ipl-logo

Horror And Suspense In Bram Stoker's Dracula

626 Words3 Pages

The book Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a classic story of man versus monster. The story, viewed through the eyes of the character John Harker, centers around him and his inevitable meeting with a creature of the night. Led into the creature’s home, the story’s plot continues to grow as Harker becomes drawn into the castle where the creature, named Dracula, resides. Yet, to understand this legend, one must observe its theme of horror, and power through suspense.
In the introduction to Harker’s adventure, we see that he is a businessman on a trip to Transylvania. In the town where he stays we see that the people treat him well, but they react to his journey as though he will encounter the devil himself. As irony would have it, he will. Yet, this puts on a show of suspense, as the reader is unknowing to where these …show more content…

The Count’s words help creates the suspense for the finale of the story, and provides more horror as the realization of the plan is that of the transformation of those they care for. As stated by the Count, “Your girls that you all love are mine already; and through them you and other shall yet be mine” (Stoker 312). This quote tells about the Count’s possession of those they love through his powers, and how he will soon take over them and many others. With these words, the Count creates the tensest part of the story, as the characters attempt to hunt and kill the count, while hurrying to save Mina before she turns into a vampire. Every second heightens in suspense until the Count is dead and Mina saved. Overall, the book uses suspense to its advantage, and brings the reader into the story and engages them with its tense events. Though at moments dull, the story still brings action, adventure, and horror to a genre ruled by gigantic man made creations who talk about philosophy more than focusing on engaging the

Show More
Related
381 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the excerpt from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Stoker utilizes diction to convey the central idea that peoples’ worst fears lie in the unknown. In this section, the narrator is being held captive by an unknown entity. He begins to feel that his only hope is to understand the captor and starts to question the manner of the individual. In an effort to express the central idea, Stoker employs diction.

Read More
778 Words | 4 Pages

His novel, Dracula, tells the tale of five people who encounter and have to deal with the evil undead vampire Count Dracula, who terrorizes them and even causes two out of the five to become undead like himself. Thankfully, the group eventually discovers a way to eventually vanquish Dracula once and for all, and by the end of the book they destroy him, preventing him from terrorizing the people of Europe once and for all. Stoker explores several significant themes in this book, including the theme of deception. In Dracula, Stoker uses the theme of deception with the characterization of Dracula,

Read More
815 Words | 4 Pages

The horror story is a uniquely interactive genre. Its main objective is to make the reader feel something, whether that be fear, anxiety, suspense, or any combination thereof. These feelings are evoked with the use of a monster, depending on the story it can be an external source, like a vampire or werewolf, or it could be something inside one of the characters, something in their psyche. In her story, “The Grave”, P.D.Cacek utilizes the literary elements of symbolism, imagery, and point of view.

Read More
1161 Words | 5 Pages

Everybody knows the classic tale of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It is most famous for its introduction of the character of Count Dracula into both deep-rooted and contemporary literature and media. One critic claimed,” Bram Stoker set the ground rules for what a vampire should be.” It follows the story of Jonathan Harker, an English solicitor who visits Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania – soon realising that he is being kept as a prisoner. Dracula forms a liking to the character of Lucy which ultimately leads to her death.

Read More
509 Words | 3 Pages

The central idea of this excerpt from Dracula was the fear of the prisoner living in the castle of Count Dracula who felt trapped and alone. The authors use of first person point of view of the prisoner was able to develop this central idea of fear because prisoner was able to describe his feelings first hand living in the castle with the Count as well as emphasize the thoughts that were scattered inside of his head during this time. An example of the author using first person point of view to help develop the central idea of fear was when the prisoner had realized that he was helpless in the situation of his current living conditions. The prisoner said "I think I must have been mad for the time, for I have behaved much as a rat does in a trap" (lines 4-5).

Read More
107 Words | 1 Pages

Impaired driving is a concept use for the cause of individuals; drunken and driving. This problem police around the U.S. tend to deal with daily and more often occurs during night time. It is believe that check points could help reduce the rate of alcohol-related crashes. Check point is also a method police use to handle for other reasons. Is also consider an advantage since is easily able to drive attention to media publicity believing it will reduce these types of crimes.

