Quincy Morris and Van Helsing in the Crew of Light Essay Example For Students

Quincy Morris and Van Helsing in the Crew of Light Essay In Bram Stokers novel, Dracula, we see the epic conflict between Dracula, the degenerate aristocrat, and the respectability of emerging middle class values represented in the Crew of Light. Two key members of this Crew of Light are Quincy Morris, the honourable and reliable soldier and Abraham Van Helsing, the master of things obscure and occult and the ice cool analyst. This essay will focus on the role and purpose of these two characters in Bram Stokers novel. To do this I have selected two specific passages from the text of Dracula. The first passage is at p. 50, and is a letter describing Quincy Morris. Lucy Westernera, a friend and suitor to Quincy, writes the letter. The second passage, pp. 93-4, is a letter written about Van Helsing from his friend and former student, Dr Seward. Both these passages give us insights as to the character of the two men. Whilst being an important member of the Crew of Light, Quincy Morris is also perceived as being non-threatening as a foreigner in the Crew of Light. Lucy knows little of Quincys background and this would seem to breed a slight element of disrespect for him. This is illustrated where Lucy says: It amused me to hear him talk American slang. (P. 50) Although Stoker does not directly combat racism and xenophobia he addresses the matter in a both subtle and jovial manner. Including subtle prejudices associated with Quincy like this softens the Victorian stereotype of foreigners and, ergo, reassures the Victorian reader that proper English virtues can exist in certain foreigners, characteristics such as honesty, bravery and being well mannered. Lucy continues on in her letter to help enforce the fact that Quincy does indeed uphold these revered characteristics: Mr Morris doesnt always speak slang for he is really well educated and has exquisite manners. Lucys letter here typifies the prejudice against Quincy; it is harmless and not intended to be insulting, but at the same time it reminds the reader that the prejudice and xenophobia that was commonplace in Victorian Britain is still present in the text. The slang that Quincy Morris uses when speaking to Lucy helps to distinguish him from Lucys other suitors. I believe that Stoker included the slang to show how Quincy has to adapt himself to be accepted in the Crew of Light. He only resorts to phrases like driving in double harness, when he is nervous and speaks from his heart. It would seem that Stoker wished to show the reader how no matter how much you try to change yourself to fit in with society, it is impossible to truly escape the person inside. However, the opinion of Quincy Morris in the eyes of Dr Seward and Arthur Holmwood paints a very different picture to the harmless gentleman described by Lucy in her letter to Mina Harker. To the men, Quincy is seen as a brave and honourable fighter; he has served in the army alongside Seward and Holmwood. Quincy brings with him knowledge and technology of warfare; Stoker gives him the same characteristics that America held in the eyes of a Victorian reader. He is seen as a dependable ally and suitably westernised, so that he could be accepted in British society. The fact that Quincy has served in the army alongside two English gentlemen also gives him a bond with the two men. This bond seeks to eradicate traditional xenophobic barriers that may otherwise have arisen between them. Because of this bond, neither Seward nor Holmwood treats Quincy as they may have treated a foreigner. For instance, great trust is put in Quincy when he helps to look after Lucy in the nights while she is still alive. And Quincys blood is seen to be good enough to help Lucy, for he gives blood to her in the form of a transfusion: A brave mans blood is the best thing on this earth when a woman is in trouble. Youre a man and no mistake. (p. 75) The desperation of the Crew of Light to save the life of Lucy allows them to see through typical Victorian racial obstacles and treat Quincy as the gentleman he is. I believe Stoker wanted to express how he felt about the combination of bloods in Lucy, giving the men a bond, which would seek to eradicate traditional racial barriers. In this essay I intend to compare each opening scene in both movies by focusing on the similarities and differencesOne can assume that Stoker did not want to be seen as just another man trying to argue for either science or religion, as was popular at the time. If one reads closely there are some instances where one can assume that Van Helsings words are the same as the opinions of Stoker. For instance, when Van Helsing says: Well, the devil may work against us for all hes worth, but God sends us men when we want them. (p. 75) I propose that this quote comes directly from Stoker himself, and is based in his opinion of societal beliefs. A dependence on science and technology somewhat veils the supernatural, rather than explains it. The characters in Dracula are faced with situations that science has no explanation for and they must trust in God or nothing else. I believe this is why Stoker shows a dependence on more old-fashioned, religious weapons and defences, such as the crucifix, holy wafer and knives from the Crew of Light. One must infer that Van Helsing is given added respect in his knowledge of the occult because he is a foreigner. The Crew of Light and the Victorian reader would perceive that his origins might be similar to the origins of the occult. To put matters simply, the occult was not British. It is comforting to the Victorian reader to know that Dracula derives from foreign shores, and that this monster is not the literal product of British society, even if its metaphorical power was vividly apparent. Van Helsing is seen in the text as a source of knowledge on the occult, and without him I am certain that the Crew of Light would be unable to fight Dracula effectively. However it does seem somewhat ironic that the Crew of Light must enlist the help of a foreigner to protect their country from the very same thing: Yet this is not the first time that foreign help has been enlisted by the British to drive out a foreign invader. In the early 5th century, the Goths helped the indigenous people of Britain drive out their Roman oppressors and become independent. It is more than coincidence that Van Helsings place of origin, Holland, is where many of the Gothic tribes settled. The Crew of Light draw out Van Helsings knowledge of the occult in the same way that the military expertise of the Goths was used by the indigenous people of Britain to help them drive out the foreign invaders. This is a Gothic historical analogy for a Gothic novel. In this essay I have discussed why Stoker has chosen to include the characters of Quincy Morris and Abraham Van Helsing. I believe I have found three main points that I will now reiterate in conclusion. Firstly, Stoker does not treat Quincy Morris as a foreigner, because there is nothing but his blood that separates him from the other British members of the Crew of Light. And his blood is transferred and mixed with the blood of the other members of the crew of light through the process of a transfusion, where any racial qualities encoded within the blood will have been diluted. Secondly, Stoker has chosen to present the occult as something that is not British, and he personifies this in the character of Van Helsing. This underlines the significance of foreignness as a theme in the novel. Finally, Van Helsings foreign origin serves to politicise the conflict between Dracula as an invading foreigner and the intrinsic Englishness of the majority of the Crew of Light. Within this novel, these two characters form an integral part of Bram Stokers purpose.