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Doublings In Dracula

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In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there is a plethora of ways the novel can be critically analyzed, but there’s one theory in particular that I found the most interesting to apply. I used the theory of deconstructuralism to critically analyze Dracula, and to help break down the story into particular meanings and themes that can contradict the typical perceptions and first impressions of the novel. To better help complement my analysis, I read and analyzed another popular article by John Paul Riquelme, titled “Doubling and Repetition/Realism and Closure in Dracula”. As his title suggests, Riquelme touches upon this theory of deconstruction in Dracula by arguing the doublings, the repetitions, and the elements of realism provided throughout the …show more content…

He is arguing that the characters that make up Dracula end up revealing that they are more similar to one another than they are different through some of their actions and decisions. I found Riquelme’s theory of how the doublings in Dracula reveal the similarities between characters to be quite intriguing. Even when focusing on Dracula himself and applying this theory to him, once again that doubling of beast versus man comes into play. Though Dracula is physically associated with being a monster, a beast…is he really meaning to be such a creature? Riquelme states that “the doublings and repetitions in all these works blur the boundaries that inform the principles of coherence we associate with sanity…” (561). When applying this statement to Dracula’s character, I do indeed find it validating as I realize myself that though Dracula may have seemingly lost all sense of sanity, he is still a character that a reader is able to feel sorrow for. Even though it is true that Dracula may not be sane, the doublings associated with him being different with the normal characters are in fact blurred. In the novel, the characters that are meant to be different, or “good” apart from Dracula, have indulged in immoral acts

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