Read More
785 Words | 4 Pages

In Bram Stoker’s gothic novel, Dracula, the overall and fundamental theme of the book is given away the further you read, expressing Stoker’s view of religion. The novel is an account of the paths taken by many different characters such as Count Dracula, Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra. Since this poem was written with ideas focused primarily on the concepts of evil, as it was viewed during an appearingly-conservative nineteenth and twentieth century society, the book can be seen as a parallel to Eliot’s and others’ own religious quests. While Bram Stoker attempts to acquaint the reader with a frightening tale on the accounts of a dreadful vampire named Count Dracula, he also expresses the goal of strengthening

Read More
1160 Words | 5 Pages

The horror genre of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, combined with mild eroticism is able to draw in readers due to the fact that Stoker is able to intricately weave suspenseful sexual scenes/scenes of desire throughout the novel—making it clear that

Read More
1350 Words | 6 Pages

At first glance, the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker appears to be a typical gothic horror novel set in the late 1890s that gives readers an exciting look into the fight between good and evil. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that Dracula is a statement piece about gender roles and expectations for men and women during the Victorian age. Looking at the personalities, actions, and character development of each of the characters in Dracula bring to light startling revelations about Victorian society and how Stoker viewed the roles of men and women during this time period. To really understand Dracula, it is important to note that this novel was written during a time “of political and social upheaval, with anxieties not just about the

Read More
711 Words | 3 Pages

A battle between good and evil is a common plot to Dracula. The forces of evil, Count Dracula and other vampires (the un-dead), try to take over Britain. The novel heroes Dr. Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward, Johnathan Haker, Quincy Morris, and Arthur Holmwood are the first responders for this evil invasion of the British Empire. In the novel the characters Dracula and Van Helsing play a major role for being the leaders of their respective groups, therefore they controlled the actions of their groups. Dracula’s actions in the novel have the purpose to flourish the rise of the un-dead, while Van Helsing’s actions aim to preserve and protect the human race.

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

1. Introduction Madness as a theme plays an important role in Bram Stoker 's “Dracula”, almost every character at some point exhibits some kind of behaviour which could be connected with mental instability. “The working notes for the novel show that the idea of madness was present from an early stage; a cast list dating from the spring of 1890 includes a mad doctor and a mad patient who has ‘a theory of perpetual life’.” (Pedlar136). Even though, male and female characters are equally susceptible to madness, their actions and states which are similar in their nature are seen and dealt with in different ways.

Read More
1253 Words | 6 Pages

Gothic horror novel Dracula, the title character makes only several relatively short appearances, some of which are while in disguise. Throughout the novel, Stoker keeps Count Dracula in the shadows, both literally and figuratively. This essay will describe these appearances and analyze Stoker’s use of them to determine what effect they might have on the impression of the character and the novel overall. It will be claimed that by keeping his title character hidden for much of the novel, Stoker’s Dracula is made much more frightening to the reader. Human beings tend to fear the unknown, and by leaving Dracula to the imagination,

Read More
1495 Words | 6 Pages

In Dracula by Tod Browning, Dracula was killed in his sleep and they saved Mina. Dracula was convinced that his life is worse than death. This can be inferred when in the movie Dracula spoke, “There are far worse things awaiting man than death” (Browning). One can infer that Dracula means that man will have to live forever and experience way more than man may want to. Dracula wanted his victims to feel the way that he feels with staying alive forever and not dying.

Read More
811 Words | 4 Pages

Dracula’s castle was just the beginning of what was to come. Jonathan 's meeting of the three female vampires it was a catalyst for what he believed was right and wrong. With the 3 women being polar opposites of what was expected from a 19th-century Victorian woman compared to the pure and proper Mina the 3 vampires are straight forward and dominant. Something that he had never experienced before and he can 't help that he is both attracted and repulsed by them. “ There was something about them that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear.

Read More
1329 Words | 6 Pages

This sheds a light on Dracula as a figure who truly does feel homosexual affection towards Harker. When Harker disobeys Dracula he finds himself in a room where Dracula’s three wives are. Harker journal entry recalling this event describes it in very close details. He describes the women in a very erotic way, saying “I could feel the hot breath on my neck. Then the skin of my throat began to tingle” (Stoker, 48), and the “soft shivering touch of lips.

Read More

More about Horror And Suspense In Bram Stoker's Dracula

Related Topics

Open Document