The Fall of the Demeter - Bram Stoker's Dracula - The Greatest Horror Novel Ever Written & The Importance of Courage
Hollyweird vs Stoker
“3 August.— At midnight I went to relieve the man at the wheel, and when I got to it found no one there. The wind was steady, and as we ran before it there was no yawing. I dared not leave it, so shouted for the mate. After a few seconds he rushed up on deck in his flannels. He looked wild-eyed and haggard, and I greatly fear his reason has given way. He came close to me and whispered hoarsely, with his mouth to my ear, as though fearing the very air might hear: “It is here; I know it, now. On the watch last night I saw It, like a man, tall and thin, and ghastly pale. It was in the bows, and looking out. I crept behind It, and gave It my knife; but the knife went through It, empty as the air.” And as he spoke he took his knife and drove it savagely into space. Then he went on: “But It is here, and I’ll find It. It is in the hold, perhaps in one of those boxes. I’ll unscrew them one by one and see. You work the helm.” And, with a warning look and his finger on his lip, he went below. There was springing up a choppy wind, and I could not leave the helm. I saw him come out on deck again with a tool-chest and a lantern, and go down the forward hatchway. He is mad, stark, raving mad, and it’s no use my trying to stop him. He can’t hurt those big boxes: they are invoiced as “clay,” and to pull them about is as harmless a thing as he can do. So here I stay, and mind the helm, and write these notes. I can only trust in God and wait till the fog clears. Then, if I can’t steer to any harbour with the wind that is, I shall cut down sails and lie by, and signal for help....”
This is a passage from the Dracula novel. It is one that is from the middle part of the book, when we’re learning about the Demeter and their strange, terrifying trip through the Mediterranean to England.
It is one of the most fascinating parts of the story, and one in which we follow ‘randos’ or ‘normies’ of the 1880s and 1890s as they attempt to match wits with the Count. Arguably this was the perfect setting for a hellaweird movie, but they still found a way to botch it with their retarded DEI practice and their unwillingness to consider what a 1880 ship crew would look like. A black man on it wouldn’t fit as this was a time when the British navy controlled the seas and blacks weren’t doctors, and the odds of a ship doctor being an African is so astronomical as to strain believability.
Of course the woman’s role was just to make Dracula seem like a predator when we don’t need a female lead for that. In fact given what we're told about the ship we know for a fact what happened aboard the ship and the demographics of the crew and that there was no female crew-member.
All that aside we must also confront the fact that another reason that the Demeter movie is more of an embarrassment to the bean-counters is the fact that the sailors fare terribly against the Count.
None of them are really prepared for the Vampire, and none of them quite understand what it is that is happening so that blame flies as swiftly and wildly as bullets on the battlefield. None of them have ever encountered such a menace, so that is a distinct feeling that the sense of enchantment that flowed freely in Dracula’s Castle has been moved or transferred in some manner to the Demeter.
And then there’s the meaning of the name Demeter, which is to say the goddess of the harvest of Greek Mythology, yet she was the one who brought about the winter when her daughter was snatched away to marry Hades. So there’s some measure of symbolism here; of madness, of winter and of death of course as winter is often associated with death (in terms of seasonal symbolism).
“There is no evidence to adduce; and whether or not the man himself committed the murders there is now none to say. The folk here hold almost universally that the captain is simply a hero, and he is to be given a public funeral. Already it is arranged that his body is to be taken with a train of boats up the Esk for a piece and then brought back to Tate Hill Pier and up the abbey steps; for he is to be buried in the churchyard on the cliff. The owners of more than a hundred boats have already given in their names as wishing to follow him to the grave. No trace has ever been found of the great dog; at which there is much mourning, for, with public opinion in its present state, he would, I believe, be adopted by the town. To-morrow will see the funeral; and so will end this one more “mystery of the sea.”
This is the paragraph where we see the arrival of the ship in the harbour and see that the ship has arrived with nary any crew-members left. The reason is quite simple; they are suffering from a case of dead. They’ve kicked the bucket. They’re done. They’ve gone to the great sailing ship in the sky.
And they’ve no one to blame but themselves for being stupid, turning on one another and not remaining united against the threat posed against them. That being said one should not be too harsh on them as the Captain did try at least, the trouble was that his crew were idiots and his first mate was determined to run things into the ground.
Once again, there was MASSIVE potential for a great horror movie here. Shame they wasted it on the trash flop they did produce.
Mina though spills a great deal of ink fretting about and worrying over Jonathan, whom she misses terribly as she thanks heavens was not on the ship, and thus has not been killed. Her fear derives from the knowledge that everyone aboard the Demeter was slain, and yet there’s a sense of dread that is still conveyed in the following text.
“Somehow I felt glad that Jonathan was not on the sea last night, but on land. But, oh, is he on land or sea? Where is he, and how? I am getting fearfully anxious about him. If I only knew what to do, and could do anything!”
Dread that will only build ever more over the next part of the novel.
The Lucy Westenra Question
“The funeral of the poor sea-captain to-day was most touching. Every boat in the harbour seemed to be there, and the coffin was carried by captains all the way from Tate Hill Pier up to the churchyard. Lucy came with me, and we went early to our old seat, whilst the cortège of boats went up the river to the Viaduct and came down again. We had a lovely view, and saw the procession nearly all the way. The poor fellow was laid to rest quite near our seat so that we stood on it when the time came and saw everything. Poor Lucy seemed much upset. She was restless and uneasy all the time, and I cannot but think that her dreaming at night is telling on her. She is quite odd in one thing: she will not admit to me that there is any cause for restlessness; or if there be, she does not understand it herself. There is an additional cause in that poor old Mr. Swales was found dead this morning on our seat, his neck being broken. He had evidently, as the doctor said, fallen back in the seat in some sort of fright, for there was a look of fear and horror on his face that the men said made them shudder.”
