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The Symbolism Of Blood In Dracula

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Over the years, many legends have been told about the vampires and their monstrous ways. However, specific details about these creatures’ habits differ from story to story. Some say they burn if exposed to sunlight, some say they can only be destroyed with fire; every author interprets the legend in his or her own way. There is only one true symbol that has remained constant in every vampire story ever told, and that is blood. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, blood is a powerful symbol. Throughout the novel, it represents life, lust, and weakness.
The most obvious use of blood symbolism in Dracula is blood symbolizing life. All of the characters, whether they be humans or vampires, rely on blood to stay alive. The more blood Dracula takes from …show more content…
Stoker writes, “With his left hand, he held both Mrs. Harker’s hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension; his right hand gripped the back of her neck, forcing her facedown on his bosom. Her white night dress was smeared with blood, and a thin stream trickled down the man’s bare breast which was shone by hi torn-open dress” (242). This is “a repulsive depiction of a man holding a woman hostage” (Podonsky) and clearly represents rape.
Blood is a symbol of weakness for the vampires. The female vampires that live in Dracula’s castle are weak because they rely on him for blood to stay alive. He has complete control over them and this gives him the power to have “the women “trained” in such a manner that the narrator of the passage compares it to the domestication of animals” (Podonsky). Blood is one of the only things that make the vampires appear weaker than the humans because humans take blood for granted, whereas vampires must hunt for it.
In the novel Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, the themes of life, lust, and weakness are all symbolized with blood. Blood is needed by all characters and even drives some to commit unspeakable acts of

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