“God preserve my sanity, for to this I am reduced. Safety and the assurance of safety are things of the past. Whilst I live on here there is but one thing to hope for: that I may not go mad, if, indeed, I be not mad already. If I be sane, then surely it is maddening to think that of all the foul things that lurk in this hateful place the Count is the least dreadful to me; that to him alone I can look for safety, even though this be only whilst I can serve his purpose. Great God! Merciful God! Let me be calm, for out of that way lies madness indeed.” (Stoker 43)
As in many Gothic novels and stories, the English’s fear of the outside world and outside influences entering and destroying their culture is very prevalent in Dracula. Stoker not only uses Dracula as a representation of the outside world entering England, but shows the outside world to the English through Harker’s journey to Dracula’s domain.
In the beginning of the quote, Harker begs God to save his sanity. These lines demonstrate the level of fear that he currently has, and the torture he has been put through by living outside of England. Dracula, whose identity as a vampire is not clear to Harker, has put Harker through mental torture and challenges, and just the strangeness of his lifestyle, his strength, his castle, and more make Harker feel like he is going mad. Additionally, Harker is aware that Dracula plans to move to England, and this idea that Dracula and his horrors will travel to England furthers Harker’s suffering. Harker is completely powerless in Transylvania and in Dracula’s castle, which is the reason he reaches out to God, and the reason he is going mad. The idea that Dracula, the cause of his suffering, would be traveling to England where Mina, his lover, is, and where everyone he knows and loves is, is another cause for Harker to go mad. Without having any power or chance of stopping Dracula, Harker further shows England’s xenophobia, because he especially fears the idea that Dracula would make his way into his culture, and essentially ruin it by infecting those around him, or just physically harm them.
While Dracula the character is one reason Harker is going mad, he specifically says that he fears everything that is around him in the castle that he is unaware of. These lines also show that beyond the character of Dracula entering and affecting the English people, Stoker reminds the English that they are to fear and disrespect the land around them. This classic Xenophobia is added to Dracula as a character, because Harker also says that he can only feel peace or somewhat comfortable when Dracula is around, making Transylvania truly feel like an un-Earthly place that is host to dangerous, terrifying, and Hellish creatures, and that the westerners are not to interact with that area of the world.
This was a great analysis of the British xenophobia that was present at the time. I also wrote about Dracula as a representation of the outside world and that everything that is in the “other” should be feared. One thing that I believe strengthens your point is that Mina is described as a “shining light,” and almost an angelic being when she takes steps to prevent Dracula from infiltrating England. Do you agree that this could be a call to action for British readers to take active steps in preventing foreign influences from spreading?