Significance of Blood in Dracula Anonymous College

The rise of British Imperialism during the 1800’s created a new sense empowerment among English citizens and redefined British culture in the Victorian Era. During this time, British imperialists valued personal lineage and emphasized the importance of protecting one’s ancestral purity through rigid social customs and boundaries. These ideals developed a distinct class division which valued the wealthy, civilized Victorians over the impoverished lower class. Upper class Victorians feared the idea of class integration because it was seen as a threat to their lifestyle and culture. In order to ensure this separation, Victorians used one’s blood as a measure of their social value as well as a representation of their family’s lineage. Many Victorian authors, like Bram Stoker, recognized this anxiety over class separation and utilized the significance of blood to enhance fear in novels such as Dracula.

The transferal of blood in Stoker’s, Dracula, symbolizes this fear of border crossing between unequal social classes and is represented through how the main characters negatively react the vampirism of victims like Reinfield, Lucy, and Mina. Unlike most of his cases, Reinfield’s mysterious actions are strange enough to pierce Seward’s...