Looking at Context Themes Characters Quotes Key events ch11 starting p152 Seward gets stabbed by Renfield who seems to be in a psychotic rage yearning for Sewards blood The doctor talks of how tired he is drawing attention to the sacrifice he made in saving Lucy by transfusin ID: 558135
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Slide1
Dracula analysis
Looking at;
Context
Themes
Characters
QuotesSlide2
Key events (ch11, starting p152)
Seward gets stabbed by Renfield who seems to be in a psychotic rage, yearning for Seward’s blood.
The doctor talks of how tired he is, drawing attention to the ‘sacrifice’ he made in saving Lucy by transfusing their blood, he backs this up by saying that he ‘cannot afford to loose any more’.
Van Helsing arrives again after sending a warning in a telegram-speaking of the importance of the garlic and how Seward needed to keep a better eye on Lucy. Almost reprimanding him for his past failures.
Lucy writes her death note and leaves it with her after her traumatic night when she believes she won’t make it through and she can’t get Seward’s help.
The ‘wolf’ breaks through Lucy’s window, smashing the glass and frightening the two women.
Mrs Westenra dies of fright, knocking Lucy unconscious in meantime, leaving both of them vulnerable and defenceless on the bed. Slide3
Themes
Doom
Death
Morbidity
The supernatural
Familial bonds
Strength/weakness
Fear
Illness
Love
Manipulation
Terrorism
Madness
Violence Slide4
The blood
Chapter 11, page 151, Dr Seward’s diary
Renfield
shows animal like qualities which could give an indication of how he holds Dracula above himself as he describes him as 'the master' as you would expect a tame pet to.
"He was lying on his belly on the floor licking up, like a dog,"
Firstly,
Renfield
being on the floor gives a visual representation of how he thinks of himself as below Dracula, as well as giving imagery of an actual tame animal, for example a dog, which connotes obedience and loyalty. His action of 'licking' instead of simply drinking also presents an animalistic image which again suggests that
Renfield
feels he is below Dracula. This ties in with
Renfields
earlier behaviour of collecting and feeding different animals to create a small food chain, and his behaviours would suggest, as he had consumed the largest animals in the food chain beforehand, that he has now made himself part of his food chain in order to please Dracula. Slide5
The blood
In contrast,
Renfield
could also be seen as trying to be like Dracula
"the blood which had fallen from my wounded wrist"
'Fallen' relates to Dracula as the connotation of demons with vampires suggests that he has fallen from all that is good/his human self, so as
Renfields
drinks the fallen blood it could make himself seem like he is also falling from goodness. Dracula can also be related to through
Renfields
action of 'wounding' Dr Seward as Dracula preys on people weaker than him and then hurts them to get what he wants, just as
Renfield
has with Dr Seward. Blood has strong connotations of danger and horror, all of which apply to traditional gothic romances, of which the figure of Dracula is well known.Slide6
The blood
Renfield
see's the blood as a symbol of freedom
"The blood is the life!"
The end focus on 'life' demonstrates its importance to
Renfield
and also connotes freedom, especially as he continuously repeats this statement. This coupled with 'the' before it implies that
Renfield
believes that there is only 1 life worth him getting as he specifies that it is one. This could be his own life that he is getting, which would also mean he is getting his freedom. The exclamation mark at the end of the statement shows how passionate
Renfield
is about the blood and his life. Slide7
Memorandum left by Lucy Westenra- page 153-155.
Chapter 11
Memorandum: a note or record made for future use.
Overview:
Lucy has trouble sleeping without the presence of Dr Van Helsing and Dr Seward . Her mother walks into the bedroom and Lucy asks if her mother will sleep in her bed to keep warm and to give her company.
As they sleep, a large grey wolf smashes through the window of the bedroom but jumps back outside. A misty pallor filled with specks of light enter and her mum seems to fall into a fit from shock. During her fit, she rips Lucy’s garland of garlic and falls into a coma like state. (Lucy loses consciousness for a short period of time.)
Four maids come rushing hysterically into the room, but Lucy tells them to go back out and have a glass of wine, as Lucy must try and figure out what to do since the wolf was still pacing outside. When Lucy rushes back out she see’s that the girls have collapsed and the wine was laced with laudanum, (an alcoholic solution containing morphine), and the maids would be knocked out in a drug-induced coma, meaning Lucy would be alone.
Lucy takes the memorandum and folds it, tucking it away safely. She believes her mum has died from shock and doesn’t believe that she will survive the night. Slide8
Memorandum left by Lucy Westenra- page 153-155.
