Is Dracula really the evil, soulless monster from hell that he is made out to be? Was he human once?
Together we moved over to the bed, and I lifted the lawn from her face. God! How beautiful she was. Ever hour seemed to be enhancing her loveliness. It frightened and amazed me somewhat; and as for Arthur, he fell a-trembling, and finally was shaken with doubt as with an ague. At last, after a long pause, he said to me in a faint whisper:—
“Jack, is she really dead?”
pg 154 of my book.
Death: a permanent cessation of all vital functions
As time goes by we still see that Lucy’s appearance becomes more beautiful every moment that passes by as if her skin still has blood tat runs through it making her appearance look as if she is alive.
This passage is important to my research because it shows truly for the first time that Dracula has picked Lucy for something more than just a sack to suck blood from. Dracula has picked Lucy to become, what I think, his next bride of the night. I’m assuming this because back in the early chapter of Harker and the three maidens he says that one of them, the center blonde one that almost sucked him dry, looked familiar but he couldn’t connect it to anyone or know why she seemed so recognizable. I think that this maiden resembled Lucy and that Dracula is looking for another woman to be his maiden, and Lucy just happens to fit the description. This ultimately resigns me back to my question, Is Dracula really the heartless, loveless monster we make him out to be or does he have a past of humanity and emotion?
Keep working here. What’s the textual evidence that she may resemble Lucy, and why is that important? To keep pushing you, consider this: why do readers want to find humanity in Dracula? And does humanity preclude being evil? Why are we searching for signs of reason in his choice(s) of victims?
Harker describes her as this beautiful, blonde haired, woman who he recognised. The only other woman in the story who fits this description is Lucy who seems to match her beauty and hair color.
Readers might want to find humanity in Dracula so they could understand his point of view. Readers might find it interesting to see that Dracula isn’t this black hearted beast but a victim of his circumstance.
We are looking for choice in his victims because it gives us a window into Dracula’s head. It tells us that maybe once in the past he had a wife or a love that died or that he outlived. So now he claims only women victims to try and fill the void of his lost love that he could never get back or even be reunited with in death.
I think you really have something good going on here. When you mentioned he comparison between Lucy and the blonde vamp from the castle, the switch just clicked for me. I think that D had some humanity before it was taken from by this curse and i think said humanity manifests its self when he chooses his female victims
Yea, it sorta hit me immediately when D first said that he loved once. It showed a human side to him. Maybe his preference in women, blonde ones even, are some reference to a wife he might have lost or even killed with this curse that was brought upon him. Its hard to find actual examples because they are so well hidden and so slight that you can easily look over it if not read correctly. But we will see. I have hope for my boy D yet.
Aw!
I never thought about it that way! That would be a cool thing to explore even though you can’t talk to Dracula in person! The idea that Dracula actually has emotions relates to some of my own posts. I thought that his immortality subjected him to some human emotion, like loneliness. I think your thesis question is open to debate, which will not only engage your opinions, but the readers’ as well! Keep up the good work and great inferences!