Author: Annie's white cheddar mac n cheese

The portrait of Dorian Gray, reflecting every year that goes by and every sin committed, could also be interpreted as a reflection of Lord Henry’s corruption of Dorian. Further, Lord Henry is reflected in this portrait, as he is also a physicalization of Dorian’s greed and negativity. After all, he is the one that imparted these views onto Dorian. Additionally, the portrait of Dorian seems to fill Dorian with negative thoughts and feelings in a similar manner to Lord Henry. There is a particular moment, right before Dorian kills Basil in the room where the painting hangs, that “Dorian Gray glanced at the picture, and suddenly an uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil Hallward came over him, as though it had been suggested to him by the image on the canvas” (151). In this moment, Dorian is being influenced in a manner very similar to how he was influenced by Lord Henry. Additionally, the portrait is only the way it is because of Lord Henry’s influence on Dorian, therefore the emotions and thoughts Dorian derives from being around the painting are still a result of Lord Henry. Therefore, in a roundabout way, Lord Henry had a part in the murder of Basil Hallward, but that is neither here nor there – what is important is that the portrait is as much of a reflection of Lord Henry as it is Dorian, and when the painting is influencing Dorian’s actions and feelings, it is inadvertently Lord Henry influencing Dorian.

Just as the portrait is a physicalization of Dorian’s sins, so is Lord Henry. After all, Lord Henry’s life is what influenced Dorian in the first place to follow the treacherous path that led to the committing of so many sins. Lord Henry is the one constantly whispering in Dorian’s ear, whether literally or metaphorically through that odd French novel, influencing his every move in life. This is eerily similar to the way that is influenced by the painting when he is near it, whether that influence be paranoia, guilt, or murderous intent. Additionally, many if not all of the actions Dorian has taken in life that have led to the painting looking the way it does are actions that have been endorsed, encouraged, or inspired by Lord Henry. In fact, although it is not explicitly said, it can be inferred that many of those horrid actions were committed alongside Lord Henry. Therefore, even though the portrait may be a painting of Dorian, each sin committed that alters the appearance of the painting is a reflection of Lord Henry as well as it is Dorian, with their darkest actions intermingling on the canvas.

 

It is made obvious from the beginning of “Dionea” that the Italian village on whose shores Dionea washed up is intolerant of differences, to say the least. It is immediately clear to the convent and the members of the town that Dionea, simply based on her appearance and inability to speak Italian is different, and she is immediately judged for her clothing as well as her name and skin color. It is stated early on that, “Her (Dionea) companions detest her, and the nuns, although they admit that she is not exactly naughty, seem to feel her as a dreadful thorn in the flesh” (Lee). This makes it obvious very early on that the locals dislike Dionea, even when she is not harming them and hadn’t begun to cause problems at that point. While a reason isn’t given as to why her companions and the nuns dislike her, this lack of explanation is an indication that Dionea is initially detested simply because of her differences, namely because of her lack of connection to the Catholic church. When the story is read while keeping themes of xenophobia in mind, the idea emerges that the village’s fate at the hands of Dionea was a self fulfilling prophecy, a fate brought on by themselves after the rejection of Dionea.

The onset of the “issues” with Dionea occurs when she is found attempting to try on sacred Catholic garments as well as when she takes a seat on the edge of the altar in the chapel, a spot meant for “the Most Holy Sacrament” (Lee). While these actions may have seemed completely heretical to the nuns and other members of the town, it isn’t taken into consideration that, because Dionea comes from a foreign country and inevitably practiced a different religion if any at all, it could be possible that she simply did not understand how her actions were considered offensive. Even if this was taken into consideration, though, it only would’ve made matters worse as the nuns blindly believed that Catholicism is the one true religion, and would’ve forced it on Dionea no matter what. As someone with no connection to Catholicism, I read about Dionea’s behavior and it seems as though she didn’t understand the sacred nature of the garments, and put them on for fun, like any other young girl dresses up in strange garb. This was not the understanding of the narrator, as he described Dionea’s dress up moment as “… she was about to adorn her wicked little person with these sacred garments” (Lee). Additionally, the narrator and the nuns were displeased about Dionea sitting on the altar, however, Dionea had been oiling the floors and no doubt was tired and simply didn’t realize the importance of the place she had chosen to rest.

It was the village and the nuns as well as the narrator that made the decision to immediately ostracize Dionea because of her differences. Instead of educating her when she went against their beliefs, they criticized her, punished her, no doubt turning Dionea against them all. In the end, that is why Dionea causes the ruckus that she does. The village brought it upon themselves.

While we have read many interesting articles containing many interesting perspectives on Dracula that offer many different lenses to view the novel through, the one I find particularly interesting and the lens I wish to analyze excerpts of Dracula through is the portion of the novel Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire that we read. This lens offers the idea that homosocial and homosexual desire is present in the relationships between many characters in the novel, meaning same sex social attraction and sexual attraction is present in the characters’ relationships. It is through this lens of homosocial and homosexual desire that Lucy and Mina’s “friendship” can be viewed as something more than just platonic affection.

