Dracula

“I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt. I fear. I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul. God keep me, if only for the sake of those dear to me!” – Jonathan Harker’s journal from Castle Dracula.

When asked about the power of crucifixes and other religious iconography to ward off vampires in Interview with the Vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac replied: “Rubbish. I rather enjoy looking at crucifixes.” When questioned further about Dracula and the ability to kill vampires with this regalia, Louis further commented: “Fictions, my friend. The vulgar fictions of a demented Irishman.” Likewise, in both of the cinematic adaptations of the Marvel Comics character Blade, the power of religious imagery and crosses was stripped, no longer able to do any more than arouse a chuckle from a sharp-toothed foe. This was never Stoker’s intention.

Nearly everyone knows the story of Dracula by now. It has become a symbol of fear for generations, spawning retelling after retelling. Yet never has a single retelling of this timeless story captured the faith in God and religious principles of the original masterpiece. Similarly, few retellings have captured the fear and terror of the original Dark Tale. With little hope there is also little fear. For, without hope, what other course is there but to give oneself over in finality to the brooding and doom that vampires represent? Such is where the terror lies in the original story of Dracula. Each person affected by the evil mastermind had much to live for: love of God, love of country and love of life itself, making the specter of Dracula a fearsome and terrible foe who would seek to rob each victim of the very presence of God – now and forever – in their lives. That is true fear, no matter what Hollywood may tell us.

In one of the most harrowing and terrifying moments of Dracula, it is the arduous and terrible task of the small band of men who know the true secret of Dracula’s evil to end the Undead life of one of his victims. As the hideous task is carried out, the men notice that an unusually calm look of peace rushes over the formerly undead creature. Professor Van Helsing, knowing the truth of what ending the vampire victim’s immortal existence will do for them and the woman who was once human, speaks out to the men: “For she [the vampire that was just vanquished] is not a grinning devil now, not any more a foul Thing for all eternity. No longer she is the devil’s UnDead. She is God’s true dead, whose soul is with Him.” This is the common theme we find throughout Stoker’s original work: being a vampire is to be forever a curse on God’s creation – as long as the Undead remain so, God will not so much as look upon them, much less accept them into His arms. To free them from their immortally evil state is an act of faith – faith that God will forgive them the evil that they do because of the evil done to them.

One thing that must not be ignored in retellings of the vampire tale such as Blade or Interview with the Vampire is the notion that religious icons themselves do nothing. One simply cannot ignore this because, in the world of Stoker’s vampire, it would be true. For the icons merely symbolize the faith that should be possessed by the one who carries them. Should one put a cross in front of the original Dracula that possesses no faith in this God, we can deduce (from the character of Stoker’s work) that the Count would himself merely have chuckled and forced the cross aside to do his terrible work on his victim. It is the possession of a firm and unrelenting Faith in God that not only drives the vampire away, but also enables his pursuers to be endowed with an almost superhuman energy to carry out the task of destroying the Count, once and for all. The small band of hunters know full-well that failure will allow Count Dracula to continue his unholy work upon the earth for centuries, causing pain and sorrow for thousands and continuing to blaspheme God’s holy commission of eternal life. Dracula is himself a symbol of the corruption of sin and death upon the earth, a way for the Devil to somehow “cheat” God by making immortality an evil state by which the vilest inner-workings of death can have their way through the undead body of a creature that was once a creation of God. Stoker’s religious rebels know the weight of their task, and, as the Christian must stand in faith against a world of evil, knowing that a greater good and the power of God will lead them to victory-one way or another. They must fight with all of the tools given them: the knowledge given them by studying and improving the brain God endowed them with, the earthly symbols of the faith and power of God and, finally, an unyielding faith in God that they will conquer the evil foe they face.

So we find that Dracula, unlike it’s many spawned after-thoughts, offers hope and ultimate peace. We find mercy and truth in Dracula, as those who hunt him relentlessly know that releasing the Count from his immortality will offer him a final release from doing the evil work he does against God. In Dracula, we find terror and doubt, as those victims aware of the evil he has done to them wonder if they shall ever find the means with which to crawl back into the mercy and love of Almighty God. Finally, we find retribution, forgiveness and celebration as lives are made whole again, sins are forgiven, and Death, once again, loses an arduous battle to usurp God’s control on mankind. Who could ask for more from a literary work?

Related Links:
   Buy Dracula at Amazon.com