72 pages • 2 hours read
Bram StokerDracula
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1897A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
Christianity as Salvation
The most effective deterrents to evil in Dracula are the crucifix and the Host, or communion wafer. Ironically, Van Helsing knows of their potential efficacy because of his study of folklore. Christian canon does not list the Host and the crucifix as weapons against vampires because vampires do not exist in Christian doctrine.
Dracula makes a convenient substitute for the Christian Satan. He is seductive, charming, hedonistic, and his pointed ears and sharp teeth give him the look of a predator. He preys on women and transforms them into dangerously sexual beings. Dracula uses pleasure as a temptation and a weapon.
Dracula may have eternal life, but it is only terrestrial life on earth. His immortality has no bearing on salvation or an afterlife. This is why Arthur is able to kill Lucy with the stake. He does not want her trapped on earth forever as a vampire. By killing her vampire form, he is able to save her soul and usher it to the Christian heaven.
Dracula’s stance on Christianity is more open-minded than it might first appear. The symbols of Christianity work as weapons, but there is no requirement that the wielders of the weapons be zealous believers.
