Dracula The Unseen Face in the Mirror by Carol Senf Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Senf points out further clues to the unreliability of the good characters assessments of Dracula s actions as well as the inherent evil of Dracula himself. To begin with, she points out that much of the action of the story takes place in and around Dr. Sewell s psychiatric institution as well as the several indications that the main characters are somehow mentally unbalanced. Her objective summation of the evidence presented against Dracula forces his evil to be called into question. While the accusations against him include the murdering of the crew of the Demeter and Lucy Westenra, turning her into a vampire, and the attempted seduction of Mina, Senf points out several indications that Dracula might have been innocent of all charges. She quotes Mina s journal regarding the inquest in the case of the Demeter crew: There is no evidence to adduce; and whether or not the man [the ship s captain] committed the murders there is now none to say (cited in Senf, 1979: 424-425). Lucy s dual nature could easily be explained by her presence in the mental institution and her death attributed to the dangerous nature of the blood transfusions she was receiving. Mina herself admits to being a willing and active party to her seduction while the men that accuse Dracula are men demonstrated to work against the law on several occasions as well, even to the admission of killing presumed vampires in the past. Indeed, Senf argues persuasively that Dracula s real crime was not necessarily being a vampire, but was instead of representing a way of life different from that of the parochial Englishman (425-427). She points to the feudal beliefs and associations Dracula represents through his heritage, lineage, and conversation as being direct threats to the Englishman who is accustomed to subjugating rather than being subjugated. Dracula s nature, while it might still be evil, nevertheless is shown to demonstrate a much higher devotion to noble behavior. We will write a c ustom essay sample on Dracula: The Unseen Face in the Mirror by Carol Senf or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now