Comments | omc_bookclub: Discussion: Dracula V-IX

yemeron in omc_bookclub

Discussion: Dracula V-IX

May 24, 2009 15:15

Good afternoon! This is the discussion post for Chapters V through IX of Dracula. Here are the questions for this week. If you have any additional questions, feel free to add them to your response ( Read more... )

book club: dracula, mod post, discussion post

Comments 8

rachelreads May 25 2009, 00:15:46 UTC

1. What do you think of Mina Harker and her best friend, Lucy Westenra? Any similarities? Differences?

It doesn't seem that we've really gotten to know Lucy very well yet; she's certainly rather reticent, especially about her interactions with Dracula (of which I suspect she is more aware than she lets on). Mina seems the more worldly of the two, but perhaps that's just my impression, having more narration from her than from Lucy.

2. Dr. Seward has a little drug problem. Do you think it existed prior to Lucy's rejection of his marriage proposal, or did it develop because of it?

Given how common "little drug problems" were during the Victorian era, what with laudanum being passed around like candy and all, I would suspect he's had that problem for a while. Lucy's rejection is certainly likely to have exacerbated it, though.

4. Speaking of Renfield, what's up with him? Has Dracula had some previous contact with the man that we aren't yet privy to? Does his insanity make him particularly sensitive to Dracula's comings and goings?I ( ... )

yemeron May 25 2009, 00:54:30 UTC

Mina seems the more worldly of the two, but perhaps that's just my impression, having more narration from her than from Lucy.

Mina is certainly more grounded than Lucy. She talks of her one true love, Johnathan, and making a life with him. The little bit we know of Lucy suggests a flightiness that isn't present in Mina. She was courting three different guys at once! I get the feeling that she's more concerned about the appearance of having the "right" husband than making a life with the man she loves.

Lucy's rejection is certainly likely to have exacerbated it, though.

I agree. I definitely think that he lost himself in his drug use. His little pep talk to himself about deciding not to use suggests that he's been using more often than not.

rachelreads May 25 2009, 02:41:15 UTC

The impression I get of Lucy's various courtships is that she just doesn't 'get it' -- she seems to see these men as playthings, without realizing that once she decides to marry one, that becomes a permanent arrangement.

As for Seward's drug use... usually, by the time someone says they don't want to become dependent on the substance, they already are to some degree. It is a nice little pep talk, though, isn't it?

yemeron May 25 2009, 01:51:39 UTC

Since I answered a couple of questions in my reply to rachelreads, I'm only going to answer some of these.

3. Are there parallels between Dr. Seward and Renfield? Do you think Renfield feels some kind of kinship with him, or does Renfield need Seward in some way?

I see some parallels between the two men. Renfield's "zoophagous" behavior gives him purpose. He is very methodical and meticulous in his pursuits. After Lucy rebuffs his proposal, studying Renfield gives Dr. Seward purpose. He's just as meticulous as Renfield is. Do they have some sort of symbiotic relationship? I'm not sure yet.

4. Speaking of Renfield, what's up with him? Has Dracula had some previous contact with the man that we aren't yet privy to? Does his insanity make him particularly sensitive to Dracula's comings and goings?

I agree with rachelreads; I definitely think Dracula can control thoughts. He compelled Lucy to seek him out in Whitby. I'm not entirely sure that he's controlling Renfield, though. It's hard to say if Dracula has somehow caused this insanity or if a preexisting ( ... )

rachelreads May 25 2009, 02:46:13 UTC

I'm glad you answered #3! I couldn't come up with a good response for that one. Your comment about purpose is interesting -- I hadn't thought of it in that light. And they both experiment with the subjects of their study: Seward tries to reach Renfield in different ways, and Renfield tries to draw different results (however odd they may be) from his interactions both with his animals and from the caregivers at the hospital.

Symbiotic relationship? I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see how that develops.

yemeron May 25 2009, 19:31:04 UTC

I definitely think Stoker may have been drawing parallels between the two. Maybe it was his way of showing that we're all only a few steps away from madness.

I forgot to include a question about Van Helsing. What do you make of him so far?

rachelreads May 26 2009, 18:24:29 UTC

Well, he definitely seems to know something he's not sharing, which makes him seem somewhat... odd? Not quite creepy, but almost? But he seems rather benevolent, and certainly invested in Lucy's health.

(The comment has been removed)

I hope your wrist gets better! yemeron May 28 2009, 05:28:49 UTC

Thanks for the capitalization/punctuation warning!

i get the feeling she's supposed to be that sort of girl who is charming and unaffected . . . sort of naiive. She doesn't bother me as much now.

I agree. It seems that she and Mina grew up differently. Lucy was probably sheltered a bit and behaves like someone who has had things easy. I think Mina knows what it's like to struggle a bit, and is much more practical. As flighty as Lucy is, it's kind of hard to dislike a character whose life is being slowly siphoned away!

2. i am particularly interested in Seward's recognition of it as a problem. i don't know much about the Victorian era but for some reason i'm surprised that the concept of addiction was developed at that point, even if referred to as a "habit".This is the reason I included this in the discussion. The fact that Seward recognizes his usage as something that hinders him from performing his duties effectively is proof that he does have a drug "habit". It's not a major plot point, but I really thought it was interesting ( ... )