Abstract
In Bram Stoker's Dracula, animals are used to reflect the ferocity of the titular villain. A variety of animals are used, including wolves and bats, which have now become part of vampire lore. At one point in the novel, Dracula even uses a human to fulfill his bidding. However, as dangerous as a man is, Dracula is more powerful and sinister predator. He is defeated only when multiple men band together with a plan to kill him. The first instance of fearsome animals occurs at the very beginning of the novel, when Jonathan Harker arrives in Transylvania. Right at the start, a fearsome predator is introduced and man becomes prey. The element of control is present throughout the plot as Dracula bends the animals' wills to his own. However, even as wolves, dogs, and bats abound in the pages of the novel, none can match the fear that Dracula instills as the ultimate predator.
Recommended Citation
Ray, Mary
(2021)
"Animals and the Predator Motif in Dracula,"
Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship: Vol. 8, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/montview/vol8/iss1/1