Psychoanalytical Analysis of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'
Carlos Dena
Honors English 11
5/20/13
Critical Analysis on Dracula
With several illicit subjects listed throughout Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the book becomes a playground for psychoanalysts. Whether it be to see a subjects as simple as the conscious take over a character, or a character’s surroundings corrupting its victims, Dracula intrigues in more ways than just its vampiristic features. The following is a psychoanalytic study with a focus on vampirism imitating sexual practice and drug usage today while shining a light on the complex psychology of characters, and how even the author can influence the course of its story.
Key Principle #1: Human activity is not reducible to conscious intent. The complexity of the human mind has always befuddled the common man. One doesn’t know how the mind functions and therefore it becomes complicated for one without training to state how or why an action is taken. In a court of law, there is the possibility that an inexplicable crime such as murder can be forgiven with such an explanation as mentally insanity. And it is at that point that there is a clear example in our world of human activity not being able to be reduced to conscious intent. How is this principle applied in Bram Stoker’s Dracula? The character of Jonathan Harker is faced with the situation of being a prisoner in Count Dracula’s castle. “The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!” (Stoker 27). Harker enters a desperation that makes him look for any exit throughout the castle that will allow him to escape. Having seen Dracula climb the walls of the castle earlier, he attempts to do the same thing and reaches Dracula’s room where he discovers the boxes full of dirt. While his intent was not to discover such a thing, he is driven by his desire to want to escape Dracula’s castle. Another character, that can be argued as struggling with psychological turmoil, is Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing is one that believes in a fantastic world “where
Honors English 11
5/20/13
Critical Analysis on Dracula
With several illicit subjects listed throughout Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the book becomes a playground for psychoanalysts. Whether it be to see a subjects as simple as the conscious take over a character, or a character’s surroundings corrupting its victims, Dracula intrigues in more ways than just its vampiristic features. The following is a psychoanalytic study with a focus on vampirism imitating sexual practice and drug usage today while shining a light on the complex psychology of characters, and how even the author can influence the course of its story.
Key Principle #1: Human activity is not reducible to conscious intent. The complexity of the human mind has always befuddled the common man. One doesn’t know how the mind functions and therefore it becomes complicated for one without training to state how or why an action is taken. In a court of law, there is the possibility that an inexplicable crime such as murder can be forgiven with such an explanation as mentally insanity. And it is at that point that there is a clear example in our world of human activity not being able to be reduced to conscious intent. How is this principle applied in Bram Stoker’s Dracula? The character of Jonathan Harker is faced with the situation of being a prisoner in Count Dracula’s castle. “The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!” (Stoker 27). Harker enters a desperation that makes him look for any exit throughout the castle that will allow him to escape. Having seen Dracula climb the walls of the castle earlier, he attempts to do the same thing and reaches Dracula’s room where he discovers the boxes full of dirt. While his intent was not to discover such a thing, he is driven by his desire to want to escape Dracula’s castle. Another character, that can be argued as struggling with psychological turmoil, is Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing is one that believes in a fantastic world “where
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