Chapter 11
Analysis:
It shows the relationship between the mother and daughter, and is one of the few in the novel, and it is a reminder that the dependency that children have on their parents is also one that parents have on their children (it is mutual). The scene is then interrupted by Dracula and the horror that he brings.
When Lucy’s mother has a fit and rips off the garland of garlic, there is an instance of dramatic irony , as the reader knows that without the garlic, Lucy will be left unprotected and will be open to an attack, which has fatal consequences (revealed in Chapter 12).
The presence of the maids is often overlooked, but is important as it shows the treatment of people of different classes and how they differentiate. The maids are purely victims, and Stoker doesn’t leave them conscious for very long, and shows that they are not as important as the middle/upper class.
Lucy manages to protect her written account by hiding it on herself and it makes the account more believable because the reader wouldn’t believe any other person’s knowledge of the situation as Lucy is the only person to have experienced it. Slide9
Memorandum left by Lucy Westenra- page 153-155.
Chapter 11
Symbols and Motifs
Dracula as a bat/wolf: it could symbolise Lucy’s mother and her own death- Dracula is the living dead, and feeds off of other people’s lives.
Specks of light: could symbolise hope-there are small fragments of it, it just needs to be found.
Dogs howling: it’s recurring- dogs are seen as vicious if not tamed- can symbolise danger, (the calm before the storm?) and can cause tension to build.
Wind: can symbolise destruction, cold (after a person has died, their body is cold)
Nightingale: symbolises “freedom”, and “immortality”- refers to Dracula’s immortality, the freedom in Lucy’s mother’s death.- “the sound of the nightingale seemed like the voice of my dead mother come back to comfort me.”
Shrubbery: symbolises somewhere for something to hide.Slide10
Memorandum left by Lucy Westenra- page 153-155.
Chapter 11
Quotes
and
Terminology
:
“
I feel I am dying of weakness
”- ‘
I feel I am
’ is a
declarative sentence mood
, and with the talk of death, it creates a sombre mood, and can make the reader feel sympathetic to how Lucy is feeling because she is dying. Then she goes on to say that she has “
barely enough strength to write, but it must be done if I die in the doing
.” which could be classed as an
exclamatory sentence mood
as it conveys a strong amount of determination as Lucy feels the memorandum has to be written and if she dies in the process then that’s what will happen. (“
barely enough strength to write
” is a
parenthesis
as it is added information between two commas.)
“
I was dazed and stupid with pain and terror and weakness
” – “
dazed and stupid
” can show how women perceived themselves in those times as they were seen as illogical and if they fainted during an improper situation, they were deemed as “truly a lady”. It could also be
litotes
as it is Lucy downplaying how she’s feeling to effect the reader by making the reader think that she is quite strong, possibly because she lost her dad and felt the need to downplay how she really felt when around her mother so her mother wouldn’t see it and because she felt she needed to be strong for her mother.
What else do these quotes tell you about Lucy?Slide11
Memorandum left by Lucy Westenra- page 153-155.
Chapter 11
“
they screamed out
.”- (in reference to the maids seeing the remains) “
they
” is a
third person pronoun
, “
screamed out
” is another exclamatory sentence mood, which conveys a strong amount of fear from the maid’s point of view (and Lucy’s) and shock as to what they have seen, also relating back to the point that women in those times were delicate and had to act in a socially acceptable manner for females at the time. It also makes them be perceived as delicate and fragile, but Lucy shows that she is somewhat unaffected by it and she takes control over what had happened “
I directed them to go to the dining-room and each have a glass of wine
” which conveys that Lucy is calm and in control, which is something that women in the 1890’s were not meant to do, they were supposed to leave everything to the men while they are in “shock”. The word “
directed
” is an order which shows that Lucy is fairly in control over the situation over the maids (until they pass out that is).
“
the lights burn blue and dim
”- “
burn blue
” is a
juxtaposition
as “
burn
” has
connotations
of red/orange, fire and heat; whereas “
blue
” has
connotations
of cold, water and ice. However they both
connote
to pain. The word “
dim
” contradicts the quote, because “
lights burn
” often means the light is bright, but “
dim
” shows that the light is fading out-
foreshadowing
the end of her life. Slide12
Memorandum left by Lucy Westenra- page 153-155.
Chapter 11
“there was some spell upon me” (page 154)
“What am I to do? what am I to do?” (page 155)
“Alone with the dead!” (page 155)
Analyse the quotes. What do they tell you about Lucy and how she is feeling at this moment in time. Slide13
An alternative view on Seward and his morality/ethos
As it’s an alternative, not everyone will agree on ever analysis, however in exams alternative views are needed for comparison so the use of these examples could gain marks. Your own views can be expressed using the same theory and quotes in order to give a rounded answer or you may agree with certain parts or all of the following.Slide14
The character of Seward is narcissistic in nature and this reflects upon his actions within Chapter 11 of Dracula.
