Dracula:Discussion Director: Final Post: Chapter 22-end: Brandon Greer
Okay, this is our final post for Dracula. Shank has this idea that we’re doing another book, but I doubt it. Anyway, here are my final set of questions:
1. There comes a time in the story when Van Helsing is not able to hypnotize Mina. Obviously, it’s because she is becoming more of a vampire. What I want to know is your theories on the details. In other words, do you think that there is a certain part of being a vampire that prevents it? An example would be maybe because they are not really alive. What are your theories?
2. Why do you think that Dracula killed Renfield instead of turning him into a vampire? Explain.
3. What are your opinions on the ending?
4. If you could change the ending, how would you change it?
Now, we all need to start working on the RESEARCH PAPER!!!
-Brandon
Category: Per 3 TBT DD 12 comments »
April 18th, 2009 at 9:36 am
In chapter 23, the men get keys to the other houses and they quickly go around to sterilize the other boxes of earth. Harker and Helsing go to Piccadilly, and they find that one of the 9 boxes is missing. They wait for the count and they plan an ambush, but Dracula jumps out the window and escapes. Helsing believes that Dracula is scared, and Helsing hypnotizes Mina to attempt to track Dracula. His plan works, and Mina can hear that he has left to England by the sea. Jonathan is worried that Dracula will leave and hide while Mina slowly turns into a vampire.
Next, in chapter 24, Helsing gives a speech about how killing Dracula would be the best for mankind. They find the boat that he is on, and it’s the same port that he was traveling to three months earlier. Helsing thinks that Mina will not be affected by the searching for the count anymore. They go out for Dracula and Mina wants to come along. She says her connection to Dracula would help them. They plan to intercept him in Varna.
In chapter 25, before leaving Mina makes the men swear that if she turns into a vampire they will destroy her soul. They agree to this and board the Orient Express. As the trip begins to become longer, Mina becomes weaker. They learn that Dracula’s ship has bypassed the port they are headed for, so they take the train to Galatz, where Dracula is expected to arrive.
In chapter 26, the storys shifts to Seward’s journal. He writes about how Mina is helping less and less, but she does help them when she tells them she is still close to water. They reach Galatz and the box is already unloaded. The captain tells the men that a man named Immanuel picked up the box and gave it to Petrof Skinsky. He was later found dead with his troat cut out. The men next split up and go on different paths to find Dracula on the way to his castle. Helsing goes as fast as possible, hoping to purify the place before the count arrives. Jonathan and Arthur hear of a large boat up river and decided it has to be Dracula. Mina and Helsing are forced to go on a carriage to the castle, the same carriage that Jonathan took earlier in the story.
In chapter 27, Helsing tells that he has he has reached Bargo Pass. They see the three vampires that Jonathan had when he first arrived. Helsing puts wafers around and the vampires literally scare the horses until they die. Helsing leaves Mina with the wafers around her and goes towards the castle the next day. He destroys the tombs of the three vampires, even though they are extremely beautiful. He finds Dracula’s tomb and cleans it with wafers. He seals the castle with wafers so he can never go back inside. They now leave the castle and see a cart with earth in it. From a far away place, they see the other men seize the cart and take the rifles. Mina sees Dracula get slashed in the throat and stabbed in the heart. He dies and his body crumbles to the ground in dust. Mina says his face looked peaceful. The scar has now vanished from Mina’s forehead. After the book ends, Harker writes a journal. Mina has a son named Quincey. Along with this, both Seward and Holmwood get married.
Peace- This is ironic that Mina would describe the count as peaceful, after all of the harm he had done to the characters in the story.
Hypnotize- I think this is an interesting idea, and it helped the men greatly in capturing the count by way of Mina.
Pledge- I find this important to the story because Mina made the men pledge that if she turned into a vampire, they would kill her. The story would have been much different if that would have happened.
Rituals- I think this is important to the story because it was an important theme in killing the vampires and formed the conclusion and resolution of the book.
Troubled- I think this would describe Mina in this section of the book; she was extremely distressed and did not know if she would live. It can also describe many characters at some point or another in the story.
-Dan
April 19th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Dan this is a good summary, as always. I think some of your words could be a little more sophisticated than what you chose, but they did fit the description that you gave each of them.
-Brandon
April 19th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Alright Brandon, you have to kill me don’t you. As you said, we need to write our research paper. How in the world can I do it if I am answering your questions?!
