Inherent values of Dracula
Texts will often reflect the values endorsed by a particular society. These values are based on notions shaped by the people's perceptions and ideologies of how and under what beliefs a society should operate. Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' explores the values upheld during the Victorian era in which it was written. Values manifested within Christian beliefs are widely explored in the novel through religious depictions of its power of salvation. Religious references within the novel serve as a response to religious scepticism. In addition, the novel delves into values regarding a woman's role in society and contrasts what was considered the ideal women with unchaste women who were disfavoured.
Victorian beliefs in relation to Christianity are manifested throughout Bram Stoker's Dracula. The emphasis on Christianity as being a form of salvation and retreatment to safety can be viewed as a response to the rising religious scepticism in Victorian society.
English: Draculas beach This beach, inside the har...
Bram Stoker's former home, Kildare Street, Dublin,...
English: The Fog at Slains. This is the famous Sla...Technological advancements allowed science to propose reasons for the existence of life and the universe which, ultimately, removed God from the picture. In the novel, Johnathan says that "It is odd that a thing (the crucifix) which [he has] been taught to regard with disfavour and as idolatrous should in a time of loneliness and trouble be of help." Society's increasing dependence on science and rational explanations lead to a genuine intolerance and disbelief in Christianity and God. The use of the verb, "taught", suggests that individuals are socially conditioned to believe that religion is merely fictions and is not based on solid physical truth. When Johnathan is "in awful fear", he personifies the crucifix, a motif in the novel, as providing "comfort and strength to [him]". This demonstrates Christianity as a refuge to escape fears and reveals it's power in providing emotional comfort and upliftment which go...