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Popular Culture Review
The chilling opening of Stoker’s novel finds Jonathan traveling from
London to Transylvania to meet with Dracula about the Count’s pending
purchase of property in the London area. The howling wolves, the unnatural
blue flame, and other strange elements contribute to Jonathan’s “dreadful fear”
(23). Once in the castle, Dracula discusses with Jonathan the previous night’s
uncanny happenings, when “all evil spirits are supposed to have unchecked
sway” (32). Here Dracula is starting to terrorize Jonathan. In addition, Dracula
explains his ancient warlike ancestry of over four hundred years ago and the role
of blood in that history. The famous shaving scene in which Jonathan cuts
himself reveals that Dracula detests mirrors and crucifixes—and that, according
to Jonathan, “The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!” (37).
Dracula forces Jonathan to stay at the castle, and he even limits Jonathan’s
freedom within the castle walls. From his window, Jonathan sees Dracula crawl
down the castle wall face down, like a lizard. The evil manifest here is
unnatural. Within the castle, Jonathan encounters three young female vampires
whose sharp teeth are ready to suck his blood. But Dracula returns and prevents
this physical evil from befalling Jonathan, while at the same time giving the
three women a “half-smothered child” for the night’s feeding (51).
Further on, Jonathan witnesses the horrible violence of Dracula’s wolves
tearing apart the woman who comes to the castle seeking her stolen child. In a
plan of “diabolical wickedness,” one night Dracula offers to set Jonathan free,
but the wolves are outside waiting for Jonathan if he decides to take this offer
from “the monster” Dracula (62, 64). As Jonathan writes in his journal, his plan
is to try to escape from “this cursed spot. .. this cursed land, where the devil
and his children still walk with earthly feet,” now that Dracula has left with his
boxes of earth on a journey (66).
Back in England, young Lucy Westema has started sleepwalking again. At
about the same time, the sea is upset, apparently from the evil Dracula
approaching. The Russian schooner from Varna has arrived, with the crew dead,
with its cargo of boxes of earth intact, and with a dog that escapes ashore (here
is Dracula shape-shifting). Stoker connects the arrival of this “great dog” with
Lucy’s being “restless all night” (103). While Jonathan was not bitten in
Transylvania, now Stoker notches up the horrendous evil by having Lucy’s
throat pierced while sleep-walking and portraying a “thing” hovering above her
(109). Dracula continues to haunt Lucy. Her neck bites make her delirious; her
mother is dying; and her friend Mina Murray is worried about her missing
fiance, Jonathan. According to Mina’s journal, “Some sort of shadowy pall
seems to be coming over our happiness” (113).
Harmed in mind and body, Lucy is treated by Dr. John Seward for her
“disease” (134). Seward calls in his mentor Professor Abraham Van Helsing
from Amsterdam. Van Helsing is a physician, scientist, philosopher, and
metaphysician. He finds Lucy’s blood loss an interesting disease. In all, four
blood transfusions are given to Lucy, but still she is failing. Dracula, whether in
animal form or through a mist, is able to get to Lucy and drain her blood.