#nov 7

I think it's interesting to note that through the course of the entire novel, the only characters out of the main cast to directly interact with Dracula are Jonathan and Mina (Renfield too, but I'm not sure how much he can be considered 'main cast'). All the other characters either only saw him from a distance, got a glimpse of him before he vanished, or merely felt his pressence. Even Van Helsing, who is widely regarded as Dracula's arch nemesis in pop culture, only saw him in person once in the actual story. I think this goes to show that this is really the Harkers' story. They are the ones who got up close and personal with the horror. They're the few people who Dracula had intended to kill who actually got away. The ones who survived. In fact, they did more than survive, they brought justice to the monster who had abused them. Because their love is so strong for each other that they were motivated, not because of what Dracula did to each of them personally, but because of what he did to the one each of them loves. Dracula truly is a gothic romance.