"The vampires and wolves won't sink their teeth..."

In Thurdsay's lesson we looked at the 'vampire baptism' in Chapter 21. This is the first time in the book, since the chapters set in the Dracula's castle, that we see Dracula in his human form as before this point he has only ever been talked about, or seen in animal form. They find Dracula in the Harker's bedroom with Mrs Harker "forcing her face down on his bosom". Mina's husband Jonathan is in a stupor whilst she is being forced to drink Dracula's blood: "her white nightdress smeared with blood". This 'vampire baptism' alludes to rape as Dracula is forcing himself upon Mina by holding both of her hands and gripping her by the back of the neck to force her to drink the blood and it is somewhat adulterous as this act is taking place in the marital bedroom and her husband is present.
There are many Gothic elements portrayed within this chapter. For example the setting, as the act is carried out at night in an asylum, the setting of the bedroom also links to the Gothic as it suggests a violation of privacy and the idea of making a place of safety become feared. There are a lot of contrasting ideas such as light vs dark and attraction vs repulsion. The theme of light vs dark is recurrent throughout the book and can be connected to good vs evil, as nighttime is Dracula's realm. The elements of attraction vs repulsion can be seen in Mina's reaction to Dracula's corruption as she is repulsed by what happened when she is recounting the episode yet she says she "did not want to hinder him", which contrasts with her description of him placing his "reeking lips" upon her throat. This shows Dracula's control and manipulation of the situation and his egotistical nature.