Heroic Van Helsing in Stoker's Research Paper

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Troy Boone writes Van Helsing "affirms a utilitarian view of the vampire-fighter, whose role is to minimize human suffering by combating evil" (Boone). He goes on to explain how Stoker explores this notion by adding to his summation that Van Helsing realizes the different forces at work. Dracula is "finite, though he is powerful to do much harm" (Stoker 320-1) and he cannot be avoided or ignored, he must be stopped. Such a character leaves Van Helsing as a kind of "monster of righteousness" (Bloom), writes Harold Bloom. Van Helsing is the vampire's enemy and opposite and Stoke has situated him in the novel as the only person qualified to fight this evil.

Another way in which Stoker presents Van Helsing as a hero is through the different characters he must face when fighting evil. He is not simply after stopping Dracula. Dracula's women pose the same great threat Dracula does. Once they belong to him, they are loosed from their repressive, traditional roles. They are not bound by Victorian sensibilities and are instead, driven by powerful sexual urges. They are aware of no restraints and live accordingly. They may be children of Dracula but their threat is as great as his is and this is another form of evil that our hero, Van Helsing must conquer. Lucy becomes a symbol of the values Van Helsing's society attempts to protect. She also represents the evil Van Helsing must destroy. Stoker creates within these different characters, a complex web of aggression.

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Lucy, the vampire is a "nightmare of Lucy . . . The whole carnal and unspiritual appearance, seeming like a devilish mockery of Lucy's sweet purity" (220). By associating the good and evil characteristics in Lucy, Stoker successfully reveals the incredible task at hand for Van Helsing. He simply is not out to "get" evil; he is fighting evil that resides in good people and this makes him a hero among heroes.

Van Helsing is a different kind of hero in Stoker's Dracula because of what he is fighting. He must use his expertise to conquer the evil working its way into this society. He must put aside what he knows about the people affected by Dracula in order to combat the evil that reigns. He is the only person that can beat the evil because of his extended knowledge about the folklore associated with the vampire. He is a hero because he accepts his role and does his best to combat evil. Stoker places Van Helsing against one of the most dangerous creatures in history because he can spread his evil most easily, increasing his threat and the lives of others. Van Helsing is fighting more than one man and more than one kind of evil. When he sees evil lurking behind the eyes of familiar faces, he has a unique task ahead of him. He is a hero because he succeeds at his efforts to fight evil.

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