Dracula

By Bram Stoker

Yeah, he's crawling through the walls...

     Hi, everybody! Whoever you may be. Now I'm going to talk about this classic I've been reading.

     To be honest, I never knew much about the book. I knew it was about a Count Dracula guy who was a vampire and somehow came to England and sucked the blood of his victims or turned them also. You know most basic thing vampires do. 

     I wasn't very interested due to other vampires movies either good ones or bad ones with their violent or (dumb cheesy) love themes UNTIL one day when I was lazily doing my homework in a Halloween night I came upon a movie. This movie was very funny, well, it had to be, because it was a parody, of course. I just wanted to know what was the real deal.

     So I have to say this book is unique, it really captures you into its atmosphere. It's written as a big book full of diary pages, newspapers or telegrams.

     Dracula is also different from other vampires I have seen, he isn't agressive or cheesy; he's very intelligent and manipulative but also sometimes you don't know at first if he is good or bad. Rather than using brute force, he would only convince the other person or do his stuff using an alternative plan.

     

     I like to read books without knowing what they're about but if you want, here is a summary.

Summary

     It begins when Johnathan Harker heads to Transilvannia (send by his boss) to meet Count Dracula who wants to buy a property in London. By the way, skeptical Harker doesn't believe the townspeople who insist in not going there. An inn lady forces him to use a crucifix around his neck; he becomes unable to refuse her goodwill even though he mentions his religion taught him not to believe in such things. 

     (Somehow it gives you the hint of why Dracula wants to go the England, don't you think?) 

     He is then brought to the castle by Dracula's driver who is Dracula himself. The townspeople fear him greatly and hand Harker to the driver. The carriage disappears and Harker is later welcomed by Count Dracula who invites Harker to enter and then stands frozen until he enters. Dracula seems interested a lot in England and asks Harker lots of questions and begs him to teach him the accent for he doesn't want to sound like a foreigner.

Don't! Mirrors are not your friends!

     Harker seems pleased with his stay but little by little starts noticing things. One day while shaving using a pocket mirror, he was startled by Dracula who he didn't see in the mirror and cuts himself with the razor. At the sight of the blood, Dracula grasps Harker by the neck, but at the touch of the crucifix takes control of and excuses himself after throwing the mirror through the window. Harker then discovers the main entrance is locked and that he is trapped within the castle with Dracula and three other beautiful but scary women who seem to want to eat him.

     Dracula forces Harker to write three fake letters telling he has leave the castle, another like if he was in a town and the last as if he was about to get back home. As the last day approaches when Dracula sents the last letter and feeds him to the women, Harker tries to find the key and ventures into Dracula's bedroom through the window where he only finds a door leading to a chapel. There he sees Dracula sleeping with open eyes in one of the wooden cases. He is then startled by Dracula who suddenly turns his head at him while he tries to hit him with a shovel, managing only to hit him in the forehead and fleeing. The lid falls over the case and some men enter through an unknown entrance and take the wooden cases. 

     Johnathan then finds himself in the darkness alone with the three women frantically looking for him in the castle. Trying to conserve his sanity and composture, Johnathan hopes he may find an exit if he tries going deeper into the castle and maybe escape the three monstruous ladies.

     Johnathan diary ends here and starts the letters sent between Mina Murray, Harker's fianceé, and Lucy Westenra, her friend. Most of the letters of Mina tell Lucy she has received Harker's fake letters and doesn't suspect anything. Lucy tells her about John Seward, Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood. All three then propose to her but she chooses Arthur. Mina finally after not receiving any more letters of Harker starts to worry but can't do anything but wait. 

     Mina and Lucy then travel to Lucy's mother's house near a harbor and lead a normal life walking and chatting with the townspeople. Mina records in her diary how Lucy relapse again in somnambulism and how she has to lock the door to their bedroom so she doesn't go out.

Here I come, suckers!

     The newspapers record the coming of a storm and, how in the middle of it, a foreign ship was trapped within it. Suddenly mist covers the sea and moments later the ship strucks on the beach. People gather while a dog suddenly escapes through the broken prow. Later people discover the dead captain with his hands tied to the wheel, a crucifix in the hand and some notes in a bottle hanging from his clothes. It details the mysterious disappearance of the crew and the sightings of a tall pale man.

     Some days after the storm, Mina wakes up in the middle of the night and finds out Lucy is not there. Mina goes outside seeking the sleepwalking Lucy and finally finds her in their usual chatting place near a chapel where a tall pale figure is leaning against her, but by the time Mina arrives the strange figure is gone. Mina helps the drowsy Lucy back home and she makes Mina promise not to tell anyone.

     The next days Lucy seems struck by sickness but doesn't worsen. Mina doesn't suspects they got to do with the marks of her neck because she confuses them with having pricked her neck with a brooch. News of Johnathan come as a letter to Mina, he's at the care of some nuns who found him ill. Mina hurries to find her fiance.

