heldreth, Leonard. The blood is the life: vampires in literature. Popular Press, 1999
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Barnes and Noble Classics.1847
Redden, Pershad Chitra Forms of evil in the Gothic novel. Ayer publishing. 1980.
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