So when Van Helsing shows up with "Sacred Wafers," what he has are Communion wafers (bread) that have already been blessed by a priest. And since Van Helsing is Roman Catholic, he believes in transubstantiation—that the wafers only look like wafers, but are actually the body of Jesus.

What does wafer mean in Dracula?

Sacred Wafers

Van Helsing crumbles wafers and places them in the crevices of Lucy's tomb to prevent the undead from entering. Van Helsing also gives each person in the group a communion wafer to hold as they face Count Dracula.

What are the holy objects in Dracula?

They use Catholic sacred objects and practices to protect themselves and defeat Dracula even though some of them are Protestant or have no clear religious affiliation. Significant examples of these include the consecrated Host, indulgences, crucifixes, and the sign of the cross.

What is symbolized through Dracula's mark on Mina's forehead?

Mina symbolizes the ideal Victorian woman. Her story in Dracula also includes symbolism relating to sexuality and purity, and the mark on her forehead signifies her "unclean" state after being bitten by Dracula.

What are the biblical symbols in Dracula?

This imagery includes references to and descriptions of the crucifix, blood, sacred wafer, and holy circle that are used to eventually kill vampires. Because Dracula is a story of good and evil with religious undertones, Bram Stoker uses imagery to help the reader feel more connected to the story and the characters.

DRACULA BY BRAM STOKER // ANIMATED BOOK SUMMARY

Why does Dracula fear the crucifix?

Moffat and Gatiss settle on this answer: Dracula is frightened of death and the Cross confronts him with a man, Jesus, who was willing to die. They reject superstition and tradition in favour of something far neater, more relatable and very in fashion. Draccy has a psychological hang-up.

What is the religious symbolism in Dracula?

In Dracula, the crucifix serves as a means of keeping the vampire at bay. Just as the Eucharist becomes the body of Christ, the crucifix is a reminder of the Catholic belief in Jesus' death and resurrection. The crucifix is not used in the Protestant faith to which Jonathan Harker belongs (9).

Why does the communion wafer burn Mina's skin?

The blood-stained nightgown symbolizes Mina's loss of purity and is a metaphor for loss of virginity. The next day, Van Helsing attempts to protect Mina by pressing the Eucharist to her forehead, but it burns her. This proves that she has lost all purity.

Why did Mina drink Dracula's blood?

Dracula forces Min to drink his blood in an effort to connect him to her and to overpower her with the intentions of killing her. Why it matters: This scene demonstrates the lack of identity Dracula has as well as the control he fights for.

Why is Dracula obsessed with Mina?

Count Dracula is drawn to Mina because of her purity and innocence. His plan to move to London and make it his new feeding ground places him in a reverse colonial position. He will gradually destroy Victorian norms by turning ladies like Mina into ravenous, lustful creatures like his Transylvanian brides.

What is blood a metaphor for in Dracula?

Blood in Bram Stoker's Dracula symbolizes at least three different concepts: an essential life force for humans and vampires, the antithesis of the blood of Christ (a Christian religious symbol), and sexual desire, intercourse, and reproduction.

What are the boxes of dirt in Dracula?

Vampires need their native earth to survive. Dracula can only rest in a coffin filled with his native Transylvanian soil, which he has shipped from Eastern Europe for that purpose. To thwart him, one simply needs to destroy these boxes, which is what the doctors do in the novel.

Is there holy water in Dracula?

The Story So Far

They decided to use holy water to destroy Dracula's 50 boxes of Transylvania dirt, which he needs to survive. They got 49 of them, but realized Dracula had hidden one of them. Chapter 23 is told through diary entries by Dr. Seward and Jonathan Harker, and takes place on October 3-4.

How was Lucy sexualized in Dracula?

She is a paragon of virtue and innocence, qualities that draw not one but three suitors to her. Lucy differs from her friend in one crucial aspect, however—she is sexualized. Lucy's physical beauty captivates each of her suitors, and she displays a comfort or playfulness about her desirability that Mina never feels.

What item leaves a scar on Mina's forehead?

Before the men proceed to the count's estate in Piccadilly, Van Helsing seals Mina Murray's room with wafers. When he touches her forehead with a wafer, it burns her skin and leaves a bright red scar on her forehead.

What is the sexualization of Lucy in Dracula?

Lucy embodies the Victo- rian man's traditional view of the upper-class woman as someone who does not work and is highly emotional and sensual. Lucy's sexualization, charac- teristic of the New Woman, becomes much more apparent after the young woman succumbs to vampirism.

Was Mina really in love with Dracula?

In several adaptations of the novel, including Francis Ford Coppala's film version, Mina seems to be in love with Dracula, but that is a departure from the book.

What happened to Mina after Dracula died?

In Stoker's original novel, Mina Harker recovers from the vampire's curse upon Dracula's death and lives on to marry Jonathan. However, in some media, Mina is killed at some point in the story, while in others, she becomes a full vampire and keeps her powers after the death of Dracula.

Does Dracula fall in love with Mina in the book?

Although in later adaptations of Dracula, Dracula falls in love with Mina, there is no sign that this happens in Bram Stoker's original novel. Dracula is not shown to be romantically-inclined towards any of his victims.

Why did Van Helsing hypnotize Mina?

Evidently Stoker was interested in hypnosis or "animal magnetism," since Van Helsing, through hypnotizing Mina, is able to learn of Dracula's whereabouts. Dracula, too, can hypnotize and, indeed, he is an individual of great personal magnetism.

What is Mina's gender?

Mina is a girl of medium height, possibly set a little more broadly than some of her other female classmates, with, according to her profile, "healthy thighs".

Why does Renfield betray Dracula?

Instead, he was constantly fed the empty promise of eternal life and used by Dracula to complete any and every task he placed before him. Eventually, this abuse made way for Renfield to regain his consciousness, which he used to save Mina Harker and defend himself against his master.

What is the main message of Dracula?

In the novel, Dracula represents the epitome of evil. Not only is he evil himself, but he actually spreads his evil influence like a virus by infecting certain humans and causing them to become just like him. Conversely, the people in the vampire-hunting group, or the Crew of Light, are inherently good.

What does Van Helsing symbolize in Dracula?

Van Helsing represents the good forces at work, or the righteous, and Dracula represents the evil forces, or the Devil himself.

Does Dracula mean devil or dragon?

The name Dracula means “son of Dracul.” In the Romanian language today, dracul means “the devil”—drac is “devil,” ul is “the”—but it is derived from the Latin dracō, “dragon.” (Dragons have been historically associated with Satan, hence the evolution.)