Power and Control in DraculaIn the universe, no being has complete control over another. In Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, God, Dracula, Nature and Humanity have some form of influence over each other, whether it be direct control or as a tool through which another must exert their power . In this article I will examine the ways in which power and control are presented in Dracula. One of the main challenges to God's power is Dracula. God does nothing to help Lucy's character. Why? He has not committed any great sin. Yet he is still Dracula's prey. There are two possible explanations for this: first, that God has no power to save her from Dracula. Dracula is almost out of God's power. Since Dracula renounced God, he (God) no longer has dominion over Dracula. Or, secondly, God feels that she is being justly punished for her sins (sins of which the reader is never informed). Lucy is very flirtatious and perhaps more promiscuous than we are led to believe. In Francis Ford Coppola's film version, when Lucy and Mina look at the book showing sexual acts, Lucy states that "people can do that (sexual acts)". Mina then asks Lucy how she knows that people do those sexual acts, and Lucy replies "because I did it last night... in my dreams." Let's say he actually had a dream about sexual acts, but what if he wasn't telling the truth? Lucy knew that no respectable woman would ever admit to having sex outside of marriage in her day. He may have been trying to cover up his reputation. It would seem that the most likely of these choices mentioned above is that God is unable to save the innocent. However, this does not mean that God is powerless. God maintains power over Dracula in several ways: Sacred objects, such as the crucifix, holy water, and sacred wafers, repel Dracula. The first time we see Dracula's reaction is when Jonathan Harker is shaving. Dracula comes up behind Jonathan Harker and sees the crucifix. He is forced to stop looking at the crucifix and he (Dracula) says that "our ways are different from those of your England" and "you should not put your trust in such objects of deception". We see, as Harker does, that Dracula hates God.