Before we get to the Lucy Westenra issue, let us first comment on how M. Swales passed away; the man was obviously murdered.
His neck was broken and the doctors flabbergasted decided it has to be because he fell over, and yet it is unlikely given the expression of fear and horror on his face. That they would immediately try to sweep it under the rug is telling of how short-sighted and indifferent they are to anything outside their comfort zone if we’re being honest.
So that this is a part of the book that’s a great commentary on humanity if we’re being honest with ourselves. Most ‘normies’ which is to say normal people have little in the way of curiosity as to the world around them, and have even less interest in pushing the boundaries.
Certainly others will benefit from them doing so, but they’re afraid to do so. They’re afraid of ‘rocking the boat’ as to do so will shake up the foundations of their lives on some level.
It is why the likes of Helsing’s crew that is to say the Harkers, Quincy, Arthur & Seward are so impressive; they had the courage to do what few of us could.
“Lucy is so sweet and sensitive that she feels influences more acutely than other people do. Just now she was quite upset by a little thing which I did not much heed, though I am myself very fond of animals. One of the men who came up here often to look for the boats was followed by his dog. The dog is always with him. They are both quiet persons, and I never saw the man angry, nor heard the dog bark. During the service the dog would not come to its master, who was on the seat with us, but kept a few yards off, barking and howling. Its master spoke to it gently, and then harshly, and then angrily; but it would neither come nor cease to make a noise. It was in a sort of fury, with its eyes savage, and all its hairs bristling out like a cat’s tail when puss is on the war-path. war-path. Finally the man, too, got angry, and jumped down and kicked the dog, and then took it by the scruff of the neck and half dragged and half threw it on the tombstone on which the seat is fixed. The moment it touched the stone the poor thing became quiet and fell all into a tremble. It did not try to get away, but crouched down, quivering and cowering, and was in such a pitiable state of terror that I tried, though without effect, to comfort it. Lucy was full of pity, too, but she did not attempt to touch the dog, but looked at it in an agonised sort of way. I greatly fear that she is of too super-sensitive a nature to go through the world without trouble. She will be dreaming of this to-night, I am sure. The whole agglomeration of things— the ship steered into port by a dead man; his attitude, tied to the wheel with a crucifix and beads; the touching funeral; the dog, now furious and now in terror— will all afford material for her dreams.”
This scene is a shocking one. I must admit I’d have tried to foolishly touch the dog. Dogs are precious to me (just read my Substack stories to see this).
Lucy though was wiser than a great many might well have been by not allowing herself to be drawn into touching a maddened dog. That said the dog is angry and grieving yes, but it can sense that something is amiss, it knows Dracula to have struck its master that he is undead and therefore an enemy of the living.
It has to be said that in healthier times, the undead were not romanticized, they were not lusted after and the reason is because people had an understanding that the living are beautiful and that the undead are a ‘blasphemy against the living’ so that the murder of the old sailor Swales is an act of violation of sorts and one of the utmost horror.
It is one that with good reason the dog objects to. The sole witness he is offended at the existence of the undead who is nearby and yet cannot seem to warn anyone, with only Lucy being sensitive to his terror.
So that it begs the question; is the killing of Lucy also about silencing someone connected to a witness? Is it an act of punishment for empathizing with the canine? As much as it is in his mind a reward for capturing his attention with her beauty?
It does make one think and it really does make one think.
The Moral of the Story Here
Yes there’s a moral to the story on some level, at least in my view with it being the following; break free from the shell around you. Routines’ are good, but the minute they become some sort of prison all around you, you’ve failed or otherwise ceased to live.
The goal must be to reforge yourself into a braver man or woman than what you were. How might you do this?
This is a question that usually haunts those self-help stacks such as
, , , among many others. Each of them are wonderful, and very wise about how they handle it. They usually advise ways to effect big and small changes both suddenly and slowly. They’re very good at it.I’ve found as someone who is autistic and extremely routine-obsessed that the best method for an unwieldy soul is to change habits little by little. Shocks to the system can occasionally work, but they are a drastic measure. Such efforts don’t always succeed in changing one’s life as most tend to withdraw like a cat from them, hissing and complaining about them.
One should remember the methods of ancient people and of the military and of a great many of those like
who has suggested on a number of occasions that it must begin with one small change then another. The idea being to reform your habits until you’re exercising, your working, and your otherwise bettering yourself properly in a manner that is healthy and that breeds healthy habits and a healthier mindset.This is key to success, and this is how one overcomes bravery. You must as Musashi did transfigure yourself into a valorous individual, doing so by making courage something like rote or a habit rather than an oddity. It can be done by breaking one small habit everyday, until at last you’ve transformed the whole of your being into that of a truly strong, and courageous individual.
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Also Crown of Blood has a new edition, with maps, character bios and more!
Enjoyed very much
I saw the trailers for the Demeter film and they gave me the creeps, in a bad way. I felt duty bound to watch it but haven't. Thanks for confirming my judgement.