Dracula

Dracula

1. In the novel, Dracula by Brahm Stoker, superstition and religion are practiced by the charaacters as a way to keep them safe from the devilish creatures called vampires.

   • Religion
     • Religion gave people a sense of security in the victorian society and still give people a feeling of safety today.
       • "Keep this near your heart'- as he spoke he lifted a little silver crucifix and held it out to me." (266)
       • "As he [Van Helsing] placed the wafer on Mina's forehead, it had seared it- had burned into the flesh as though it had been a piece of white hot metal." (327)
       • "When I asked him if he knew Cout Dracula, and could tell me anything of his castle, both he and his wife crossed themeselves, and, saying that they knew nothing at all, simply refused to speak further." (8)
         • In conclusion the role of superstition and religion in the story of Dracula is very important in that it provides the society of the victorian era with a sense of saftey and security.
   • Superstiton
     • Superstitious beliefs are mentioned multiple times throughout this novel, in most cases suggesting ways to avoid contact with vampies.
       • "I read that every superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the center of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting." (2)
       • "What meant the iving of the crucifix, of the wild rose of the mountain ash?" (23)
       • "It is te eve of St. George's Dat. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock stikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway? (9)