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A2 Dracula help!

I'm asking this on the behalf of my friend:

why does the death of dracula bring all the protagonists together & what does the sea represent in dracula?

Thanks in advance :biggrin:

Reply 1

mzoorw

Why doesn’t anybody like Dracula?

He has a bat temper

hehehehehe

But seriously my interpretation is that the disease that is Dracula has been overcome by the protagonists, that something has been saved. Dracula can represent many things, the "other" in society (the Victorians were scared of any exotic and anything foreign, Dracula is from Eastern Europe) and the threat of the unknown (in that he is supernatural and a far cry from the Victorian age of discovery and scientific breakthroughs). He can also represent the threat of female sexuality, that the 'new woman' may come into being and ravage the patriarchal society of Victorian England. Through all of these threats the protagonists have saved the day! This is why they are brought together, they represent the good and proper of society and have presented an unwelcome invasion of their morals and understandings.

The sea can represent a divide, a difference in cultures that is crossed and invaded by Dracula. In this way it can be seen as a liminal space, something that is vast and limitless and unknowing (almost like the 'Here Be Dragons' sign on some early maps).

Hope that helps...

Reply 2

dariadaphne

Original post by Phenylethylamine_

I'm asking this on the behalf of my friend:

why does the death of dracula bring all the protagonists together & what does the sea represent in dracula?

Thanks in advance :biggrin:

Well, I can only try and help ... Dracula was after all written because Bram Stoker was inspired by our country and one of our rulers :biggrin:

It's basically a struggle of good against evil, mostly like in fairy tales ... And, as in most fairy tales, good conquers all, this being a distinctive feature of this genre. Furthermore, it's about being united against evil and the idea of what people can do if they are driven and united to complete one single goal. The sea doesn't represent anything specific in Dracula, but like in most books where it is used, it is a symbol of traveling and of passage. It represents the passing from one territory, the one of the undead, to the other, the real life. It's like a gate between two worlds, an element that separates time and space. One might also argue that water has also a purifying sense to it, this might being the reason why Dracula is trapped in the coffin and doesn't get out until he comes ashore.

I haven't studied it in school, but I've read it and this is what comes to mind. I may be wrong, but I was trying to be helpful. Quote me if you need anything else :wink: