Evaluate the effects that Dracula has on the various characters he encounters in the story. How does he bring out their best and most noble instincts? How does he bring out their worst or least attractive qualities?
Post your own observations, questions, and remarks. When you respond to this posting, DO NOT simply repeat the thoughts of your classmates. You can add something new to a previous comment. You can comment or critique a previous posting, but your main goal is to add something new to the discussion. Remember, try to include direct quotes as much as possible!
9 comments:
In the story "Dracula" the main character Dracula seems to have fickle personalities. He can either make you bring out your best or worst instincts. I feel that Dracula has almost "powers" on the characters in the story. You can tell that he has some sort of connection with each and every one of the people. Dracula brings out the most significant and noble instincts in people by almost congratulating and rewarding them for their doings. For example, when someone is feeling guilty or down, he always seems to pick them up and make them feel special. To me it seems he likes to make someone feel worthy and that makes that person feel great and outgoing towards others. Dracula can also have a dark side. He can make you feel intimidated, almost to the point were it makes you want to do bad things, or not be social. When Dracula has his evil moods, they can make the other characters feel uncomfortable and uneasy. All in all, Dracula can either me helpful and at ease or he can be evil and dark. Both moods still make him a wonderful character and it's fun to see his moods and reactions to other peoples actions. The book is sometimes hard to follow because of the wording but some parts are actually good. (: (:
Dracula at many times brings out the inner person of a character in the story and causes a change or effect. In my opinion, the most recognizable change, besides Lucy and Mina being bitten, was Renfield. From the second you heard about Renfield in the novel, you of course knew something was different about him because he was in an asylum. But, as Seward studies him and records his actions and behaviors, you see how Dracula has effects on him. As time passes in the novel, you also begin to realize that the distance between Renfield and Dracula effects his abnormal behavior.
Another notable effect Dracula has is the effect he has on Van Helsing. Whenever Van Helsing sees Dracula, or vice versa, you can sometimes sense the fear in Van Helsing. But Van Helsing also knows Dracula's weakness and the importance of Dracula being killed. So Dracula's effect on Van Helsing is that Dracula gives Van Helsing a sense of courage and responsibility. Dracula is a fairly good novel. Stoker does an incredible job describing events, scenery, and even food while still keeping the story interesting.
Watch you use of effect/affect. Effect is a noun and affect is a verb.
So Dracula's existence give Van Helsing's existense meaning? Is that all?
What inner person does Dracula bring out in the other hunters? Are these inner persons all "nice"?
What is it important that Dracula be killed? What has he done to deserve death? Who decides he has to die? What evidence do they base it on? Is the evidence full proof? How would it hold up in a court of law - then or now? Who made Van Helsing god?
Dracula seems to be able to control characters when he encounters them. Renfield is just one example. From the moment he is mentioned you know he is significant in some way. As Seward studies him you can begin to tell when Dracula is near and when he is not based solely on Renfield's actions.
Another character Dracula seems to control is Van Helsing. Like Cameron said, you can sense the fear Dracula instills in him when they meet. However, this fear is also what fuels Van Helsing's courage and sense of responsibility.
Dracula really just seems to stress everybody out. When he is nice in the beginning to Jonathan he still makes him anxious and nervous. It makes me think that even if he tries to affect people in a positive way there is still a negative effect.
Then again now that I think about it...
Maybe when he tries to create a positive effect he creates a negative one, and when he tries to create a negative one, he creates a positive.
When Dracula tries to get the men to be afraid of him and tries to make them run away with their tails between their legs they show more courage than they had in the very beginning when they didn't even know exactly what it was they were searching for..
by the way.. I really like this system of writing and responding. it makes it kind of fun. like a discussion over what we've read, just out of class. pretty neat.
Kortney...thanks...I like it too. I hope that we can continue blogging in class as well.
Chelsea...interesting point. Van Helsing's fear of Dracula in a way makes him in his control. Dracula seems very conscious of everybody's weak points and exploiting them to his benefit, no?
From the moment of meeting on forward, Dracula holds a vice grip on each character that crosses paths with him. He's a very controlling and manipulative character who will get what he wants, when he wants it. This aspect of him becomes prevalent in the beginning of the book as poor Jonathan becomes face to face with the foreboding epicenter of evil that at first traps him in the lonely home of Count Dracula, then eventually leaves him partially and temporarily insane miles away from his unknowing fiance. This is just one example of the negative effect brought on by Dracula and his predominate demeanor. Renfield also experiences violent and unsettling changes that are in a sense more ''insane" than the effects on Lucy and Mina. No sooner after attacking Dr. Seward, Renfield "was lying on his belly on the floor licking up, like a dog, the blood which had fallen..." (p. 155)
Though for the most part it seems as if the changes found in each character are negative, Dracula is confronted with his potential downfall. His fearful tactics are of significant importance to Van Helsing, who uses the trepidation to his advantage, as Chelsea said, in which the fear "..fuels Van Helsing's courage and sense of responsibility."
Dracula uses fear and manipulation throughout the book, but I believe it's how the characters respond to the fear that conceives either a negative or positive result. The reason Dracula was a successful vampire was because most people fall to fear, but Dracula was finally confronted with a very unique character; Van Helsing.
I loved Dracula's ability to control everyone that he meets, and yes Mrs. Matysak his acute ability to exploit each and every individual character's weaknesses is bizarre to say the least. Dracula affects the way that every character thinks, acts, and speaks. RIght from the beginning of the book Dracula's beguiling words snare the aspiring solicitor Jonathan Harker into teaching and explaining all of his home country's ways to Dracula. After a while Jonathan began to go crazy because of the way the Count treated him, and this was only one character affected by Dracula. The most attractive quality the Count brought out in anyone was the hatred that Van Helsing had for him. This was attractive in that he inspired someone to hate him so much that they were willing to do anything to kill him.
In conclusion, I believe that the Count affected everyone with his mere presence and this effect was both ugly and admirable.
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