Throughout the course of this novel, it can be seen that Dracula has a way of controlling the human natures of the people that he comes across. Using his power, he creates a perversion of human nature and religion that should frighten the average human. On page 98 paragraph 2 is a section that I have started to call the Servant’s Prayer. The title should bring up references to the Lord’s Prayer of the Bible. This is because on an inner level, all humans have the innate function to believe in something bigger than oneself. Often this is acted out in religious beliefs, faiths, and practices. In this instance, Dr. Seward’s patient, Reinfield, has somehow created Dracula as a sort of deity deserving of worship. The design of his prayer is modeled off of one that a Christian would recognize. This prayer also reflects the utter perverseness of Reinfield’s new nature. The word “slave” initially has the denotation of forced bondage, but when viewed through a biblical lens, it takes on a whole new connotation. In biblical terms, the word slave implies bondservant, serving not only because you have to, but because you want to; it is the willing submission to someone (or something) greater than yourself. In whatever way that Dracula originally forced himself on Reinfield, he has somehow managed to pervert the nature of man from detesting the unnatural, the ungodly to serving it willingly! Dracula has also managed to change Reinfield’s definition of good and evil. Near the end of the prayer, Reinfield prays that Dracula “will not pass me by…in Your distribution of good things.” Through the eyes of Dr. Seward we can see his strange progression of eating habits as he gradually progressed up the food chain from flies to, if he had been allowed, cats. To the average moral views of the reader, the consumption of these animals raw is revolting and unnatural. This is the kind of follower that Dracula creates: twisted versions of human nature desiring the drug that only he can provide.
Excerpt from the novel:
“I am here to do your bidding, Master. I am Your slave and You will reward me, for I shall be faithful. I have worshipped You long and afar off. Now that You are near I await Your commands, and You will not pass me by, dear Master, in Your distribution of good things?”
Nathan, this is very interesting! You should work more closely with the Lord’s Prayer and Renfield’s “prayer” in the excerpt you choose. What is the structure of a prayer? What are its parts? Where do you see Renfield engaging in a prayer’s structure? Why is it important that Renfield prays to or invokes D’s power? And why is it important that he’s perverting Christian practices?
I will definitely make sure to compare the two prayers in my paper. The importance behind Renfield praying to Dracula is that it sets up Dracula as this character deserving of worship and praise. This is considered sacrilegious to people of the day as setting anybody or anything above God was pretty sinful. And according to the Vatican, worthy of death.
This is a very interesting way to put the excerpt and a very suiting title in my own opinion. Is there anywhere else that you have seen that involves Renfield where it seems like he is actually trying to communicate or talk to Dracula? Do you believe that there is no way he might have some sort of mental issue where he has developed this mindset of eating animals?
To answer the last question, we do learn from his conversation with Mina that he was like this long before he came to the asylum. It is not a mental issue, for it may just be that he actually believes what he is saying as religion. Also, throughout the novel, Renfield makes comments directed towards Dracula as if Dracula was directly nearby.