Dracula Chapters 22 - 27
Dracula returns to the asylum later onwards and kills the recovering Renfield by breaking his neck. They mourn his loss and begin to move against Dracula. They begin by destroying his resting places with the use of communion wafers. They go to the chapel, and place communion wafers in all of the boxes there. Van Helsing attempts to protect Nina by placing the wafers in her room, and he tries to bless her with one. The wafer burns Nina, and she becomes sad because she feels that Dracula has made her impure. The company of men divide to attack the boxes located around London. Holmwood and Morris make their way to the London houses, while Van Helsing and Harker go to the Piccadilly location. They receive a message from Mina, telling them that Dracula has left Carfax. Van Helsing and Harker realize that there are only eight boxes at the Piccadilly location, indicating a missing box, which they think Dracula has sneaked away. Dracula appears at the Piccadilly location, weakened by sunrise, he is nearly overcome by the two men, but he manages to escape by jumping out of a window. Without any further leads, the team returns to the asylum, and Van Helsing puts forward his new theory of using Mina. He believes they can use Mina’s connection with Dracula to learn of his whereabouts. He puts her under hypnosis and she tells them that she can hear the sound of the sea. They believe that Dracula may be escaping England by way of the sea. Harker becomes extremely concerned about Mina’s condition as he worries that she will turn into a vampire before they can find and destroy Dracula.
Van Helsing and the others discover that Dracula’s last remaining box had been shipped to Varna, the original port from which he had sailed upon his departure from Transylvania. They resolve to catch him in Varna, and Van Helsing bolsters their morale by giving them a speech about how their fight is one for the survival of humanity. Mina insists on accompanying them to Varna, and she argues that she may be able to make use of her connection with Dracula to aid in his destruction. She also insists on taking a pledge from the men, that they would not hesitate to put an end to her should she transform into a vampire. They depart for Varna, with the hope of arriving at the port well before Dracula’s arrival. Mina’s health deteriorates as they journey to Varna. They arrive before Dracula’s ship and wait a whole week for the ship to arrive but it does not. They discover that the ship had not stopped at Varna, and had gone on to Galatz. Van Helsing believes that this had occurred because Dracula had been able to discern their presence at the port through his connection with Mina. He hopes that Dracula will now become overconfident, and think that they have given up on his pursuit.
Mina has limited use of her connection with Dracula, however, she continues to hear the sound of the water. The company journeys to Galatz, where they discover that the box had been handed over to a trader, but that trial fails to yield any results as the trader’s body is discovered in a graveyard, with its throat torn out. Mina attempts to use her connection again and suggests the routes that Dracula may have taken. She and Van Helsing make their way to Castle Dracula, following much the same route as Johnathan’s first journey. The others make use of steamboats and horses to cover the other routes that he may have taken. As they near the castle, Van Helsing realizes that he can no longer put Mina in a trance. They make camp close to the castle, and Van Helsing produces a protective ring around their camp using communion wafers. The three vampires from the castle suddenly appear at their campsite and cause such a paroxysm among the horses that all the poor creatures drop dead. They attempt to tempt Mina, and Van Helsing out of the circle but they are both able to resist.
Once the sun has risen, Van Helsing leaves Mina sleeping in the protective ring while he makes his way to Dracula’s castle. There, he discovers all of the tombs of the vampires and stakes each one of them. He is tempted to spare them at the sight of their beauty but he overcomes his momentary weakness. He also finds Dracula’s tomb, which is as yet uninhabited. He places communion wafers all around it and seals the castle as well. He and Mina then journey back to meet up with the others. The terrible weather in the region hinders their passage, but they finally come upon a group of gypsies carrying the box in a cart. The man attacks the gypsies and topples the box from the carriage, but Quincey is wounded in the process. Johnathan cuts Dracula’s throat while Quincey stabs him in the heart, which causes Dracula to turn to dust. Quincey dies soon afterward, and several years later Mina has a son with Johnathan, and they name him Quincey. Arthur and Seward have also discovered martial bliss, while Van Helsing comments that Quincey will one day come to understand that all these men loved her very deeply, so much so that they were willing to give up their lives for her sake.
Analysis
Mina comes to the forefront of this section, as she becomes a crucial part of the alliance that seeks to destroy Dracula. However, readers are not given a glimpse of her inner workings beyond her simplistic desires to serve her husband as a good wife, and to remain a good Christian. Female sexuality is represented as a dangerous force that can lead men to destruction through lust. This danger is most accurately exemplified in Van Helsing’s interactions with the female vampires. He understands that they are monsters, yet he has difficulty throwing off their allure. This represents the prevailing view of men in Victorian England, who were afraid of being led to social or moral deterioration through the instigation of their lust.
The final scenes feature a fight between Mina’s protectors and the Gypsies, who protect the final box containing Dracula. The gypsies seek to protect their way of life by protecting their Boyar, and their noblemen, and so the fight between the East and the West becomes the fight between good and evil.
