Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula relies heavily on the construction and deconstruction of binaries. Among the different binaries, arguably the most prevalent and important are those of good versus evil and darkness versus light. At the beginning of the novel, Stoker draws a clear line between good and evil. Basically, Dracula is evil: everyone who hunts him is good. However, as the novel progresses, the clear line between good and evil begins to blur. As the novel progresses, one can certainly ask what actually constitutes a monster? Is Dracula a monster? Here, Stoker allows readers to develop sympathy for his evil character. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although Dracula is bloodthirsty, driven by revenge, seeking immortality, expanding his territory, and reproducing, Stoker includes a romantic side to his monster. Dracula is depicted as a lonely man. When Jonathan arrives at his castle, Dracula welcomes him as a being to communicate with, not just a bag of blood. Instead of killing Jonathan immediately upon his arrival, Dracula showed him the greatest hospitality, keeping him well-fed and comfortable, while remaining imprisoned. Presented as a dapper creature, Dracula possesses a charismatic presence. When spotted by Jonathan and Mina while out and about, Dracula tries to blend into society and not annex himself as a monster. But at the same time, Dracula pretending to be dapper allows him to appear as both bait and a trap. Dracula is misunderstood, he rebels against morality and society and this makes him a monster and at the same time an anti-hero. For most of the novel, no one felt any sympathy for Dracula, he was seen only as pure evil. However, towards the end of the novel, Mina reveals that she pities Dracula. She considers him a “poor soul” and she is convinced that even though he has wreaked havoc on his friends, Dracula is “the saddest case of all” (Stoker 269). Although Mina reveals her true feelings for Dracula, one has to wonder if it is because she sincerely feels pity for the creature, or if she has compassion for him because he is slowly transforming into a monster like him and realizes she might have to. suffers the same fate. Defying the odds and shattering the binary of good versus evil, Reinfeld, Dr. Seward's offbeat mental patient, straddles the line between good and evil. Reinfeld is undoubtedly a sociopath and can be classified as a monster. He loves carnage and playing God, and essentially becomes Dracula's puppet, but at the same time Reinfeld is a tragic character. Different from the other humans in the novel, temptation, sexual desire, or his own virility do not motivate Reinfeld, but he is not driven by the same carnal motivations as Dracula. A special case of the novel, Reinfeld experiences extreme moments of clarity and extreme moments of madness, leading the audience to believe that he has no control over what he does. Contrasting with his own monstrosity, Reinfeld clings to Mina and shows genuine compassion for the woman, making himself not evil, but at the same time not good. Dark versus light and good versus evil collide when we think of Lucy Westerna. At the beginning of the novel, Lucy is described as the perfect Victorian woman, blonde and virginal. The innocence displayed by Lucy attracted the dark and evil Dracula to consume this innocence and leave only evil. However,.