Dracula

DESCRIPTION

Kuangkat tutup peti mati itu, dan apa yang kulihat membuat jiwaku menggigil oleh rasa takut.

Count itu terbaring di situ, tapi ia seperti telah mendapatkan kembali separo masa mudanya, karena rambut dan kumisnya yang sudah putih berubah menjadi kelabu kehitaman. Bibirnya berlumuran darah segar yang menetes dari sudut-sudut mulutnya, dan mengalir ke dagu dan lehernya. Makhluk mengerikan itu boleh dikatakan memuntahkan darah. Ia terbaring bagaikan seekor lintah yang keletihan karena kekenyangan. Senyum mengejek yang terbayang di wajahnya yang membengkak itu membuatku amat marah.

Inilah makhluk yang sedang kubantu kepindahannya ke London, ke tempat selama berabad-abad yang akan datang ia akan memangsa orang-orang tak berdaya. Kusambar sebuah sekop, lalu kuhantamkan mata sekop ke wajah menjijikkan itu. Waktu itu kulakukan, kepala makhluk itu berpaling dan matanya mengarah tepat kepadaku, membelalak dengan sangat mengerikan. Aku terpaku. Sekop itu terlepas dari tanganku.

Yang terakhir kulihat adalah wajah yang bengkak, berlumuran darah, dan dihiasi senyum jahat yang agaknya akan tetap dibawanya sampai ke neraka jahanam.

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Edisi Gabungan: Dracula I dan II

REVIEW Dracula

Oleh : A_Anggono, 03 Des 2007-13:35:55

Rating

This is an old novel and mainly composed of journal entries and letters written by several narrators.

The tale begins with Jonathan Harker and English solicitor, journeying by train and carriage from England to Count Dracula’s crumbling castle in the Carpathian Mountains on the border of Transylvania and Moldavia. The purpose of his mission is to provide legal support for Dracula for a real estate transaction overseen by Harker’s employer, Peter Hawkins, of Exeter in England. At first seduced by Dracula’s gracious manner, Harker soon discovers that he has become a prisoner in the castle. He also begins to see disquieting facets of Dracula’s nocturnal life. One night while searching for a way out of the castle, and against Dracula’s strict admonition not to rest outside his room at night Harker falls under the spell of three wanton female vampires, the Brides of Dracula. He saved at the last second by the Count, however, who ostensibly wants to keep Harker alive just long enough because his legal advice and teaching about England and London are needed by Dracula. Harker barely escapes from the castle with his life.

Not long afterward, a Russian ship, The Demeter, having weighted anchor at varna, runs aground on the shores of Whitby, England, during a fierce tempest. All of the crew are missing and presumed dead, and only the captains body is found tied up to the ship’s helm. The captain’s log is recovered and tells of strange events led to the gradual disappearance of the entire crew apparently owing to a malevolent presence on board the ill-fated ship. An animal described as a big dog is seen on the ship and leaping ashore. The ship’s cargo is described as silver sand and boxes of mould from Transylvania.

Soon Dracula is menacing Harker’s devoted fiencee, Wlhelmina “Mina” Murray, and her vivacious friend Lucy Westenra. Lucy receives three proposal ini one day from Arthur Holmwood (later Lord Godalming), Quincey Morris and Dr. John Seward. They are then to be unified by Van Helsing to fight against Dracula and try to kill him (again).

Lucy begins to waste away suspiciously. Seward calls his old teacher Professor Abraham Van Helsing from Amsterdam. Van Helsing immediately determines the cause of Lucy’s condition but refuses to disclose it. He worried about Seward’s faith will be shaken if he speaks of vampires. Van Helsing tries blood transfusion 3 times from Arthur, Seward and at last Van Helsing himself. One night when Van Helsing has to go back to Amsterdam, Lucy and her mother was attacked by a wolf. Mrs Westenra (Lucy’s mother) died because of her heart condition and Lucy died soon after.

Lucy is buried, but soon afterward the newspaper report a beautiful lady stalking children in the night. Van Helsing knowing that means Lucy has become a vampire. After confides in Seward, Arthur and Morris he stake her heart and behead her.

This scene have an interesting thing, Van Helsing by his blood transfusion want to tell that he is a modern and intelligent man and using extremely modern technologies (at that time) like blood transfusions; but he is not so modern as to eschew the idea that a demonic being could be causing Lucy's illness: he spreads garlic around the sashes and doors of her room and makes her wear a garlic flower necklace.

Around at the same time. Jonathan Harker arrives from Budapest after married with Mina. He and Mina then joint to the coalition.

After Dracula learns of Van Helsing and the others’ aginst him, he take revenge by visiting and biting Mina. Dracula also feeds Mina with his blood, creating a mental bond between them to control her. The only way to break this bonding is only by killing him. Mina slowly succumbs to the blood of the vampire that flows through her veins, switching back and forth from a state of consciousness to a state of semi-trance during which she is telepathically connected with Dracula. It is this connection that they start to use to track Dracula's movements. It is only possible to track Dracula's movements when Mina is put under hypnosis by Van Helsing. This ability is actually lost as the group makes their way to Dracula's castle.

Dracula goes back to his castle in Transylvania, followed by Van Helsing's gang, who manage to track him down just before sundown and destroy him by shearing "through the throat" and stabbing him in the heart with a knife (known as Bowie Knife). Dracula crumbles to dust, his spell is lifted and Mina is freed from the marks. Quincey Morris is killed in the final battle, stabbed by Gypsies who had been charged with returning Dracula to his castle; the survivors return to England.

The book closes with a note about Mina's and Jonathan's married life and the birth of their first-born son, who they name Quincey in remembrance of their American friend.

This novel tells too much about the Van Helsing’s gang and too little about Dracula himself. The note or letter written by Dracula makes me remember a book named My Name Is Red written by Orhan Pamuk. He tells the story by telling the mind of the character in his novel. The difference between those two books is reading Dracula is easier then My Name Is Red. Maybe is because Orhan made the novel to be like that, to make the reader use their brain to remember the story and to think of what had happen. This will not see in Dracula. Dracula is a light novel, could be read in every place and every time without make us use our brain working hard.

By the way this is a good book, not mentioned how many books have been written after this and how many films have been made inspired by this book.