Themes of individuality: “Isolation into insanity;” “Boredom enhancing the simple;” “dangerous cynicism;”
Themes of community: “common enemy/icon;” ”
Community theme: Common enemy/icon
This theme has jumped out at me for a variety of reasons. First, the words enemy and icon are fairly interchangeable. That one person that you and somebody else may hate with a passion (your shared enemy) represents something to you. The word evil itself implies something, or is symbolic of a trait individual to you and your group. An icon can be described as an object, or person, with a recognized symbolic meaning. One example of the sense of community created through a common icon (not necessarily an enemy) can be seen through the correspondence of Lucy Westenra’s three suitors on page 62. While all three of these men clearly loved Lucy (and proposed to her on the same day) their bond as friends may have only grown stronger, knowing that only of them could have the prize. This is clearly evidenced when Mr. Morris writes Mr. Holmwood saying, “…the noblest heart that God has made and the best worth winning.” Lucy was this community of suitors’ icon.
Another image of a common icon would be the bond of the town of Whitby over the terrible storm that swept through. “The men waited breathless (77),” yearning to see the fate of that strange foreign ship. Their strange connection to such a rare sight came at a risk to their very lives. On page 76, the reporter declares that “it was found necessary to clear the entire piers from the mass of onlookers, or else the fatalities of the night would have been increased manifold.” The townsfolk were observing a very common battle between Man and Nature. All eyes and hearts were fixed on that single ship, defying the odds, appearing to win when the battle should have been immediately lost. To them, this boat represented the hope for the human race, that nature did not have to win every time. They observed with nervous hearts and bated breath because they inwardly desired that that ship do what none of them could do: win. Both the weather and the ship were the icons of this community of townsfolk.
This is really interesting, Nathan. What’s the purpose of icons? What do they do for communities (good, bad, indifferent)? Working more with the idea of the icon, especially in the Roman Catholic church, might help you develop and expand this idea.
I thought your decision to use the theme of a common enemy was really interesting, especially since in your descriptions you chose not to make Dracula the icon, which was what I was fully expecting. I liked how you chose Lucy and the town of Whitby as your “communities” since I think it brings an interesting and new point of view into the story. While I don’t think Lucy could be called the common “enemy” to her suitors, I do agree that fighting for her love is probably what brought all of the three friends closer to one another. Similarly, I liked how you talked about Dracula’s landing bringing the whole town of Whitby together.
I would add the Count and the demonic world as a whole to your list of common enemies. In the book there are a lot of references to religion and it seems as though every character struggles with trying to escape from the evilness of the world. Other than that, I think it’s a really interesting theme to explore!
As you develop these ideas, explain the connections you see more. For example, you say the words “icon” and “enemy” are nearly interchangeable, but as a reader, I don’t understand what you mean. How are you using icon? Do you mean a religious icon? Keep working on this! Great quotes and themes!