Since the beginning of time, people have been creating myths and legends to explain the unexplainable. Some myths, created many years ago, have been produced into novels for our entertainment. When writing such novels, many authors alter the original legend, and some even create their own. Bram Stoker creates the myth of "vampires" by writing the notorious Dracula. In the novel, Dracula's appearances, description, and interaction with others establish an eerie mood. .
Dracula's subtle appearances in Whitby create an eerie mood. In chapter 7, two newspaper clippings report on a boat that has washed up on the coast of Whitby. They announce, "The very instant the shore was touched, an immense dog sprang up on the deck from below and jumped from the bow to the sand." (Stocker 98) They also say the crew had deserted the ship and the captain "was simply fastened by his hands, tied one over the other, to a spoke of the wheel. Between his inner hand and the wood was a crucifix." (99) The dog and crucifix prove Dracula's presence on the ship because he has the ability to transform into numerous beings. One of which, is a large dog. He also is repelled by crucifixes. Therefore, it makes sense the captain's corpse is the only one on the ship. This scene leaves the reader frightened because it shows just how powerful Dracula really is. Later, in Whitby, Lucy's sleepwalking problem is a much more dangerous issue than she can imagine. When Mina sees Lucy on the bench outside St. Mary's church she writes in her journal, "the sliver light of the moon struck a half-reclining figure, snowy white it seemed to as though something dark stood behind the seat where the white figure shone, bent over it." (112) The next morning Mina writes," 'I must have pinched up a piece of loose skin and have transfixed it, for there are two little red points like pinpricks.
