The most curious linguistic oddity within Dracula occurs when Bram Stoker makes the conscious decision to capitalize the first letter in the pronouns ‘He’ or ‘Him’ in reference to Dracula whilst they are not positioned at the beginning of a sentence. This choice would not be considered strange if the capitalization of mid-sentence male pronouns were not intrinsically linked to religious implications. Normally, the capitalization of ‘He’ and ‘Him’ is reserved for references to God or statements about God’s actions. As a result, the pronoun capitalization that Bram Stoker employs in various sections throughout the text is abnormal because it is quite possibly blasphemous. The sporadic pronoun capitalization within Dracula creates an uncertainty between what is asked of him and what is required of Him- By this, I mean to say that the reader is unsure of whether God or Dracula is being addressed within these crucial passages.
In the article “Pronoun Capitalisation in the New King James Version: A Style in Translation and Communication,” Ekpenyong states that the Bible utilized capital pronouns (in reference to God) in order to more greatly differentiate between God and man- and to also establish the concept that God should be placed “above everyone else” (Ekpenong, 58). For the reader’s sake, the pronoun capitalization within the Bible eradicated subject ambiguity and distinctly established a division between God and human beings. Ekpenyong suggests that using capital letters (or ‘divine pronouns’) instead of small letters brought “insight to the reader” (Ekpenong, 60). Incongruously, Dracula’s perversion of capital pronouns creates a blurred line between what appears to be divine (God) and what is horrific (Dracula).
If it is true that Dracula is, in fact, a distorted deity, then we must also explore the circumstances in which divine pronouns are ascribed to him in order for us to decode the meaning beneath Stoker’s religious undertones. More specifically, in Dr. Seward’s diary, Renfield describes his eexperience with Count Dracula:
“Then the dogs howled, away beyond the dark trees in His house…A dark mass spread over the grass, coming on like the shape of a flame of fire; and then He moved the mist to the right and left, and I could see that these were thousands of rats with their eyes blazing red- like His, only smaller” (298, Stoker).
Stoker’s “divine pronoun” usage implies that Dracula is not only magical, but holy in a sense. The relationship between Renfield and the Count is odd because he [Renfield] describes Him [Dracula] with great reverence despite the terror that is associated with the encounter. Perhaps, an argument can be made that Renfield is Dracula’s apprentice and thus treats him with a great deal of respect. The manner in which Renfield speaks, for instance, “I don’t care for the pale people; I like them with lots of blood in them” (Stoker, 299) implies a twisted likeness between both Dracula and Renfield. This godlike pedestal that Renfield places Dracula upon could explain the religious reverence, however, Renfield is not the only character within Dracula to refer to ‘Him’ using capital pronouns.
Comparatively, the Log of the Demeter contains references to Dracula’s presence aboard the ship. The log includes the shipmate’s fears about the Count, but his capital pronoun usage is extremely alarming.
“You had better come too, captain, before it is too late. He is there. I know the secret now. The sea will save me from him…I dared not go below, I dared not leave the helm; so here all night, I stayed, and in the dimness of the night I saw it- Him! God forgive me” (Stoker, 95).
With this new discovery, I am led to think that Stoker’s usage of “divine pronouns” is reserved for moments of complete wonderment at the prospect of the Dracula’s unknown powers.
Works Referenced:
Ekpenyong, Effiong. “Pronoun Capitalisation in the New King James Version: A Style in Translation and Communication.” Babel Revue Internationale De La Traduction / International Journal of Translation Babel 55.1 (2009): 58-68. University of Uyo. Web.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula (Revised Edition). Ed. Maurice Hindle. New York, NY: Penguin Classics, 1993. Print.
I was also wondering about Stoker’s choice to capitalize the pronouns used to refer to Dracula, and I agree with your claim that Stoker makes the choice in order to emphasize the sense of wonder, terror, and awe that various characters feel when they encounter Dracula. I also like your suggestion that Stoker’s choice to capitalize Dracula’s pronouns is slightly blasphemous; the choice demonstrates that Dracula’s perverse power is, in a sense, on the same level as God’s ability to inspire awe. Finally, is it only in Renfield’s and the ship’s captain dialogue that Dracula’s pronouns get capitalized, or do the main characters do it too? If it’s just the secondary characters, that would solidify your point that Dracula’s god-like ability to inspire awe is derived from his unknown nature.
It is interesting to think of Dracula as divine figure, but could he actually be the Devil? The Romanian word “drakul” means devil, so Stoker was probably keeping that in mind while he was writing the novel. Technically the Devil was once an archangel, one of God’s powerful children, so there is a connection there. Since this is from an English perspective it also makes sense to think that Dracula represents God, but the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and otherwise non-English gods. There are also lots of interpretations like the Van Helsing movie with Hugh Jackman or the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola production of Dracula, and in both versions Dracula gains his powers from the Devil or renouncing God. Perhaps you can take this investigation further by looking at the origins of Dracula and other “vampires” (aka Vlad Tepes and Countess Elizabeth Bathory).
Really interesting blog post! A couple connections went through my head as I was reading your post. I am definitely convinced that Stoker purposefully invoked the use of the capital letter in order for the reader to view Dracula as one who clearly possessed powers that transcended the human realm. As you pointed out it is really interesting that Dracula is used with capitalized pronouns during instances of “complete wonderment” however, rather than wonderment I think it is in moments of confusion that leads to eminent fear. Therefore, if Dracula’s pronouns are capitalized during moments of fear then I think it is safe to say that Dracula is considered an evil individual much like that of the Devil. Stoker at first makes it seem as though the He is referring to the divine God, yet, in reality I think Stoker is substituting this idea and putting the Devil in place of it. Why? Possibly to display that nothing is what it seems?