However, despite all the evidence that shows Dracula is completely anti-Christian, he also resembles God in many occasions throughout the novel. It does not seem possible for such an evil character to portray God, however, Dracula’s powers imitate or somewhat mock the High powers of Christianity. Indeed, Dracula seems to be a total opposite of Christ and Christian values, driven purely by desire and lust. Despite these opposites, Stoker repeatedly uses biblical imagery and references to compare Dracula to Christ, creating deliberate parallels throughout the novel.
Dracula has several powers that the Christian's believe no one but God could control. For instance, Dracula can control the weather, wild, or unclean animals, he can change form, and has the power of seduction. Christians believe that consuming
God's body and blood will give them everlasting life with God in heaven, Dracula is remaining undead, by consuming the blood of the living to survive and to build his strength. By this, Dracula is relying on humans to restore his life after death and not concentrating on God as the source of life, hence the reason why Dracula becomes more youthful, after each of his victims. Dracula is also portrayed as the Anti-Christ by having similarities with Jesus but in evil ways. As Dracula feeds on the blood of the living he creates followers as Jesus had disciples. Throughout the book several times, normally while Renfield (one of his followers or "disciples") is speaking, when Dracula is referred to the pronoun is capitalized, as Christians would do when referring to God.
Stoker continues his mocking comparisons with Dracula's voyage of England. Just as Jesus quieted the storm while he was a sea with his disciples, Dracula controls the weather and creates a massive storm to aid his arrival at the harbour. The supernatural characteristics that link the storms appearance to Dracula's arrival are described in a newspaper clipping from the Dailygraph. “Then without warning the tempest broke. With a rapidity which, at the time seemed incredible, and even afterwards impossible to realize, the whole aspect of nature at once became convulsed.”
Many readers might see these first similarities as purely coincidence, yet
after analyzing the numerous other similarities found throughout Dracula, these
coincidences take on a much different role. Stoker appears to use these somewhat hidden similarities to set the reader's subconscious in motion as to the religious ties that will be made during the course of the story.
While captive, Jonathan is seduced by three vampires and is forced to write three letters home. Soon after Jonathan's narrative, the reader learns that Lucy, who is to be Dracula's first victim, has received three separate wedding proposals. Further into the novel, the reader learns that the Count has bought three homes in London. This repetition of the number three can be closely linked to Christian beliefs, including the holy trinity, the three angles in the Book of Revelations, and the even the three wise men that visit Christ when he is born.
During the course of Dracula, a multitude of religious references are made in describing primarily Dracula himself. However, there are reoccurring religious references involving several other characters from the story. But these biblical references are all significant in linking the story to Religious beliefs. There are many quotes, which stand out and seem to have relevance in making comparisons between Dracula and Christianity.
Renfield again further into the novel, makes another comparison between Dracula and Christ repeating over and over again: 'the blood is the life! The blood is the life!' In this instance, Renfield is comparing Dracula's thirst for blood to the last supper scene in which Jesus says, “Who so eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life”. These comparisons between Christ and Dracula are not yet directly stated by Stoker in the text, but are cleverly implied through the use of certain statements.
Stoker's next and most critical comparison comes with the drinking of Dracula's blood by Mina. In what Professor Van Helsing describes as a “terrible baptism of blood”, the vampire hunters witness Mina being forced to drink Dracula's blood in a scene that is smothered in Christian imagery. In Mina's recollection of the scene to the vampire hunters, she quotes Dracula's words to her saying, “And you, their best beloved one, are now to me, flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin”. This scene makes reference to the biblical creation of the woman in which Adam says this is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. Using this comparison, Stoker suggests that in turning Mina into a vampire, Dracula is symbolically recreating her in his own image.
The death of Dracula was very symbolic religiously, as he becomes dust as he is defeated. This is important because turning into dust represents Christian freedom in death and frees him from his evil ways. Bram Stoker's Dracula emphasizes role of Christianity against Dracula's Anti-Christian presence. The “death” of the Count seems rather inconclusive, but as the reader, we are fully aware that the power of Christianity/faith has overcome Dracula in this novel, despite the parallels that He has shown towards the Christian religion. Whether Bram Stoker had intended to bemuse the reader, by having all these religious references, remains ambiguous. But it does raise the question of uncertainty of faith, especially during the time period in which this novel was written.
It is clearly evident that the vampire hunters are the Catholic force that is determined to banish this evil through their strength in each other and in God. Dracula represents a challenge to the traditions and ideals of Victorian Society. He is cast as a foreign invader that has come to London to change and to create a new way of living: that of Vampirism, which he is looking to further spread.
In looking at many of comparisons that Stoker makes between Dracula and Christianity, the line between what is good and evil becomes increasingly ambiguous and the line between Victorian beliefs and Stoker’s own begins to become more evident. Even though peace is restored at the end of the novel, the reader is left questioning the society that surrounds him or her and the social and religious ideas that he or she has grown to accept.
The question remains whether the text criticises or supports religious ideas. To an extent Bram Stoker’s Dracula is highly critical of religious beliefs in the fact that, he has made Dracula resemble God, through occurring imagery and quotes throughout the novel. However, it seems that Bram Stoker who was a religious man himself, used this technique of contrasting good and evil, to leave the reader questioning the society they are living in (Victorian era) and it just happens to be left open for debate. However, the end clearly shows that the power of faith is stronger than the power of darkness, which is the reason why Bram Stoker has Dracula turn into dust. So in conclusion, Bram Stoker has cleverly done what he had intended, in leaving the reader questioning established values of religion, throughout the whole story. But as the story comes to an end, we learn that that the power of religion has proved to be the catalyst for success in defeating evil.
