Van Helsing is a scientist, but he is also a believer in Christianity.This provides an interesting set of circumstances because he has a mixed view of the world. During the early 1900s there was a great deal of anti-Semitism around the world, especially in Europe.The most obvious example of it is The Holocaust, where there were nearly seven million Jews murdered. Many times the protagonists attempt to stop Dracula, but one of the only ways that they can hurt Dracula is through religious objects.
Thus, like the brides, Lucy longs for a relationship not simply divided between a man and a woman. “She was so fair to look on, so radiantly beautiful, so exquisitely voluptuous, that the very instinct of man in me, which calls some of my sex to love and to protect one of hers, made my head whirl with new emotion” (320). Mina’s reaction to Transylvania contrasts with Jonathan Harker’s initial journey there, when he felt wary of the Count even before meeting him. Besides being fairly unaccepting of other cultures or religions, another reason which the public did not wish to bring in immigrants is that they were seen as dirty because they often came from rural areas.When considering who to allow into your country, and who you want in your country, you are not often going to choose the dirty farmer over a mildly hygienic businessman. Dracula talks about how his blood is conquering at time England is afraid that they will be colonized by others. One way that the argument between science and religion relates to the time period that this film was made in is through the Scopes Monkey Trial. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. In an early interaction between Mina and Lucy over lunch, Lucy proclaims, “I believe we should have shocked the ‘New Woman’ with our Again, in his encounter with the brides, Jonathan writes of the fair bride wanting not only a kiss, but for all the brides to partake in a shared kissing.
He has a large nose, bigger ears, and to add to his physical Semitic features he also greedy, which is yet another stereotypical attribute of people with Jewish backgrounds.It is not surprising that Dracula was made out to be Jewish during this time period, because in the early 1900s the Jews were everyone’s scapegoat.
Throughout the film, characters that represent different cultures are portrayed in extremely stereotypical lights, and are shown from the perspective of an early 19th century upper class American.This film attempts to persuade the viewer into following along with the beliefs of the director, whether it is believing that religion is greater than science, or that superstition and old world knowledge should be more trusted, or that the United States should not allow Eastern Europeans or Jews into the country. In the film Dracula, directed by Tod Browning in 1931, many controversial issues of the 1920s and 1930s including science, superstition, religion, and xenophobia are addressed. tags: darkness, light, mina, van-helsing. After Harker compliments Count Dracula on his impeccable English, the Count responds by claiming that although he mastered the technicalities of the language, he cannot truly speak English as a native speaker does. In Dracula it is outrageously apparent the physical features of Count Dracula alone. The tone of Harker’s journal changes with amazing rapidity The reason why the superstitions come from the East is because while the west is more advanced and has more science based knowledge, the West is less developed and still relies on superstition. Rather than fearing the new people she meets, she finds them fascinating, and she considers their superstitions as more of a cultural peculiarity than an ominous manifestation.
mounting sense of dread. This caused a great deal of controversy because Jews were a minority, and were becoming disliked all over the world.Countries, such as England and the United States, did not want to be seen as the country that accepts the “bloodsuckers” and “vampires” of the world.
And, near the end of the novel, when Van Helsing is on the verge of slaying the brides, he is unable to heartlessly slay the fair bride. A Foreign Threat: Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a metaphor for immigrants and xenophobia A Literature Workshop for Junior Students based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula Trabajo de Titulación para optar al Título de Profesor de Inglés y al Grado de Licenciado en Educación Profesor Guía Pablo Villa Moreno Alumna Pía Ulloa Inostroza Viña del Mar, Diciembre 2016 .
No one has time to read them all, but it’s important to go over them at least briefly.
“But this is heresy, and I must not say it” (60). After Harker compliments Count Dracula on his impeccable English, the Count responds by claiming that although he mastered the technicalities of the language, he cannot truly speak English as a native speaker does.
It is the more independent of the two female characters who falls prey to Dracula.
Here, Stoker demonstrates “He is young and strong; there are kisses for us all” screamed the fair bride (42). An argument that has been extremely controversial and debated for centuries is science versus religion.Dracula takes the side of religion in this debate, which is shown throughout the novel.