As a kid, I always knew that if I wanted to keep the vampires from sucking my blood I should wear garlic and a crucifix. It never really occurred to me that Christianity played a big role in the defense against these monsters. In Dracula, I believe that Stoker uses Count Dracula as an allusion to the evil spirits that Christians are trying to fight off.

Stoker uses many symbols of religion in this story, including crucifixes and rosaries, to ward off the Count. While Jonathan Harker is shaving in his room, the Count startles him causing Harker to accidentally cut himself. Harker writes in his journal, “When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away, and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe that it was ever there” (Bram Stoker 28). This incident reinforces Harker’s belief that Dracula is not your average man and that there was definitely something off about him. Dracula is portrayed as looking “demoniac” almost as if he were the devil. He reveals a dark side that Jonathan has never seen before which makes him start to question what exactly Dracula is.

Christianity talks about using your religion as a weapon against the devil. Stoker shows that the crucifix, rosary, communion wafers, and holy water will keep the vampires away. Without these signs of faith Dracula can take control and turn the characters into the cold unnatural being that is Dracula. I know that if a vampire were ever to come into view I would grab the first Christian thing that I saw and cover myself with it.