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Dracula Psychoanalysis
Dracula is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. The novel introduces the
mythology of Vampires and Dracula in the Victorian era. Analyzing Dracula closely brings about
the underlying theme of the mind that is mostly portrayed in terms of fear of the unknown
characters. This is well depicted in many characters in the novel as they are battling various
battles in their minds, which in most cases leads to them questioning their sanity. Dracula
psychoanalysis is an excellent topic to explore as psychoanalytic criticism did not exist during
the novels' time. Stoker portrays the minds of the main characters and their battles, which make
them, question their sanity.
First, we should explore what psychoanalytic criticism is and how it is portrayed in
Dracula. Freud's theories and perspectives changed as he investigated the idea further, but his
main acknowledged research work is the theory of childhood development and how it defines
our characters when we are adults. Some of his other works on the human mind include
psychological approaches such as identity, ego, and superego theories that brought about how us
questioning our minds and sanity is the work of both the conscience and the subconscious.
Freud's work, which mainly focused on analyzing the mind, led to other scholarly works to
understand the human mind. One are that focuses on a person's consciousness is Freud's concept
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of the mind's defense mechanism whereas person's ego seeks to restore the balance of certain
events, feelings or thoughts that cause anxiety (Helderman 34). Therefore the unconscious mind
utilizes ego as a defense mechanism to reduce anxiety or fear which works in different ways in
distorting what we perceive as real. However, this review explores the human mind by
examining the key characters in the play from the textual facts while also expanding on what
might be implied but not said by the characters. This entails looking at the characters and
questioning the psychology behind their thoughts, which will help us determine the personal
battles they are battling and whether it's just a perception of the mind or their own experiences.
The first main character we will look at is Jonathan Harker, a young lawyer who invited
Dracula's castle to discuss some of their businesses that involve England. In the start, Jonathan is
depicted as a person with both mind and body strength but later quickly crumbles into paranoia
The paranoia starts when Jonathan is standing in front of the mirror but cannot see the Count's
reflection on the mirror despite him being sure that he is standing in the room with him (Senf
162). In this case, Jonathan cannot understand where a person cannot reflect in the mirror as that
phenomenon itself beats science. According to Tyson, one develops defenses of the mind, which
is a way of the brain fighting what it cannot understand or reason with. Jonathan's paranoia then
creeps in, and he is in a hurry to discuss