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Similarities And Differences In The Vampire Diaries, By Bram Stoker

763 Words4 Pages

Vampire stories have captured the imagination of people for centuries, and the portrayal of these supernatural beings has undergone a significant transformation over time. From Bram Stoker's Dracula to the popular TV show The Vampire Diaries, vampire stories have been used to tell us about humanity and society, and they provide a window into our deepest fears, desires, and beliefs. Most importantly the change in the portrayal of vampires over the centuries, emphasizes society’s evolving understanding of the complexity of human nature and our rejection of simplistic binaries of good and evil.

Vampire stories have evolved from simplistic portrayals of pure evil to more nuanced and complex depictions of these supernatural beings. In Bram Stoker’s …show more content…

Contemporary vampires are not judged for what they are, but rather for their actions. In shows like The Vampire Diaries, it is the decisions they make that determine whether they are good or evil. Stefan, a character in the show, did not choose to become a vampire, and we see him attempt to maintain his moral compass by drinking animal blood in the early parts of the series. This portrayal of vampires emphasizes the fact that deviating from societal norms does not necessarily make someone evil. While it is in Stefan's nature to drink human blood, his beliefs as a human motivate him to lead the right path. This form of acceptance of seemingly evil creatures shows how much society has evolved in its beliefs since the time of Dracula and how that change in beliefs has influenced the stories we tell and the characters we portray. In Dracula's time, a vampire was seen as other and stories of them emphasized the threat of straying from norms. For example, when Lucy begins to embody characteristics of a vampire, her eyes become "unclean and full of hell-fire, instead of the pure, gentle orbs we knew" (Stoker chp.16), and the characters are quick to condemn her. Lucy did not choose to become a vampire, and she had not yet committed any major crime, but she is considered other and therefore shunned. However, in contemporary

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