Blog Post 2

The chapter opens with Harker asking the Count to tell him the history of Transylvania. Dracula then goes on to recount numerous battles that took place in the land, and how his family played a pivotal role in deciding the outcomes of those battles. This exposition by the Count allows the reader to take a look into the mind of Dracula. He sees himself as a figure of both great power and importance, and he seems to derive a great deal of pride from his family’s important role in history. It also shows that the Count doesn’t think too highly of the common folk,“Bah! What good are peasants without a leader”(Pg44)? When discussing the outcomes of the battles he also removes all the horrors of war that a normal soldier would mention. The Count only sees them as victories/triumphs, and a way to gain more honor. A lot of this type of language stems back to his vampiric nature. To him the peasants are merely cattle for him and other vampires to feed on, and to him the only thing that really matters is winning, despite what it may have cost to attain victory.

Dracula tells this story of Transylvania’s past to Johnathan not only as a fan of history himself, but as a man swelling with pride for his homeland. The amount of emotional involvement and energy in Dracula’s tone while telling these stories, even makes the reader question if perhaps the count himself was once present on these ancient battlefields fighting alongside the warriors of old. Johnathan appears to be very receptive to the Count’s stories. During the Count’s exposition Johnathan doesn’t interject, but listens without interrupting. It also appears that the primary reason for the Count telling Johnathan these stories was to mostly convey his sense of self importance to Johnathan, and to fuel his ego.