Essay about The Cultural Aspect of Dracula in Bram...

The Cultural Aspect of Dracula in Bram Stokers Dracula In Bram Stoker s Dracula, vampires act as principles of mixing in many ways. Dracula comes from Transylvania, which is a land of many people, and his castle is located on the border of three states. Dracula himself describes the place as the whirlpool of European races, and boasts, in [his] veins flows the blood of many brave races (p. 28). Dracula wishes to go to London, to the crowded streets with a variety of people. He takes blood from everybody, and gives it to others (Mina, albeit for his own purposes). His body acts as a vessel of mixed blood. In his veins run blood from ancient and modern times, from England and Transylvania. Dracula seems to act as some sort of†¦show more content†¦Dracula, on the other hand, does not differentiate between various kinds of blood. He wants to go to London to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity (p. 20), suggesting that he is extracting from all these bloods, the common element of humanness. Renfield seems to extract from blood, including animal blood, the power of life. Dracula and Renfield seem to be taking from blood some basic element that crosses boundaries of all kinds, including the species barrier. Dracula, Mina and Renfield all seem to be able to communicate with each other, across long distances, and Dracula is able to communicate with wolves, rates, bats and other animal species. Vampires can thus be read as embodying the principle of the lowest common factor that enables communication across distances and barriers. The process of extracting the lowest common factor is not reductive but additive, and through addition comes renewal. Renfield follows the principle of summation in his method of zoophagy. He desires to absorb as many lives as he can, and he has laid himself out to achieve it in a cumulative way (pp. 70-71), says Seward. It seems that the cumulative method is a better method than simply eating the flies and spiders as they are caught. This perhaps implies a certain advantage to the mixing of one blood into another, and not drinking the blood straight. The individualShow MoreRelatedEssay about In Technologies of Monstrosity1430 Words   |  6 Pages Dracula: The Metaphor for Late Victorian-Crisis Jarae Comstock Reinhardt University This paper was prepared for IDS 306 for Dr. Little Dracula: The Metaphor for Late Victorian-Crisis Bram Stokers, Dracula, from the late-Victorian era, is one of the best stories of vampire folklore. Dracula was tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious with immense sexual character. His snow white teeth which outlined his rosy red lips made us fantasize of him and ultimately become obsessed. 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