Manipulation In Dracula

Brett Warren Vampiric Romance in Classical Literature

A psychological analysis of manipulation, deceit and control

I invite the reader to apply this knowledge to their own situations or occurrences of their life as it may be easier to catch either oneself or another in the very act of manipulation.

A common theme in classical vampire fictional lore, of which is passively portrayed in the stories of Carmilla, Dracula, and various others, is how vampires manipulate their victims through strategic methods of calculated indoctrination. Within the various studies of criminology, there exists a psychological link between the abuser and the victim. This victimology is a study that seeks to understand the very essence of a victim’s psychological

There remains still a parallel between the two and that is, how they select their victims. There are scenarios where a romance is developed between them and regardless of the assailant’s intentions or true feelings for the individual in question, the vampire still victimizes them in the end (or in this case, which I chose to make my point that the romance is in most cases only one-sided). It is through the presence of multiple characters being subject to the reform of thought that struck intrigue in this study, of which the victim’s mode of thinking is systematically altered for the means of a particular personal

This is when the manipulator portrays themselves as a victim of circumstance for the sole purpose of gaining and exploiting the intended victim’s sympathy. Individuals who are legitimately caring and empathetic are sought out as targets more subjectable to this particular exploit. Feelings that can be triggered to outwardly express intended acts of compassion are sought out and preyed upon by the assailant then further utilized for whatever deceptive purpose. There are two occasions of this in Carmilla; the first is when the protagonist Carmilla portrayed herself as ill and physically weak and the second is when the mother, Matska expressed to Laura’s father her inability to care for her daughter as she is in a desperate rush to travel to a distant yet undisclosed location. Although secretive, the father offers his service to take care of