Dracula As an Outsider Essay -- Literary Analysis

Dracula, as it was written by Bram Stoker, presents to us possibly the most infamous monster in all of literature. think Dracula, as a fictional character, has come to symbolize the periphery between the majority and being an outsider to that group. Draculas appeal throughout the eld and genres no doubt stems from his sense of romanticism and monster. Readers no doubt are attracted to his bad-boy sensibilities, which provide an attraction into the novel. Looking first at his appearance, personality, and demeanor at the beginning of the novel, we can easily see Draculas blurred outsider status, as he occupies the boundaries of human and monster. Related to this is Draculas geographic sense of outsider. For all intents and purposes, Dracula is an immigrant to England, thus placing him further into the realm of outsider. To look at Bram Stokers Dracula as solely a monster in the most violent sense of his actions would to be look at a sole aspect of his character, and so we must look at how he interacts with the outside world to genuinely understand him.The purpose of Draculas physical rendering is to place him against humanity and see how he dozens up. He has various features which obviously make him a vampire, such as a set of sharp teeth. But there are other peculiarities to his description which mark him as being an outsider. For instance, when Jonathon Harker, and by extension the reader, first meets Dracula, he describes him as being a tall old man, clean shaven save up for a long white moustache, and clad in black from head to foot (Stoker 15). At this point, he is a regular looking man, or at least normal enough that nothing elicits a reaction in Jonathon. Later, however, the aberrant constitution of Dracula co... ...elf by taking other shapes and become something that no longer even reveals a human. Every part of Draculas adventure in England is a reaction to his outsider status, but more so because he attacks the readers, or at least the readers t hat Stoker was writing for, in their native land. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, Draculas otherness stems from the fact that he is an immigrant from a foreign land, a land that is itself removed from certainty as it is culturally between. This immigrant status first starts out as basic hatred, then turns into a fear as Dracula attempts to colonise England and dominate it. Works CitedStoker, Bram. Dracula. Toronto Project Gutenberg Publishings, 1897.Kane, Michael. Insiders/Outsiders Conrads The Nigger of the Narcissus and Bram Stokers Dracula The Modern Language Review. 92.1 (1997) 1-21. Print.