Dracula: Metaphors 5 key examples

Quincey's emotional pain is likened to the "bleeding" of his heart, an image which evokes the outpouring of some withheld emotion. Quincey is bleeding both metaphorically, as he struggles to keep his emotions in check, and literally, as he gives his blood in a transfusion to save Lucy's life. The metaphor of a bleeding heart is used often in Dracula, generally when a male protagonist experiences strong emotions as the result of a woman being harmed. Aside from drawing attention to Quincey's pain, this metaphor emphasizes the exceptionalism of male emotion: the rules of masculinity in the novel, as well as in Victorian society at large, dictate that men should only express emotion in strong bursts, and only when they experience extreme tragedy. Hearts pump blood, but they should not bleed; men have emotions, but should only express them on rare occasions.

Chess is a game typically associated with high-level strategy and logical reasoning. It is interesting to see this logic break down when the characters are confronted with the supernatural; at first, they refuse to operate on the same playing field as Dracula, trying to apply modern scientific logic to something not of their world. Once they start playing the game by the rules of the supernatural world, the protagonists are far more successful.

This passage marks a turning point in the novel: Van Helsing and the other protagonists have finally gained the advantage in their fight against Dracula. Up until this moment, the protagonists have been largely in the dark, worried about Dracula's next move. Now that they have Dracula on the run, the novel's central power dynamic has shifted. Instead of being hunted, the protagonists have decided to become hunters themselves; and Dracula, no longer the apex predator, must flee them as prey.

After drinking her blood, and she his, Mina belongs to Dracula; this metaphor is a means of staking claim to her body and soul. Dracula's language is sensual, even somewhat romantic, yet with overtones of malice. He seeks to dominate her, objectifying her as an object (the wine-press) for his pleasure and physical rejuvenation. Furthermore, adding insult to injury, Dracula's language is strongly reminiscent of the Song of Songs, a book in the Old Testament of the Bible known for verses both romantic and erotic. Dracula uses this language—"blood of my blood," "flesh of my flesh," "bountiful wine-press"—to taunt, challenge, and emasculate Jonathan, making a mockery of both his marriage and his religion. This passage reveals the true fear at the heart of Dracula's characterization: individuals who leverage love and sexuality as a form of power.

This metaphor touches on a key theme in Dracula: that of Christian faith in the face of supernatural evil. The characters are all steadfast, never wavering in their devotion to God, whom they believe has a plan for all things. Even if they are headed towards disaster—as a ship would be if it were "drifting reefward" towards certain wreckage—they must levy the metaphorical anchor of their Christian faith. This faith is depicted as the single reliable entity on which all the group's hopes rest.

This metaphor is of further interest because of the connection Stoker makes between faith, nature, and the supernatural world. In Dracula, the sea is an unwelcoming presence: Dracula himself frequently travels via oceans, rivers, and other waterways. In the course of his first excursion to England, every sailor on the ship Dracula inhabited ended up dead. The sea is thus symbolic of supernatural menace. Jonathan and his colleagues are adrift on this sea of supernatural evil and have lost their way; faith, in the midst of chaos, is the only thing keeping them from sinking.

This metaphor, comparing Dracula's brain to that of a child, is intended to dehumanize him—his intellect, both moral and logical, is not up to par with that of the protagonists. In Mina's case, the aim is not dehumanization, but rather to emphasize her innocence (as in Chapter 24):

Mina is sleeping now, calmly and sweetly like a little child. Her lips are curved and her face beams with happiness.

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Mina is an emblem of innocence and purity throughout the novel, giving her male compatriots something "worthy to fight for." This simile, while infantilizing, does not serve to dehumanize but rather elevates her morally above the rest.