Examples Of Christianity In Dracula

Dracula, a vampire that serves as an anti-Christ, is a human embodiment that the Victorians fear and hope to destroy. Stoker describes him as a prominent figure of grieving evil, a curse that is a disgrace to the Victorian society. Having seen Count Dracula being ostracized from deviating from Christianity and creating his own religion, Stoker intends to persuade readers that believing in such religion is required and essential to human survival. One tradition of Christianity that Dracula greatly distorts is the Christian sacrament. It involves drinking wine and eating a wafer that are symbolic to the blood and body of Christ. On the contrary, Dracula draws back when Van Helsing holds a Sacred Wafer, “the Count suddenly stopped, just as poor
In Christianity, marriage is meant to connect the two souls eternally. However, Dracula does not have a soul to begin with. Normally, the body of a corpse dies, and the soul lives eternally.. Yet, Dracula’s soul is lost, and his body is left to be alive. In addition, the three vampire ladies are under Dracula’s influence, but Dracula strives to intimately create a fourth victim either through Lucy or Mina. Stoker implies that Dracula doesn’t have an ideal relationship with his three vampire ladies; therefore, he tries to find a replacement. In fact, the vampire ladies don’t express their love for Dracula. “There was something about them that made me feel uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear... kiss me with those red lips” (Stoker 40). Jonathan’s sexual desire builds up as he wants to kiss them back. Dracula then becomes furious with the three ladies once he’s found them seducing Jonathan. It is interesting how these vampire ladies are more sexually driven than Dracula. They seduce Jonathan without hesitation and with more aggressiveness, while Dracula sucks Lucy and Mina’s blood when they are asleep at night. The action toward others, like Jonathan or Lucy, determine the extent or nature of Dracula and the three vampires’ relationship. The idea that Dracula starts from being poignant and elegant to being furious and obsessive after this scene
With Christianity, God has his disciples whom he truly loves and trusts to spread words about himself. In contrast, Dracula has followers, such as Renfield and the vampire ladies, who he treats them like slaves. “I am here to do Your bidding, Master. I am Your slave, and You will reward me, for I shall be faithful” (Stoker 111). Renfield tells this to Dr. Seward, as if he’s satisfied to be under Dracula’s influence. Renfield also seems carried away by the Christian traditions. If he were to spread positive words to his Master, he would receive a gift, such as receiving an eternal life. Yet, he is blinded by the fact that Dracula will never reward him. God equally treats his followers with respect, as he strives to bring their souls to salvation and lead them to an eternal life. Having also identified Dracula as the Un-Dead, he is blocked by this act of salvation. Unlike God, Dracula kills Renfield because Renfield obstructs his plan to avoid Lucy, Dr. Seward, Mina, and Van Helsing. Killing someone is generally a crime. In a religious manner, Dracula’s action is sinful and won’t be resurrected in order to gain an eternal life. “He had heard him yell; and when he went to him found him lying on his face on the floor, all covered with blood” (Stoker 296). Because Renfield is under Dracula’s influence, he isn’t one of the followers of Christianity as well. Consequently, he dies earlier than other