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Bram Stoker was born in Ireland in 1847. Although trained as a clerk, after obtaining a
degree in Mathematics, he had an avid interest in the theatre, and, after seeing
actor Henry Irving perform, he eventually became his stage manager. In his free time,
he became a prolific author of horror stories, including The Snake's Pass, The Shoulder of
Shasta and The Mystery Of The Sea. However, it was his retelling of the
vampire fable that he is remembered for. In my opinion, the single most interesting character in the Dracula novel, and one who has (to my knowledge) rarely been protrayed in movie adaptations, is Renfield. For those who lack the benefit of having read the book, I will quickly describe this most interesting individual. Renfield is introduced as a patient of Dr. Seward, who is the head of a lunatic asylum. Although his previous occupation is not divulged, his intelligence and rationale suggest that Renfield was (before his incarceration) a well-respected member of society (in fact, in "Nosferatu", Renfield's character is changed such that he is the real estate agent, and Harker's employer, who works as Dracula's agent in Britain). However, a run-in with none other than Count Dracula, of Transylvania, was enough to affect his behaviour to the extent that his own friends have him committed. However, it is his actions whilst in the asylum that make him so interesting. Dr. Seward observes that Renfield has a curious habit of leaving sugar on his cell's windowsill. The aim of the sugar is to catch flies that buzz past the window. The curious Renfield then eats the flies he has caught. While that is not obscenely strange, the lunatic then proceeds to mark down, in a notebook, the number of flies he has eaten. His actions then become more bizarre, as he catches a number of flies, then feeds them to one of the arachnid inhabitants of the cell. Renfield's book shows that he is "tallying" the number of flies fed to the spiders. Eventually, he manages to catch a sparrow, to which he feeds the spiders. All these transactions are recorded in the tally book. Dr. Seward is intrigued, and even coins a word to describe Renfield - "zoophagous". Eventually, it seems as though Renfield is working up to the point where he may consume something, which has consumed a great many lives itself. Before Seward can test this hypothesis, Renfield's mood changes a great many times. He attempts escape, but runs only as far as the next building, an old abandoned mansion, where he beats against the door to an adjoining chapel. He howls at the moon, and frequently talks to himself about his "master", and how his master is coming. Coincidentally, these mood swings describe the travels of none other than Count Dracula, who also happens to have purchased the abandoned property next door, and set up a number of coffins in the chapel attached to it. What makes Renfield so intriguing is Dracula's hold over him. Despite his great desire for it, Renfield is never allowed to drink some of the Count's blood (which would cause him to become undead, too). If Dracula had consumed some of his blood, he would slowly have died. So, what hold did Dracula have over Renfield? It was strong enough to cause Renfield to ignore social and moral decorum, causing him to be committed. Was Renfield homosexual? Did the immense sexual attraction of Count Dracula have an effect, not only on the women he preyed upon, but on men? If so, Renfield received poor reward for his devotion to his "master". When Seward and his friends discover the link between Renfield's behaviour and Dracula's movements, Renfield is found in his cell, his back broken, and his head beaten repeatedly against the floor, so that his skull was fractured. And so, the tragic story of Renfield comes to an end. |
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