'Dracula: Barrier of Sanity vs. Insanity Essay\r'

'The setting of Bram Stoker’s genus Dracula is in the late nineteenth-century London, where the flourishing of technology is replacing mess’s tactile sensation of the elderly superstitious managements. The typefaces in this novel experience contacts with the occult arts universes that is uneffective to be pointn even by the nigh advanced technology at the time, which leads them to dubiousness their hold rationalness. However, the progression of the novel proves that peace is restored into the characters’ lives after(prenominal) their doubts and confusions around what is reality and who is re onlyy mad. Ultimately, the categorization of the fair against the mad is unnecessary since the distinguishing factors shown in the novel atomic number 18 ambiguous. Subsequently, no characters rear truly be confirm with being labelled as adept typecast everyplace the early(a). While certain characters in the novel, most nonably Renfield, atomic numb er 18 placed in rational introductions for displaying mad or unstable demeanours, it does not alter them to be categorized as mad since the non-institutionalized characters undergoes bit and unstable doingss as surface.\r\nThese characters must go with with(predicate) their own forms of in sanity to access the entirety of the justice that Dracula brings upon them, and thus they behave in ways exchangeable to what is considered to be insane. The alternative reality Dracula brings into the logical and civilized London society flowerpot only be accessed by the characters finished their own forms of insanity. Insanity is a psychological state of the sagacity being deranged and arousing irregular thoughts or actions (Barber 505). walk is a form of psychological disorder resulting from turbulent thoughts (Anitei). It is in any case thought to be a rule of interacting with spirits from other realms (Anitei). During Lucy’s sleepwalking experiences, â€Å"her inte nt…disappears…for as soon as her will [thwarts] in any physical way” (Stoker 93). This shows that she only expresses her purpose of meeting Dracula finished an unnatural rule. Similarly, when Jonathan â€Å"has had some(prenominal) fearful shock…” (Stoker 108) from his experience in the palace with Dracula, he can only speak just about it through nonsensical and insane ways to the sisters that took him in beca determination not all of reality can be understood with logic and reasoning.\r\nEven Mina, whom â€Å"the good idol fashioned” (Stoker 253) himself, still only connects with Dracula through abnormal behaviours shown by the quote: â€Å"She [has] risen, as if impulsively…and [raises] both(prenominal) hands, palms upwards, as if lifting a weight” (Stoker 374). any these characters ac acquaintance the existence to vampirism and Dracula’s powers through irregular behaviours, which shows that it is within human nat ure to recitation insanity as a form of psychological relief from the difficult reality. Asides from chartering the threats that Dracula presents, the characters go by to behave in characteristic commonly deemed as insane such as being emotionally unstable, and odd.\r\nQuincy Morris, who is known for his logical leadership skills, for he â€Å"has ever so been the one to arrange the plan of action” (Stoker 331), expresses concupiscent outbreaks when his mind is unable to tolerate the displeasing reality. He loses self-control and cries to his companions that â€Å"[He] shall not wait for any opportunity. When [he] take hold of that box [of dirt he] shall destroy the monster, though…[he] is to be wiped out for the next mo handst (Stoker 356). Jonathan shows similar behaviour when he pities himself for living such an unfortunate mickle of having a wife that is contaminated with â€Å"the vampire’s baptism of blood” (Stoker 350). He loses his pride in breast of his booster shots and â€Å"[flings] himself on his knees beside her…and [hides] his face in the folds of her dress” (Stoker 355). He even openly admits that â€Å"[his] emotion [is] too cracking for even the relief of tears” (Stoker 355). Being unable to contain emotion is equivalent to admitting defeat to humanness and dignity, which men place at high determine at the time.\r\nThe fact alone that Jonathan freely gives up on these qualities by exposing his emotionally unstable behaviour irregular, so being irregular as well as unstable shows that he can be qualified for being insane. Lastly, the character Van Helsing, who is the wisest among the impede of friends, also â€Å"[gives] away to a regular mark of hysterics” (Stoker 186) when staying calm and logical is not satisfying luxuriant to express his current situation. If even the wisest man can act unstable, then it shows that the average, sane, citizens habiting in Britain can also lose self-control, and act insane at times. At the equal time, the less mentally stable characters argon able to demonstrate philosophic thoughts and reasoning, very similar to the other educated and non-institutionalized characters. This is most notable for the character Renfield, who is a patient at the mental asylum operated by Jack Seward. Renfield is able to speak with neat reasoning when he chooses to, and descriptions regarding Renfield often results in the use of paradox or other forms of contrast.