Victorian morals in Dracula

Extract

[...] The final death of Dracula is dramatic, but it lacks the depth of detail and description that was included when death was approached at other points in the novel. Dracula simply turns to dust and that is that. However, this was not a random choice on the part of the author. Despite it's somewhat anti-climatic nature, this death works to show the aforementioned point that, despite all of his elegant speech, and mysterious, alluring (yet at the same time terrifying) demeanor in the beginning of the book, and the very loaded sexual hints and hidden meanings, all of this simply turns into dust when truly confronted with the combined efforts of the western, enlightened, modern men. [...]

[...] Dracula requires human blood in order to maintain his youth and sustain himself. Renfield believes that he can similarly prolong his life by consuming insects and animals. The main difference between these two characters is that Dracula is something different, something supernhatural or demonic, and Renfield is simply a mad human. The fact that his mad delusions so exactly coincide with the way that Dracula operates is odd, and is not really explained in the book. The important point though is the way in which both of these characters operate in relationship to death, life and the taking of life in order to sustain themselves. [...]

[...] It is an almost scientific approach to death and life, and their relationship in that it seems to be in alignment with the law of conservation of energy. The sinful and immoral (from a Victorian perspective) aspects of both Renfield and Dracula's personalities are their attitudes towards life and death and how those two things can be used to further their own ends of self perpetuation. There are other things that add to their immorality, such as the sexual overtones in many of the bloodsucking scenes, and Renfield's madness, but the main thing that makes these characters evil and scary is their willingness to consume and take away life in order to continue their own simply evil lives. [...]

[...] In this scene we see the inevitable and very predictable ending where, in the nick of time, the main characters are able to kill Dracula and end his reign of terror forever. Good prevails, evil is vanquished, and in spite of Quincy Morris' death, it is a mostly happy ending. In order to go beyond the topical reading of this conclusion to the story, one must first understand that Dracula is not simply a monster, but that he stands for and symbolizes certain things such as foreignness and earthly immorality and sexuality. [...]