     Here Mina's diary ends and starts John Seward's who is a doctor at a madhouse who records in his diary specially about his patient Renfield, a zoophagous, and his sudden agressivity whenever Dracula seems to pass by.

     While Mina nurses Johnathan, Lucy worsens and Dr. John Seward is asked by his friend, Arthur Holmwood, to help Lucy while he sees his also sick father. Seward is surprised by the drast difference in Lucy whom he saw last when he proposed to her. Lucy is pale and weak and doesn't seem to improve. 

Renfield, 1# crazy man in the world.

     Seward sends a letter asking for help to his mentor, Abraham Van Hellsing, who arrives and helps Seward with the enigma of Lucy's sickness. Van Hellsing confirms that Lucy is affected by blood loss and makes a transfusion using the newly arrived Arthur. Lucy improves but the next day again she seems affected by blood loss. Seward now donates her blood to Lucy and Van Hellsing suspecting something unusual asks Seward to monitor her the whole night without sleeping while he goes back to Holland. Lucy's condition improves by the next day and when Van Hellsing arrives fills her room with garlic flowers and makes her a necklace with the same flowers. Confident, Van Hellsing lets her sleep by herself and returns next morning with Seward convinced of the improvement in health just to find Lucy's sickly mother happy for having thrown out such smelly flowers. Seward and a somber Van Hellsing find Lucy just as expected: pale and unable to move.

     Van Hellsing donates his blood and manage to get Lucy out of danger. They decide to stay with Lucy at night taking turns and she seems to get better. Van Hellsing has to get back to Holland and suggests Seward to rest at his house as he is unable to continue not sleeping. Lucy's mother decides to sleep in her room.

     At the same time, a wolf escapes from a zoo controlled by Dracula, who is unable to enter the room and seeks his help. The wolf breaks the window and the mother struck by a heart attack grabs and breaks the flowers on Lucy's neck. She calls the maids to get some wine for her mother but the wine had some sleep drug in it and they collapse in the floor (Did each drank a glass or what?) and Lucy find herself alone with Dracula.

Have you heard about something known as
blood types, Doctor? Never mind, she's moving!
...or is she convulsing. Let's say to Arthur it
was the vampire's fault.

     Next morning, Van Hellsing and Seward head to their house but as no one opens they fear the worst and force their entry. They find the drugged maids and when heading upstairs find Mrs.Westenra dead and the dying Lucy. Somehow Quincey Morris, sent by Arthur to check on Lucy, appears and donates his blood to her. Yet she is beyond help and only manages to survive one more night which is enough to let Arthur arrive. As she dies, her behavior changes abruptly, tilts towards and begs Arthur to kiss her. Van Hellsing pushes Arthur aside and she falls again against the bed. She returns to normal and thanks Van Hellsing before she dies.

    Lucy and her mother's corpses are put in the family tomb but Van Hellsing seems uneasy and puts a crucifix around Lucy. He asks Arthur, the new Lord Godalming as his father also died, to give him access to Lucy's personal writings as they can serve as a clue to her death to which he approves, sadly. Later they are notify about the stealing of the crucifix by a maid.

    Some newspapers starts reporting about some children who disappeared and were found the next morning, all said they were with a beautiful lady.

    Van Hellsing wants to dissect Lucy's body and when he tells Seward, he is horrified. Van Hellsing tries to explain him about his suspicions about Lucy becoming an undeath. To convince him he makes him come along at night to the Westenra's family tomb where he uncovers Lucy's coffin and find her absent. Seward is found confused but not convinced with Van Hellsing's explanation. They exit the tomb and patrol separately. Faraway Seward sees a white figure carrying a small bundle. When Van Hellsing approaches, the figure drops the bundle and runs. The bundle was actually a sleeping child. The next day, Van Hellsing makes Seward come again to Lucy's coffin and this time Lucy is in it. They find her beautiful and almost as if living and while exiting Van Hellsing puts a wafer in the cracks of the tomb.

The result of a happy nailing!

     Van Hellsing explains Arthur, Quincey and Seward about Lucy being an undead and that if not stopped sooner or later she will cause casualities. Skeptical, they follow him and he removes the wafer and hide behind a bush till midnight. Lucy suddenly materializes outside of the tomb and is confronted by them. She tries to win over Arthur but fails. Van Hellsing reapplies the wafer to the tomb and she becomes angry and growls at them. When Van Hellsing convinces them, he removes it and Lucy dematerializes again. They enter the tomb and find her in her coffin again. Arthur follows Van Hellsing's instructions and nails the stake through her heart. Lucy shrieks and after some moments recovers her pure human features. After they leave, Van Hellsing along Seward decapitate her and fill her mouth with garlic.

     

     Seward's diary ends here and once again starts Mina's diary.

     Mina and Johnathan return after marrying to London. Johnathan seems neurotic and extremely nervious and believes his sickness caused him the hallucinations in Dracula's castle. Mina receives a letter from Van Hellsing notifying her about the death of Mrs.Westenra and Lucy and that she wishes to talk with her as she was close to and was mentioned a lot in Lucy's writings. Mina, feeling the doctor can help him, describes his husband's behavior and the horrible diary he had when he travelled. He informs her that her husband is sane and that he wishes to talk with him. Johnathan, suddenly eased to know he isn't crazy, accepts meeting him.

