Dracula can be seen as analogous to drug addiction, well after all
he is “addicted” to blood.
Addiction had only been recently diagnosed as a
physical condition during the 19th century in Great Britain. In the early and mid-Victorian period it was possible for anyone to just walk in and get laudanum,
opium, and even cocaine without any kind of prescription. The most popular
opium derivative was laudanum, which is opium mixed with alcohol. Laudanum was
called the “aspirin of the nineteenth century” due to it widely being used as
painkiller, and it was recommended for a broad range of ailments such as cough,
diarrhea, and was frequently used among the women population for “women’s
troubles”. It is no surprise that the people during this time period were
getting addicted to a drug that they used on the daily, like how nowadays Tylenol
and aspirin is used.
So relating back to vampires,
they may not want to feed on human blood but they are compelled to do so,
similar to how drug addiction works. Most people do not need to shoot up
various drugs, but they feel like they have to do since they become addicted to
these hard drugs. Considering Stoker’s interest in keeping everything about Dracula very up-to-date, it seems pretty
plausible that Stoker is trying to make vampirism be symbolic for addiction.
As it has been demonstrated many times over, drug addiction
can be seen as a force that can take control of the lives of users, and
completely turn your world upside down. Dracula’s powers can be witnessed in a
number of different ways. He is a shape-shifter who has the ability to command
the loyalty of those under his spell, and who can control anyone who he
encounters. Once Dracula marks his prey, he promises to change the life of all
he consumes, leaving the victim thinking about nothing but Dracula himself.
Hmmm…. Sounds like drug addiction doesn’t it?
Drug addicts can be so drawn to their need for a drug that it can be all consuming and take over their life, similar as to how Dracula has a hold on his victims. A specific example from Dracula is when Mina experiences Dracula’s allure, unable to withstand or ignore his power. This same power already has been seen to have drawn Miss Lucy (Mina’s closest friend) to the dark side. In the move interpretation of Dracula, Mina is aware that the count represents a threat, but she still wishes to be with him always and ignores her friends who warn her to beware. Mina is so enamored of his charms that she cannot resists Dracula’s seduction and sensuous personality. This can be compared to how drug addiction can draw people towards a drug making them weak and making resistance harder and harder. Another example is Dracula’s lack of reflection in the mirror, which is similar to how drug addiction can lead to an empty promise of seeing the true self while others who witness Dracula in front of a mirror see nothing. There are many parallels seen showing how Dracula can be seen as a metaphor for addiction. It is even somewhat pitiful how vampires are forced into having extreme addiction that they cannot escape from, besides by death.
Drug addicts can be so drawn to their need for a drug that it can be all consuming and take over their life, similar as to how Dracula has a hold on his victims. A specific example from Dracula is when Mina experiences Dracula’s allure, unable to withstand or ignore his power. This same power already has been seen to have drawn Miss Lucy (Mina’s closest friend) to the dark side. In the move interpretation of Dracula, Mina is aware that the count represents a threat, but she still wishes to be with him always and ignores her friends who warn her to beware. Mina is so enamored of his charms that she cannot resists Dracula’s seduction and sensuous personality. This can be compared to how drug addiction can draw people towards a drug making them weak and making resistance harder and harder. Another example is Dracula’s lack of reflection in the mirror, which is similar to how drug addiction can lead to an empty promise of seeing the true self while others who witness Dracula in front of a mirror see nothing. There are many parallels seen showing how Dracula can be seen as a metaphor for addiction. It is even somewhat pitiful how vampires are forced into having extreme addiction that they cannot escape from, besides by death.
This metaphor makes great sense to me. Freud was also going around at this time prescribing cocaine to people with depression because they seem to perk right up with the drug. Many other drugs were used as "cures" for various other mental illnesses as well. Stoker could be commenting on the whole situation surrounding that, implying he did not agree with the medical practices at the time for disorders in the mind. The addiction metaphor could also be taking another approach: becoming addicted to people. Stoker could be addressing Oscar Wilde's entire situation and not disapproving because of the homosexuality necessarily, but because of how Wilde and his lover were addicted to each other so to speak. It is almost a tale of warning in that sense.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this whole blog post there was never a moment where I stopped seeing the similarity and connection being made. Once the idea was introduced, it's very hard to get out of your head, and makes a lot of sense. Introducing the idea for cures or rehab is similar to the ideas used in Dracula to prevent being fully turned into a vampire. The last sentence in which you mentioned escaping only in death brought to my attention that although there are a number of people who make it through their addictions and successfully complete rehab, there are also a large number of people who die from their addictions either by overdose or suicide in order to escape the feeling of bing trapped. I enjoyed reading this article that took a different take on the symbolism of Dracula.
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