Popular Culture Review Vol. 19, No. 2, Summer 2008 | Page 56

52 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.