Not what you think...

     Harker wishes to help Van Hellsing stop Dracula and provides him with all the information he needs like the property he bought was actually next to Seward's madhouse. They gather at Seward's madhouse where Van Hellsing tells them about Dracula being a vampire and his suspicions that the wooden cases Dracula sent throughout London are used as shelters to him. They decide not to involve Mrs.Harker as they fear for her safety and leave her in Seward's house while they enter Dracula's. Before leaving, Renfield begs Seward to set him free as he will regret if not, Seward admits he seems sane but because he knows about Dracula he prefers not to set him free.

     While they investigate, Dracula appears before Renfield and promises him lots of lives (the reason he eats insects and animals is because he believes that he consumes their lives) and although wanting to be set free to prevent this, Renfield opens the window and lets him in but Dracula doesn't fulfill the promise.

      Dracula appears before Mina from the mist and sucks her blood while making her think she just had a nightmare. While the men continue investigating the ubication of the wooden cases, he continues visiting Mina. Renfield becomes angry against Dracula, who is stealing Mina's life, and attacks him while entering. Dracula easily overcomes Renfield and harms him to the point of dying. Seward and Van Hellsing arrive and Renfield manage to inform them about Dracula entering and attacking Mina. Van Hellsing, Seward, Quincey and Arthur hurry to the Harker's bedroom to find Harker unconscious and Dracula forcing Mina to drink his own blood. Dracula instantly flees.

In general I only make two questions:
 What is it and how I kill it.

     Van Hellsing trying to protect Mina against Dracula puts a wafer against her forehead which burns her. The men decide they must erradicate Dracula soon to save Mina, who will eventually turn into an undead. They sterilize the wooden cases found hiding along London with a wafer but find one missing. It is then when Mina who is in control of herself in the brief moments of the twilight and dawning of the day, manages to give information of what Dracula transmits to her with hypnotization. The hints lead them to think he is trying to flee to Transilvania with the last wooden case but the boat has already sailed but they now know its destination, so they decide to wait for him there.
     Yet Dracula also knowing through Mina they're waiting for him there, envelops the boat in mist and leads it to another part. By the time they receive the news, the men can no longer reach the boat in time. They let Mina inspect what little they know as they are clueless and Mina assumes after investigating that he most be following a river that goes near his castle. The men divide in pairs. Harker and Lord Godalming get a boat to follow them through water, Quincey and Seward get horses and follow them in land, Van Hellsing and Mina travel directly to the castle as he wants to cleanse it and destroy the other three vampire women.
   
     The diaries depict there troubles and thoughts but Van Hellsing's is the most interesting as he travels to the castle with the almost undead Mina. Mina gets pale and long canines, grows everyday more beautiful, less hungry, more sleepy in the day. Van Hellsing decides not to sleep at night fearing she may attack him as he once caught her gazing at him in sleep. Mina guides him to the castle where they camp in the outside.
     Van Hellsing traces a circle with a wafer and finds that Mina is unable to cross it and so suspects other vampires. Actually when night struck the vampire women appeared amist the blizzard and entreated Mina to join them. Mina gazes disgusted much to his relief. By the time the sun appears the vampires disappears.
     He leaves Mina in the holy circle and ventures into the castle. Following the descriptions in Harker's diary, he finds the chapel and finally finds one of the three vampires in her coffin. He is astonished and petrified by her endearing beauty. Only when he hears Mina's cry, he snaps out of it and gaining courage strikes the vampire with a stake and so does with all three and all three vanish into dust.

     When Van Hellsing returns, he is notified by Mina that he is approaching but he is more worried about the wolves that may attack them, so he hides with Mina in a strategic spot. Later on, they spot the men carrying Dracula's coffin to the castle and the sun almost setting. But also in the blizzard find four men riding in pairs from different directions trailing them, riding crazily against the sun that's trying to set.
     Mina and Van Hellsing corner them with their guns and give the men time to reach them. When the men reach them, they break their way to the coffin. The slovaks fight against them and so the men in a messy fight. The coffin falls off and so the lid; a smiling Dracula gazes as the sun it's about to set. Instantaneously, a stake is nailed though his heart, a knife through his neck and the men desperately tear him with their knives and stakes. Dracula turns into dust and the slovaks run away.
     Mina is lift from the curse and the men sigh in relief yet, in the fight, Quincey was stabbed and before dying says, "This is a cause worth dying for."

     There's a little and nice epilogue about their lives after the incident. 

     They're lots of powerful scenes I can't describe trying to write a summary but I recommend the one where Harker meets for the first time the three vampire women. That's actually my favorite part! 

     Well, I will read The Alchemist (Coelho) or 100 Hundred Years of Solitude but it will take me a while as I'm in exams and for some reasons they asked me homework.

     Happy reading!