The novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a complex novel. It is full of juxtaposition, symbolism and complex themes about life, the world around us, society, and our deepest internal struggles. Yet perhaps one of the greatest juxtapositions in Dracula is the juxtaposition between science and superstition, seen through the shortcomings of both, where the other succeeds, and the balance between them seen in the character of Professor Van Helsing.
Throughout the novel there are many evident shortcomings of both science and superstition. For example When a young woman, named Lucy, is bitten by a vampire, named Dracula, which is where the book gets its title, she is cared for by a doctor, Dr. Seward, but despite his science and medical knowledge he …show more content…
Throughout the book there are more cases like this. The largest is probably the plot of the book itself. In Dracula superstition helps identify the vampire and defend against him, superstition warns the character Jonathan Harker of his impending danger as he travels to Dracula’s castle, as he writes “[w]hether it is the old lady’s fear, or the many ghostly traditions of this place, or the crucifix itself, I do not know, but I am not feeling nearly as easy in my mind as usual.” (Page 4) However despite that, it is not the superstitious natives, living under the shadow of Dracula’s castle, that eventually defeat him. It is only the science minded group from London, the main characters, that defeat …show more content…
Using both science and superstition Lucy is able to be treated, Dracula discovered, and defeated. Dr. Van Helsing, who balances knowledge of science, and of superstition, always seems to have the answers and solutions. He knows how to treat Lucy, and fight and kill Dracula. Van Helsing protects Mina, and arms the others against Dracula. There is a balance between science and superstition, in Dr. Van Helsing. This balance gives him a complete understanding of the world, and this balance is the only way that Dracula can be