How far do you agree with this statement?
(Take the answers from this into consideration in the following slides, considering both sides of the argument.)
1-completely true
2-
true
3- barely true
4- half true
5-mostly false
6-false
7-completely falseSlide15
‘Blood which had
fallen
from my
wounded
wrist.’
What do these quotes tell you about the character of
S
eward?
(looking especially at the underlined words for single word analysis)Slide16
‘Blood which had
fallen
from my
wounded
wrist.’
What do these quotes tell you about the character of
S
eward?
Page 152 (looking especially at the underlined words for single word analysis)
Wounded- connotes war and conquest, Seward is effectively comparing himself to a hero like in a war or fiction at the time.
He romanticises the idea of being the hero.
He wants to feel superior in his work life, carries this through/doesn’t know how to separate this from his home/love life.Slide17
What is Seward trying to do here? Think both literally and metaphorically.
Page 152
‘
Binding
up my wrist’Slide18
Literal-he wants to save himself, he is unconcerned about this odd turn in his patient due to his own self preservation. He does not in fact notice until after he has taken care of himself that Renfield is drinking his blood from the floor.
Metaphorical-Seward is isolating Renfield because he is seen as ‘crazy’ in a way that may taint the doctor himself just by being cut by him
-it is Seward’s high standards that mean the blood being symbolic of freedom and power in completely unacceptable to him rather than being interesting scientifically.
‘
Binding
up my wrist’
What is Seward trying to do here? Think both literally and metaphorically.
Page 152Slide19
What are Seward’s priorities judging by this quote in comparison to the rest of the novel?
page 152
‘
I
cannot afford to loose blood at present:
I
have lost too much of late for
my
physical health.’Slide20
What are Seward’s priorities judging by this quote in comparison to the rest of the novel?
page 152
‘
I
cannot afford to loose blood at present:
I
have lost too much of late for
my
physical
health.’
More worried about himself
His injury is physical rather than Lucy’s which is considered a mental illness at first, this obviously taken less seriously even before it is taken into consideration that
L
ucy is a woman and therefore seen as less important to very typical men at the time, such as Seward.
He resents and has less time for her due to the fat that she rejected him.Slide21
Do you think this portrays Seward as selfish? Why/why not?
Page 152
‘A whole night lost’Slide22
Do you think this portrays Seward as selfish? Why/why not?
Page 152
‘A whole night lost’
Yes-he doesn’t see Lucy’s life as more important or even equal to his sleeping routine
Yes-he sees no significance in
L
ucy’s life, almost as though he doesn’t see meaning to her once she has rejected him, he wants to separate their lives completely so that she becomes inconsequential.
No-he feels like nothing he can do will help her due to his loss of power after her rejection, he loses faith in himself and his abilities and feels a sense of worthlessness.
No-he’s lost hope that she can be cured and finds it too painful to sit back and watch her die Slide23
Questions
Compared to the beginning of the lesson, what are your overall thoughts on Seward? (write this down in your notes, doesn’t have one answer, it’s subjective)
Is the wolf on page 154 actually a wolf? If not what/who is it?
Why does Renfield want to drink Seward’s blood?
What do the blood transfusions symbolise?
Why do you think Seward chose to transfuse his blood with Lucy’s?Slide24
Answers
Although the wolf can be taken as a wolf on face value, it is in fact Dracula disguised as a wolf. This reinforces Dracula’s powers of shapeshifting to the reader which had only been suggested before. (when a dog emerged from the boat that Dracula took over to get to England)
Renfield wants to consume the life of an apex animal or as powerful an animal as he can get his hands on because he feels that he can seep life from their power in the same way that Dracula seeps blood from his victims to gain sustenance.
The blood transfusions mean something different to each character;
-Van Helsing thinks that it is his doctoral duty and that it should only be seen in a very literal sense,
-Arthur (thinking that he was the only one to help her) thinks that it ties him to his bride-to-be in a very romantic sense,
-Quincey seems to see it as his only option considering his friendship to Arthur , he did not know Lucy and therefore trying to help her is arguably the most selfless act out of the four men trying to help her, he gathers no personal gain from this, only the happiness of others.
Considering Seward’s generally narcissistic thought processes around Lucy, it seems that he chooses to transfuse his blood, not to help her in a selfless way but in order to;
Possibly win her affections if she did ever get better,
Spite Arthur who ‘won’ her over him when they both proposed,
Prove himself,
Take away from Arthur’s act of love or equate their love for her out of jealousy.