\r\nWhen Renfield feels there is the need, he will engage in beseeming conversations regarding theories and historical allusions. During the time that he is persuading his doctor, Seward, to release him from the asylum because he feels that he is a endangering them, he uses proper smooth-tongued strategy to express his goal. He scratch recognizes that his rear audience is not Seward alone, since his friends Morris, Lord Godalming, and Van Helsing are also present. He imme diate decides to appeal to his audiences’ compassion by praising their honour and background. He alludes to the resolution of Independence and the Monroe Doctrine of the United States when he congratulate to Morris that â€Å"the power of the Treaty may yet prove a vast engine of enlargement, when the Monroe doctrine takes its full-strength place as a political apologue” (Stoker 263).\r\nBeing the madman that he is labelled as, he proves to have a vast amount of knowledge by referring to information from outside of his home country. undermentioned the statement, seeing that it is not enough to win over his audience, Renfield attempts to appeal to their logos by expressing a philosophical statement that â€Å"when an individual has revolutionised therapeutically…conventional forms are un convulsionting, since they would seem to limit him to one of a sectionalization” (Stoker 263). This type of behaviour with strategic and logical resolution is certa inly uncommon for individuals deemed as insane, so it ironically questions the sanity of the people who brought him to the asylum in the first place. In addition, when describing the character Renfield, Stoker often uses differentiate devices to heighten the true quality of this character.\r\nAfter Renfield’s attempt to persuade them, Morris comments with the use of paradox that â€Å"[Renfield] is about the sanest lunatic [he] ever [sees]” (Stoker 267). Also, even Seward is astonished by Renfield’s impressive behaviour that â€Å"[he] at one time [makes] the introduction” (Stoker 262) for Renfield and his friends, addressing Renfield as â€Å"Mr. Renfield” (Stoker 262). This can be contrasted to an anterior diary entry made by Seward when he refers to Renfield as â€Å"R.M. Renfield, aetat 59” (Stoker 65), showing that Renfield is nothing other than a subject of study to the doctor. This shows that Renfield is capable of both expressing himself freely as well as with proper manner, and that he lurchs amongst the both at will to fit the situations he occurs in.\r\nThis puts the appropriateness his treatment in question, since his behaviour contradicts the way he is expected to behave. Overall, Renfield’s behaviour can be concluded with Seward’s alliterative paradox that â€Å"there is a method in his madness” (Stoker 74). With this in mind, the parallel between the sane and insane characters can be seen through the similarities between Renfield and Seward. Seward is known for his unique diary guardianship style of recording his oral recounts of daily events on a phonograph. He does so because â€Å"to write with a pen is irksome to [him]” (Stoker 365), since he likes to make convinced(predicate) every detail is being recorded without the troubles of having muscles cramps. It is Seward himself that recognizes this affinity between his patient Renfield and himself: â€Å"He [closes] [his] daily history most accurately” (Stoker 76).\r\nAlso, both of these characters display infrangible faith towards people they trust notwithstanding remote influences. Renfield shows strong devotion and loyalty towards Dracula because of his belief that Dracula is able to fulfill his desire of down lives. He recognizes that Dracula is harmful in nature, further still remains loyal to him. At the same time, Dr. Seward keeps a blind faith towards his old friend Van Helsing purely because he trusts the professor’s wisdom from his experiences. At times, Van Helsing’s finiss are too abstract for Seward to comprehend, that he neer fails to obey and aid him to the best of his abilities. The nature of these two characters’ relationship intently sets them to have contrasting sanity levels, however the similarities between their habits and attitudes contradicts this, which shows that the state of sanity cannot be accurately placed upon an individual even despite their occupation.\r\nThrough the supernatural experiences through course of the novel, Seward comes to the conclusion that: â€Å"[he] sometimes think [they] must be all mad and that [they] shall wake to sanity in straits waistcoats” (Stoker 295). Being the scientist that Seward is, the most significant character change he undergoes is that he opens up his mind and learns to accept new things. The significance of his conclusion is that the sanity of people is not always what others think it should be. He does not deny the possibility that he can, in fact, be mad, just as how Renfield is able to calmly tell his perfect sanity: â€Å"I am no lunatic in a mad fit, but a sane man fighting for his disposition” (Stoker 266).\r\nThe confusion of how Seward is the psychologist and how Renfield is his patient is again aroused, which shows that these characters does not fit the one state of sanity labelled on them. All the characters are able to demonstrate traits of being mentally unstable as well as being reasonable and logical. The barrier between sanity and madness is then blurred as the sane and mad behave in very similar ways and shows that same attitude towards their interests. Since â€Å"all men are mad in some way or other” (Stoker 128), it becomes unreasonable and unnecessary to purely place an individual under either one of these categories.\r\nNote to self: http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Causes-of-Sleepwalking-85332.shtml\r\n'