 |
|
|
Table of Contents THEME Theme of "good versus evil" In every novel there are always two sides of a coin - good and evil, and they are always warring with each other to achieve supremacy. In Dracula, Bram Stoker has created an evil side akin to Satan. The persona of Dracula stands for treachery, evil and undiluted negative force, which threatens to overwhelm and envelop the whole persona. But to combat this negative force with almost supernatural powers, the author has created a whole band of good and brave men to combat Dracula, and therein lies the theme of the book. The theme of "good versus evil" takes on a religious hue with the two forces dividing into an actual combat between God and Satan. The brave band of men stands for and symbolizes God. They are god’s soldiers standing for all what is good and religious. There is definitely a feel of Christianity in the novel, which is spelt out in each of the climaxes. Dracula stands for Satan, and that stands for whatever is evil and bad. He hates goodness and tries to perpetuate evil in the world by biting women and making them vampires. The vampires are heathenish and ugly. Even beautiful Lucy, when she becomes a vampire, is hated by this band of men, despite the fact they were in love with her before. The vampires are brazen and the female vampires look on men as their prey for sexual release and their blood. This theme is essentially Christian in outlook. For each of the climaxes where the vampires Lucy or Dracula are killed, the crucifix plays a major role. The evil forces are scared of the crucifix; they cover at the very sight of it, for it represents God and all that is good and pure. The Devil hates what it represents so it tries to remove all signs of it. Lucy, possessed by Dracula, tries to tear of the crucifix each time it is put on her neck. When she turns into a vampire, the crucifix is one of the weapons the men used. Even in the killing of Count Dracula, the holy circle is used to trap him into the circle of good, so that he does not escape from the holy circle. Even Mina, who is one of Dracula’s victims and tainted by his blood, is unable to enter the holy circle until the men vanquish Count Dracula.
The theme of good versus evil is the theme on which the entire novel is based on. This is prevalent in every thought, action, scene or climax. | |
