Dracula and Science, Superstition, Religion, and Xenophobia

There are many debates in the United States that have been ongoing for decades, and some for even centuries. Some of these issues are in relation to science, religion, and some are even a combination of the two. Film and other media outlets have commonly been used to address these types of issues ever since these outlets were started. In the film Dracula, directed by Tod Browning in 1931, many controversial issues of the 1920s and 1930s including science, superstition, religion, and xenophobia are addressed. An argument that has been extremely controversial and debated for centuries is science versus religion. Dracula takes the side of religion in this debate, which is shown throughout the novel. Many times the protagonists attempt†¦show more content†¦Dracula takes the side of the West in basically saying that science is overrated and that old world logic is what people should be relying on. The message is that people should not be putting all of their faith into scie nce, and that they should still be reserving some for old world superstitions and religion. Another theme in this film and the early 1900s is anti-Semitism. In Dracula it is outrageously apparent the physical features of Count Dracula alone. He has a large nose, bigger ears, and to add to his physical Semitic features he also greedy, which is yet another stereotypical attribute of people with Jewish backgrounds. It is not surprising that Dracula was made out to be Jewish during this time period, because in the early 1900s the Jews were everyone’s scapegoat. Often times they were called â€Å"vampires† or â€Å"bloodsuckers† because they were portrayed as shady individuals who were often involved is sketchy business deals. These racist nicknames made it easy to create a Jewish Dracula, because the Jew was already portrayed as exactly that, a vampire. During the early 1900s there was a great deal of anti-Semitism around the world, especially in Europe. The most obvious example of it is The Holocaust, where there were nearly seven million Jews murdered. This was caused by Adolf Hitler manipulating different medias into portraying Jews in a poor light. This manipulation of the JewishShow MoreRelatedBram Stoker s Dracula - Dracula1964 Words   |  8 PagesHargrave 7/25/2016 Eng 2305 Dracula Interpretive Essay In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, we are introduced to the monster that is Dracula. Throughout his Stoker touches on several themes of Dracula’s monstrosity. This paper will explore Bram Stoker’s Dracula under the theory of, â€Å"The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference† The rejection of modernity, sexual expression, and the xenophobic threat from Old World Europe are all gates of difference that Stoker touches on. Dracula dwells at the gates of difference