Once again, Jonathan represents an aspect of the gothic heroine in a horrible situation with the destruction of his letters. The constant thread of being entirely cut off from the outside world is a classic gothic trope to exemplify the abusive systems that isolate female characters.
Communication in the Gothic, whenever it's spoken or written, is a key element for female characters because it is a form of agency that is crucial for them to survive. If they are trapped, they must escape, and to escape people from the outside of the power dynamic have to know that these ladies are trapped first without the gothic male figure finding out. Thus the need to send out something which alerts the other characters of her situation.
Which is why when Dracula simply takes, tampers, and destroys Jonathan's letters it's this very gendered power dynamic that traps Jonathan in the abusive game that the Count keeps going. It's akin to an older husband taking away the last means of escape from the young wife, because even if Jonathan's body doesn't escape the cruel ending that comes closer with each passing day, his words to his actual loved ones can. That kind of action shakes the abusive dynamic that Dracula has built, it bruised his ego even thought he still holds all of the power over Jonathan because he has the ability to write down what is happening, so the Count takes that away from him too.
tangentwithtanner
blakekathryn
andulkaphoto
annaxmalina
discoholicmusic
origamiaround
gummygunk
