Dracula (1897) Knowledge & Beliefs

I believe there are 3 major themes in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897):

1. Exploitation
   
2. Knowledge & Beliefs
   
3. God's will be done

I already said something about #1, and while it is the most obvious theme, Stoker devoted more pages to #2. It's not as exciting, of course. For the first half or 2/3 of the book, most of the action and suspense comes from #1. Number 2 mostly comes from Van Helsing's rather long lectures. He wants to tell his friends they're up against a vampire, but he's sure they won't believe him--and he's right.

Van Helsing extensively discusses the "open mind" and the "closed mind", preparing to convince his friends of something they won't believe. Basically people believe what they've been taught to believe and can't or won't accept anything else. Even when they see the unbelievable in plain sight, they make up explanations like it's a trick or an illusion. Even after they accept it, they're tempted to dismiss it later as a dream or just their imagination.

Van Helsing couldn't go to the authorities, because they'd say he was crazy. None of his friends believed him until he proved beyond the shadow of all doubts that a vampire was in their midst.

Civilization & the Wilderness - a Sub-theme

Civilization and wilderness is a sub-theme because civilization is based on knowledge and living in the wilderness is based on beliefs.

England was civilized. There were rules and expected behaviors and everything everyone believed in was explained by science. As far as they were concerned, something simply did not exist if it wasn't explained by science--and that was Dracula's advantage. No one expected him to suck blood or possess supernatural powers.

Transylvania, on the other hand, was a wilderness. People there knew how to co-exist with vampires. They didn't like it, and they suffered from it, but they managed to survive by their beliefs and unscientific customs--superstitions to the English.

I had to laugh at Jonathan Harker, though, trying to remain civilized while held captive in the wilderness, was most annoyed that he couldn't shave--because Dracula had broken his mirror!

I am reminded a bit, too, of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, where men from civilization ventured into the wilderness among natives, whom they called savages. Freed from rules and norms, however, the civilized men became the real savages.

Conclusion

Well once Van Helsing convinced his friends that the vampire was real, they bought into what they had to do, and readily accepted the Transylvanian customs. Dracula got away from them in England, but by using their now open minds they were able to track him to Transylvania, cope in the wilderness, and complete their mission. Van Helsing would not have succeeded without everyone having an open mind.

Okay, so vampires aren't really real, but the point is as true today as it was in Stoker's time and as true as it has been since the dawn of man. People latch onto beliefs--right or wrong--and once latched onto, it takes great effort to change their minds.

References:
Bram Stoker. Dracula [Kindle Edition]. 1897.
Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness. [Kindle Edition]. 1899.