It is immediately made clear in the novel that Mina and Lucy are incredibly close friends, as they address each other with terms of endearment, signing letters “Your loving,” (Stoker) or even “Ever your loving,” (Stoker). This, right off the bat, demonstrates the deep adoration each woman has for one another. The two make plans to visit Whitby, and the first thing Mina writes of in her journal is how Lucy met her at the station, “… looking sweeter and lovelier than ever” (Stoker). When the book is in Mina’s point of view, a negative comment at the expense of Lucy is never uttered, instead Mina takes every opportunity to compliment Lucy and write about how lovely she is. Besides this, one of the biggest indicators of possible homoerotic desire is the fact that Lucy and Mina share a bed throughout their entire stay in Whitby. This is never outwardly discussed, never questioned by anyone, yet fuels major moments in Lucy and Mina’s relationship. Mina’s accounts from Whitby are full of worry about Lucy because of her behavior at night, ranging from moderate concern about the pallor of Lucy’s skin to physically tucking Lucy into bed after she woke up to find Lucy sitting at the window. It cannot be questioned that the two hold inexplicable affection for one another, and using the part of Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire that we covered furthers this affection to homosocial and homoerotic desire.

In this novel, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick addresses homosexual desire in literature, with the excerpt offered in class focusing on homosocial and homoerotic desire. Sedgwick writes about obligatory heterosexuality, claiming that the heterosexual couple is, essentially, the backbone of patriarchal societies and that homoerotic desire is perceived as a threat to these systems. It would make sense why nobody would question the bizarrely close relationship Lucy and Mina had, as even the thought of something more than just friendship between the two of them ruins two heterosexual relationships – Mina and Jonathan as well as Lucy and Arthur. Additionally, it makes sense that the “friendship” wasn’t questioned as there’s more leeway in female friendships when it comes to the relationship being perceived as platonic or romantic. Sedgwick writes that there are inherent homosocial qualities in platonic feminine relationships, and behaviors that would be considered even homoerotic if they occurred between two men are socially acceptable for two female besties to perform.

They weren’t besties, though. Lucy and Mina’s behaviors point toward a homoerotic relationship, after all, who spends weeks on end sleeping next to and worrying over their friend in such a dramatic manner? The behavior between the two go beyond even homosocial desire, entering the homoerotic zone as they spent countless nights together. The desire between the pair is strong, especially on Mina’s behalf.

Prior to reading Dracula, I had many preconceived notions of what the novel would be. All I knew of Dracula was the not quite scary, often-times very normal acting, pop culture figure that haunted halloweens, picture books, and Sesame Street. A mere six pages into the novel Dracula, and it became apparent to me that the original Count Dracula was a being that truly struck fear into the hearts of the religious folk of the novel. When Jonathan Harker leaves for the last leg of his journey, the carriage ride that would take him to the Count’s castle, the people of the village beg him to stay, but when it becomes obvious that Harker will be making the trip no matter what, the people switch tactics. They begin making crosses with their fingers, one woman going so far as to put a rosary around Harker’s neck, saying “For your mother’s sake,” (6). This kickstarts underlying religious themes that become more and more prevalent throughout the novel, informing my opinion that the Count Dracula is a physicalization of religious terror and guilt.

The concept of vampires and the myths surrounding them stem from religious ideals, or in most cases, the church’s concept of the Devil. Emily Gerard’s “Transylvanian Superstitions” highlights these religious themes, stating that most of the superstitions and myths surrounding Transylvania stemmed from the Devil – the vampires, witches, and dragons were more like assistants to the Devil, doing his bidding. This puts the scene where the villagers are all making crosses into perspective, for in their eyes, Jonathan Harker is about to enter the Devil’s den; they are trying to protect him with the religious symbols that they know to protect against the Devil. Further, Gerard also writes that there are two kinds of vampires, the living and the dead. She writes that “The living vampire is in general the illegitimate offspring of two illegitimate persons,” (Gerard), illegitimate meaning not recognized in the eyes of God. This can be viewed as a religious cautionary tale, one that warns against the creation of bastard children, as that child could grow up to birth a vampire. Count Dracula is quite literally a physicalization of these religious fears that people of the time held.

When, in the novel, Dr. Van Helsing discovers Lucy’s undead nature and invites Arthur, Dr. Seward, and other colleagues to observe Lucy’s empty coffin at night, he goes prepared with not only a crucifix, but also communion wafers believed to be the body of Christ. Dr. Van Helsing uses both of these religious symbols to fend off Lucy in her undead state and to keep her from re-entering her tomb, proving that vampires are a religious enemy, one in connection with the devil. Besides the wooden stake and the garlic, all measures taken by Dr. Van Helsing against Lucy have religious meaning, furthering this idea that vampires are almost like devils or demons in their own right. Lucy as well as the count are frequently likened to or labeled as demons, Arthur even asking of Lucy’s body “Is this really Lucy’s body, or only a demon in her shape?” (286). I believe that that is what is so frightening to the characters of the novel, all of whom are religious – vampires are devils in disguise. Religion is one of, if not the, central theme in this novel, and the myth of vampires would not exist if it hadn’t been born out of religion.