After Debbie talked about Adam and Eve in class I found myself making comparisons between Dracula and the story of Adam and Eve. The snake, for instance, is a symbol of evil and deceptive behaviors. Snake bites are typically two puncture wounds that look very similar to what I imagine a vampire bite to look like.
Actual Snake Bite
Depiction of Vampire Bite
Just like the snake, Dracula is luring women (particularly Lucy) to come over to the evil side. Dracula’s dark powers are similar to the powers of a snake and snakes have limitations just like Dracula. Dracula cannot go into someones house unless he is invited and he also cannot be in sunlight. Similarly, snakes do not have feet so that have to adapt to this and find an alternative method of moving… slithering.
I feel that Lucy’s desire for sexuality mirrors that of Eve. She is being tempted by Dracula and Eve is being tempted by god. Both women fall prey (literally) to this forbidden fruit and seek knowledge that they know they shouldn’t obtain. Lucy is the fallen women much like Eve was the fallen woman. Eve had everything going for her but she just had to eat that forbidden fruit– much like Lucy.
The biggest thing that sticks out to me is the sexual desire. I was taught in school that Eve ate and apple which is what upset god but later I realized that the apple is just a symbol for having had sex. One can read Genesis differently– there are many different interpretations of that the forbidden fruit actually represented (knowledge, sexual desire, actual fruit). Just like there are many different reading of the bible there are also many different readings of Dracula. One could take the story at face value but upon close inspection and analysis we can draw conclusions about sexual desire and succumbing to temptation.
Adam and Eve giving into temptation
The theme of sexual desire is obvious in both texts but only after a deeper reading. I find it interesting that both texts can have a literal meaning and a symbolic one. One can also interpret Dracula as a devil or un-godly like figure.
Victorian London's Underworld 