Dracula as a dark Christ
Throughout Bram Stoker=s novel Dracula, we see the count as an evil representation of Jesus Christ. This is the result of the Catholic religion=s role in the society in which Stoker lived. There are a number of occurances of this theme as well as ways that the theme is presented. One way is the use of the number three, a well known symbol of the Catholic religion=s deity. Another presentation of Dracula as a dark Christ is in the Alunacy@ of the man, Renfield. Thirdly, there is a great symbolism toward this theme in the power that Stoker has given Dracula over his Aservants@. All these add to the use of Dracula=s character as a parody of Jesus. The number three is used throughout the Catholic religion. Most often it is used as a marker of the presence of God, His son, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This number has now been used by Stoker to instill a sense of omnipotence and omniscience about the character. Essentially, he has made Dracula so powerful as to make the reader think that he just may be God. One singular appearance of the number three is in the vampire sisters. The first time that the attempt is made to convert Jonathan over to the dark ways is by the three vampire sisters wh
o seduce him after he falls asleep in a room of the castle that Dracula has forbidden Jonathan to enter. This is symbolic of a punishment made by God for disobeying His commandments. The mystical number of three resurfaces again in the attempts to save the life of Lucy. In hopes of halting or at least delaying her vampirism, Van Helsing gives her three blood transfusions from three men, all of whom love her dearly. All of the three transfusions eventually fail and Lucy=s soul succumbs to Dracula=s will. The three transfusions come from men who love Lucy just as God=s love comes to us from the trinity. This time the number appears to be not so much in reference to Dracula as it is in reference to God=s power and Dracula=s ability to overcome it. Finally is the great power that Dracula has over his Aservants@. God has always been fabled as having the ability to control any person either as an aspect of his actual power or by simply asking of them. Any time Dracula is seen with another vampire, the other mellows a bit and shies away. They are completely under his control. If Dracula wants something of them, he need only ask and they obey. Also in parallel to God, Dracula need not be present with the person to control their thoughts and whereby, their actions. As an example, when Dracula wants to know the lo
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 894
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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