Dracula; post 1; Period 3; Jenni Kantor; Illuminator
First off, I want to say that I had my doubts (and still do, to an extent) about reading the book Dracula. I will stop complaining to you Brandon, at least refraining from complaining about this book. Other matters…I make no promises…
Well, Bram Stoker is a very proficient writer, making well rounded characters and going into detail about the settings and other such things. I, as was written, am the illuminator for this little “excursion” of Dracula’s meanings. I found a passage on pages thirteen and fourteen, a very interesting paragraph. It reads as follows:
All at once the wolves began to howl as though the moonlight had had some particular effect on them. the horses jumped about and reared, and looked helplessly round with eyes that rolled in a way painful to see; but the living ring of terror encompassed them on every side; and they had the perforce to remain within it. I called to the coachman to come, for it seemed to me that our only chance was to try to break out through the ring and to aid his approach. I shouted and beat the side of the calèche, hoping by the noise to scare the wolves from that side, so as the give him a chance of reaching the trap. How he came there, I know not, but I heard his voice raised in a tone of imperious command, and looking towards the sound, saw his stand in the roadway. As he swept his long arms, as though brushing aside some impalpable obstacle, the wolves fell back and back farther still. Just then a heavy cloud passed across the face of the moon, so that we were again in darkness.
I found this passage important because it is foreshadowing the coachman’s master, Dracula. It is relating him to the wolves and darkness, also managing to intertwine them to all of the superstition that Jonathan Harker has heard of. Why do you think that the coachman has power over the wolves? Do you think that Harker really did dream this? If the wolves are under Dracula’s power, why did he send them/ allow them to go after his guest and coach?
There’s my blog!
-Jenni Kantor
Category: Per 3 TBT I, Per 3 TBT Illum 4 comments »
March 20th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
READ THIS!!! (In case you could not read the first one)READ THIS!!!
By the way, a note to all those who reply: This is a hypothetical situation, meaning that we/I am presuming and assuming that the coachman is not Dracula. If you think about it, there could be another person (like the three ladies who try to “kiss” Jonathan) who Dracula ordered/asked to bring his guest over. So, basing your reply on this technically hypothetical situation that we are assuming that the coachman and Dracula are two different people, please answer my question!
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Confused much?
I agree with you that the passage is foreshadowing Dracula. It’s definitely relating him to the darkness and the wolves which are basically portraying evil. I don’t think that the coachman has power over the wolves; I believe that Dracula has power over the wolves. I consider that Dracula came to the coachman’s and Jonathan’s ‘rescue’ from the wolves. I don’t think that Harker really dreamed any of this, but he might believe that since he is still new to all of the superstitions. I am just taking a wild guess here, but I think that Dracula wanted his guest to sense fear, to have an idea of what he was going to be facing when he arrived at the Count’s castle.
-Kianat Zamir
March 22nd, 2009 at 3:34 pm
This scene certainly helps create the supernatural mood of the story. During this time period, wolves were feared. People who lived in the Carpathian Mountains where the story took place probably would have connected Dracula with the wolves if this story was real. This scene where a human has control over wolves helps create the eery mood of the book. Your question is hard to answer because the coachman IS Dracula and naturally has control of the wolves. If the coachman was a different character, he probably would not have control. Jonathan probably is not dreaming because later on, the newspaper clipping tells of a ferocious dog that got off the ship. If Dracula could transform into a wolf, it would make sense that he had control over them.
-Brandon
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I deffinately agree with everyone that this foreshadows Dracula. I think that it does this in the way that the author is putting fear into the reader and building suspense. Everyone warned him that going to the castle was bad, evil, etc. The author uses the fear that Harker has of the wolves to lead up to the Count’s (which is a name Jenny, but can also be a tiltle, I just think of it as a name) castle. The reader may think that because the road to the house is bumpy, the house may be bumpy. That’s a really weird analogy.
Dracula is a very werid dude, and I’m not sure if anyone can follow what he is ever doing. He may have control over the wolves, he may not. I do not think the driver does. I think that the driver is controlled by the Count. He has been on this road many times and is not feared by the wolves because he knows Dracula wouldn’t harm him. This section of the story is very important to the events that follow. It foreshadow’s the setting of the story, the events of the story, almost everything that has happened in the story so far.
The question you asked to why Dracula would send the wolves…I don’t even know if he did send them. They may have just been there. But if they were sent, it was to put the suspicion that there was evil in Harker’s mind so that when he arrived at the castle the Count could be nice as pie, and make it seem like he is a good guy. He would have just been messing with his mind. I can’t really say whether he was dreaming or not. During the trip, there were multiple times where we don’t know if he was dreaming or not. The driver was not fazed by the wolves? So maybe he was dreaming? I agree with Kianat though, very confusing question and section of the story. It was a good one though, because there was a lot to talk about!
-Dan