Dracula by Bram Stoker

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Dracula By Bram Stocker
People have different perceptions regarding the matter of religion and science. Many people believe that the two concepts cannot coexist because they represent different ideologies. Some people believe that scientists cannot believe in religion, and religious people cannot believe in science. Bram Stoker, Dracula's author, believes that religion and science are supposed to coexist. Therefore, this paper will focus on how Bram Stokers uses his characters to show that religion and science can coexist.
Bram uses Dr. Van Helsing's character to show that science, history and various religious beliefs greatly affect modern society and are needed in defeating the Dracula. Modern society is characterized by huge breakthroughs, especially in the world of science. The presence of technological advancements has facilitated such breakthroughs. Therefore, if religious beliefs and historical concepts can be incorporated into today's world of technology, it would make it easy for science and religion to coexist. Dr. Van describes modern science as being faulty because it does not incorporate religion in explaining concepts. The doctor points out God had fashioned madam Mina with her man's brain at some point (Stocker). Such indicates that despite the doctor being a doctor of science, he believes in the story of God's creation in religion. It is a show that his ideologies about science would not be complete without incorporating the concept of religion. The doctor refers to God and religion and then talks about the power of scientific innovations. The doctor seems to utilize science and religion depending on the type of statements he wishes to make. The power of scientific innovations are a voice of reason used to show that science is needed to defeat the Dracula. Religion would only act as a supplement to science.
Using the doctor's character, Bram intends to show the readers that a doctor must not be fully be restricted by the beliefs of science such that they overlook the religious beliefs. However, the doctor acts as a voice of reason to show that science is needed in defeating the Dracula. Bram shows that it is possible for the two to coexist without compromising one another. If the two were not able to coexist, the doctor, a believer of science and religion, would find it challenging to carry out his duties. However, sciences and religion can coexist, and that's is why the doctor can refer to the God's creation of Mina when talking about scientific concepts. Such a scenarios shows the important of science in a word filled with religious beliefs. The doctor seems to believe that both science and religion have a place in the modern world. The modern world only exists because science and religion can explain it (Santos). Religion has many beliefs that can be attributed to creation and the world's existence. On the other hand, science and technology offer a lot of explanations about the existence of human beings and the world. Therefore, the absence of both would make it challenging for people to understand their existence and that of the world. Therefore, the ideologies of science and technology have to coexist to support one another in explaining things in the world.
Another example of how Bram uses the doctor to show that science is needed to kill the Dracula is when he is talking to the group of individuals going to Vanquish. The doctor knows how dangerous Dracula is and, therefore, has to warn the group of individuals that they should be careful when dealing with it. In this case, the doctor advises them about technology and religion (Stocker). He points out that both of them would help deal with Dracula. Such indicates that science and religion can coexist to bring out the maximum benefit. The doctor tells the group that they have the power of science and the ability to think and act critically regardless of whether it is during the day or the night. Such thinking would enable the people to be harmed by Dracula (Sanders). They would use the power of science to know how to evade any harm to the creature. The doctor also reminds the people that they have their traditions, faith, and superstitions that they can rely on when dealing with Dracula. He tells the people not to forget every detail that they have observed regarding Dracula. They have seen it change into different animals, such as the bat and the wolf. They have also seen it change to mist, and therefore, they should rely on these traditions in knowing how to deal with Dracula. The doctor reminds them that the tradition of Dracula is that he can see in the dark, and this should help them fight it. Therefore, if the people use their religion, traditions, and science, they would overcome Dracula without facing any harm.
Bram also uses the various superstitions the people have regarding Dracula to show the importance of religion and how it can coexist with science. The doctor reminds the people about the superstitions about Dracula. These superstitions should help the group in dealing with the creature. Science would attempt to explain why the creature behaves in such a manner, which means that science and superstition will coexist. According to the superstitions, Dracula cannot enter a place where he has not been invited. Once it has been invited to the particular place, it would be free to enter and leave whenever it felt like (Galvan). It also does not wander around during the day and can only change during specific times. Therefore, such information would help the group know when to expect an encounter with Dracula and when not to. The Dracula can only cross running water during the low tide. This means that if the tide is high, the people would be safe as long as they stay in an area where the Dracula has to cross running water to reach them. Such things about Dracula have been read in history or observed by people over time. These observations or readings are all superstitions and can also be termed as religion. The doctors, therefore, seem to have a strong belief that religion has been helping people deal with Dracula. He is certain that science will help, but the people should not forget religion because it has most of the information needed to deal with Dracula. If the people did not have superstitions or ignore the existing superstitions, it might be challenging to deal with Dracula using science. Science would take years of investigations to understand Dracula's behavior (Newcomb). Therefore, relying on the documented superstitions and the available scientific information is what the group needs to overcome Dracula. Such indicates that science and religion can coexist to make the worl...