To answer your first question, I did a little research. Sometimes a person can not be hypnotized. There are many reasons for this. Some people become immune to it over time, others never really had it work, but used it to be able to talk without judgment. I am of the presumption that in addition to your thoughts that she is becoming immune because of her slow transformation into a vampire, but also because her body will not go into the pattern again. Everyone is different and not all of them will have an easy time with hypnotism…
For your second question, Renfield was useless to Dracula. He was locked up in an asylum and people who knew about vampires were watching and caring for him. Renfield’s loyalty was also questionable because he was insane. People like him can say something and do another. There would always be a risk with him, so why should Dracula take that risk when there are plenty of other fish in the sea, so to speak.
As for your third question, I liked the end. It was very satisfying and cheery. Actually, it was a bit too satisfying and cheery but I will not complain. The story is over and life is now normal for the characters in the book, as well as Dracula finally being at peace.
For your final question, I would have made the story’s end more depressing, with more deaths and with Renfield still alive. I liked him.
There is my response for you!
-Jenni Kantor
April 19th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Oh! This is for Dan:
Terrific summary! I liked the words you chose. They bring out the true end into the story!
-Jenni Kantor
April 19th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Thank you Jenny. I like my words, they have meaning to the story.
-Dan
April 19th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
What if I chose words that we would all forget and have no relevance to the story? Would you like that better Brandon??
April 19th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I thought it was because they were getting closer to the castle and Dracula? Did I interpret that part wrong? I agree with Jenny though, some people cannot have this done to them. They just don’t have the ability. I think that there is deffinatley resistance that makes her unable now. She is obviously troubled because of her vampire syndroms. Since vampires really do not exist, its hard to make up a legit thoery on how or why she cannot be hypnotized.
For your second question, I think the fact that he is insane made Dracula’s desicion easier. He had no use for someone locked up like that and Renfield was always being questioned by the people who knew most about the vampires. Jenny is right about the other fish in the sea too. Why spend your time on someone who is a risk?
The ending was good, I thought it was a little too predictable. I think that the way it ended wrapped up the story a little too much. It may have been more interesting if we did not know what happened to Dracula in the end. For example, he runs away and writes to them saying he has found a new place to prey on people, and will no longer bother them. I think that these questions are too cliche Brandon. I think that Jenny’s opinion is very strange. More deaths? And you liked Renfiled? I am worried about you…
Ugh, research paper…
Do not remind us.
-Dan
April 19th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Dan, I never said to pick words that have no relevance.
Kianat, did you make the puppets???
-Brandon
April 19th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Sorry, Kianat, but I’m going out to eat and I won’t be back before 5:00.
Question 1: I pretty much gave you my answer as an example. I think that because vampires are not really alive they cannot be hypontized. I also think that Jenni’s research might be right, it’s very possible that this fact hadn’t been discovered when Dracula was written.
Question 2: I think Renfield was killed was because he might know too much information, from being visited by Dracula. I think that being insane wouldn’t be a problem because he would be dead. I don’t think insanity continue after death.
Question 3: I thought the ending was okay. The ending is obviously very predictable in this type of book, but I don’t think that it would be a good story if Dracula won the fight. I thought it was very anticlimatic. They opened to coffin and drove a stake through him.
Question 4: I would have made the characters actually fight Dracula (swords). That would have been more interesting. I would also reveal what happens to Dracula’s soul. Does it go to Hell? Or does he go to Heaven (there’s a look of peace on his face, so you don’t know). If he was going to Hell, I would have made the earth open up in a pit of fire and have his body fall through. If he was going to Heaven, light would open up from the sky.
Kianat, I know you didn’t respond yet, but did you make puppets?
April 19th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Dan, the summary is as great as usual and the word choices are terrific, I liked how you chose words that had huge importance to the story and the character’s feelings and experiences.
-Kianat
April 19th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I’ve made the puppets, you’ll see them tomorrow!
-Kianat Zamir
April 19th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
1)I agree with Jen, I think that Mina turning into a vampire has an effect on Dracula hypnotizing Mina. I agree that Mina not being alive would definitely be an issue but it also depends on the person like Jen and Dan said.
2)I also agree, Renfield was no use to Dracula he was insane and therefore dangerous of exposing him to people who believed in Dracula and knew the truth about him. Renfield was just someone who didn’t have any importance to Dracula and therefore just a thorn in his path of non-exposure.
3 & 4)I like happy endings, they always make my day. I thought that Dracula dying and getting peace at last was a good thing but he needed to learn his lesson without being given the easy route out. I think that he should’ve repented for what he did and then he should’ve been killed. Dan, I think it would just be plain scary if Dracula went away and promised not to bother them anymore because he would still be killing people and who knows there might’ve been someone who would’ve believed in Dracula and would’ve hunted him, interesting view though.
-Kianat