Psychoanalytic Theory on Dacula
Andy Dodge
English 271
Marxist Approach of Dracula
12/17/10
According to Dictionary.com, a vampire is “a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned.” Our society’s view of Vampires has unfortunately been tarnished by several novels that shall remain nameless. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, however, is an excellent novel that shows just how menacing vampires should be. More importantly, it is a classic book that can provide many different readings and analyses. By using a Marxist approach, elements of this book can be easily compared to the oppression and eventual overthrow of a dictatorship style government. Dracula and Trannsylvania represent an oppressed country being run by a dictator. Team Van Helsing, consisting of Van Helsing, Harker, Mina, Lucy, Seward, Holmwood, and Morris, represent the upper middle class of a neighboring country. When Dracula begins expanding his rule into Team Van Helsing’s country, they eventually revolt and overthrow him, In Dracula, Count Dracula represents a dictator ruling over an oppressed country, which is represented by Trannsylvania. Dracula lives in a castle right outside of the city of Trannsylvania, where he feasts on it’s inhabitants. Vampires don’t have blood in their own bodies, so they need to continuously drink blood of living creatures to replenish their ever-draining supply. This is extremely similar to how a dictator runs a country. They have absolute power over everyone else and do things only to gain more power. Both dictators and Dracula use the capitalist deception to gain capital by turning human life into power. Dictators use labor plus the actual time people live to gain wealth. Dracula directly turns human life into power. This creates a massive surplus on the side of the dictator. Dracula also has his minions to seduce Harker. Stoker writes “The fair girl went on her knees and bent over me, fairly
English 271
Marxist Approach of Dracula
12/17/10
According to Dictionary.com, a vampire is “a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned.” Our society’s view of Vampires has unfortunately been tarnished by several novels that shall remain nameless. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, however, is an excellent novel that shows just how menacing vampires should be. More importantly, it is a classic book that can provide many different readings and analyses. By using a Marxist approach, elements of this book can be easily compared to the oppression and eventual overthrow of a dictatorship style government. Dracula and Trannsylvania represent an oppressed country being run by a dictator. Team Van Helsing, consisting of Van Helsing, Harker, Mina, Lucy, Seward, Holmwood, and Morris, represent the upper middle class of a neighboring country. When Dracula begins expanding his rule into Team Van Helsing’s country, they eventually revolt and overthrow him, In Dracula, Count Dracula represents a dictator ruling over an oppressed country, which is represented by Trannsylvania. Dracula lives in a castle right outside of the city of Trannsylvania, where he feasts on it’s inhabitants. Vampires don’t have blood in their own bodies, so they need to continuously drink blood of living creatures to replenish their ever-draining supply. This is extremely similar to how a dictator runs a country. They have absolute power over everyone else and do things only to gain more power. Both dictators and Dracula use the capitalist deception to gain capital by turning human life into power. Dictators use labor plus the actual time people live to gain wealth. Dracula directly turns human life into power. This creates a massive surplus on the side of the dictator. Dracula also has his minions to seduce Harker. Stoker writes “The fair girl went on her knees and bent over me, fairly