Characters

The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker includes a large cast of main characters, most of whom also take turns narrating the novel through their diary entries, recordings, or letters. The two excerpts you are studying focus on Jonathan Harker, a solicitor’s clerk from London who is sent to Transylvania by his employer. Jonathan records his experiences in his journal.

Jonathan meets Count Dracula at his castle to help him with the purchase of an estate in London. The Count is strange and at times frightening for reasons Jonathan does not yet understand. In the second excerpt, Jonathan is also visited by three beautiful but strange women who seduce and tempt Jonathan but also scare him. Count Dracula comes in and forbids the women from touching Jonathan, driving them away.

You can read a full characterization of Jonathan Harker and Count Dracula on the following pages.

Excerpt

Below, you can read an excerpt from our study guide:

Jonathan appears to be unwilling to believe that for which there is no logical explanation, showing he is likely an overly rational man, which causes him to not realize the true danger or the supernatural nature of the situation he is in until much too late. This is also suggested by the fact that Jonathan...