(Dracula) - Reading Journal 2

After Harker disappears into Count Dracula's Castle, the story fades to a collection of letters and journals written by Harker's fiance, Mina, to her friend, Lucy. The writings tell whats happening in their lives and feelings. Lucy reveals her craze for three different lovers while Mina reveals her wish to help her husband in any way possible. Mina represents a stereotypical woman, being controlled by her man and being happy about it. Lucy represents an atypical woman, being able to pick whichever man she likes and controlling her men. During their stories, they also discuss this suspicious Russian ship. All that was found on the ship was a dead captain with the rest of the crew missing. There were also fifty boxes of earth on the ship, similar to the boxes Harker found in the Count's room earlier in the story. Stoker is hinting at what is going to happen with Dracula. Lucy is scared by the entire event and begins sleepwalking. The sleepwalking leads to Dracula biting her. Dr. Seward begins to try to treat her. Soon after he calls upon his old mentor, Van Helsing. Helsing puts up garlic around Lucy which seems to help. This leads to the idea that vampires can't be near garlic. Although Harker ends his scene with the words "Good-bye," he reappears in Buda-Pest with Brain Fever. Lucy's treatment ends up failing and she dies. Helsing is convinced she is undead and gets Holmwood, Seward, and Quincey Morris to finish her off. The Harkers return to England and help Helsing and gang to defeat Dracula. They collect information to track him down. In the process, Mina gets bitten. Once Dracula is killed by the team, Mina is cured and they all live happily ever after. The entire story is a quintessential vampire story. If it was written today, the story would just be cliche. The book is not cliche because it was the first real book about vampires. The book is what gives us these ideas about a cliche vampire book. Helsing as an evil hunter, vampires hating garlic, and the physical appearance of vampires all came from Dracula. That's what makes the book so interesting and makes it a classic.