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Dracula Chapter Summary - Chapters 1-6
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Dracula - Chapter SummaryChapter One:
Jonathan Harker’s Journal, May 3
Harker describes his journey in his journal, travelling through Budapest on the way to
Transylvania, Romania. The editor informs us that this diary is in "Shorthand" - a system of
symbols that allows people to take notes rapidly by hand. It is often used by reporters or
secretaries to take notes as fast as people speak. He is travelling to do business with a
nobleman from Transylvania, so attempts to do some research on Dracula, only finding that
his Castle does not exist on any map. He does not sleep well in Budapest—he hears a dog
howling and he has strange dreams. When his train arrives in Bistritz, he heads to the hotel
Count Dracula told him to stay in, and finds that he has a reservation and a letter waiting for
him from Dracula.The letter instructs him to take the "diligence" (a bus) as far as the Borgo
Pass on the border. A driver and carriage would be waiting for him there to take him on to
Castle Dracula.
Jonathan Harker’s Journal, May 4
Harker asks the hotel owner about Count Dracula, but the hotel owner and his wife only
cross themselves out of superstition, and refuse to answer. As he is leaving, the innkeeper's
wife cries over him and begs him to take a crucifix with him to ward away evil. As an
Anglican, he is a little wary of the crucifix as he has been taught to think of crucifixes and
other Catholic images as "idolatrous." The innkeeper’s wife tells him that it's the "eve of St.
George's Day," and that at midnight all evil things will have power. He leaves on the coach
as planned.
“It is the eve of St.Georges day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes
midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?”
Jonathan Harker’s Journal, May 5
The other passengers on the coach keep talking about Harker, and although he can't
understand what they're saying, he looks up a few of the words that he hears repeated: they
are translated as "devil", "hell" and "vampire." As they leave town, a crowd of villagers
appear around the coach and cross themselves and make signs with their hands to ward off
the evil eye. They travel through the countryside and into the Carpathian Mountains —
Harker describes the landscape and the different people they pass with great detail. As it
begins to get dark, the other passengers urge the driver to hurry. They finally reach the
Borgo Pass, where a private coach and driver is supposed to be waiting to take him the rest
of the way to Castle Dracula. The private coach arrives. Harker thinks that the driver's eyes
look red in the lamplight. At this point, it is almost midnight—the time that the innkeeper's
wife had warned him about. Harker hears wolves howling, and the horses pulling the coach
start to get nervous. The driver calms them down and they continue.It begins to snow. Off to
the side of the road, Harker notices a "flickering blue flame." The driver sees it, too, and
leaves the coach to go toward it and make a pile of rocks to mark the place. The wolves
continue to howl. To Harker it looks as though he can see the blue flame through the body of
the driver. At one point, the wolves close in around the coach, but the driver miraculously
seems able to drive them off. They finally reach Castle Dracula.
Chapter Two
Jonathan Harker’s Journal, May 5 (continued)
, Harker realises he must have been asleep as they approached the castle. As they pull up to
the door, the driver helps him out of the coach, and he is amazed by the man’s incredible
strength - his hand seemed like a “steel vice”. He is left alone by the door and waits for a
long time, wondering what to do, until finally the door opens and a tall, old man beckons him
to come inside. The man is described as being dressed all in black, with a long white
mustache. He invites Harker to step across the threshold into the castle and introduces
himself as Count Dracula. He seems polite and speaks English well, but with a “strange
intonation.” He shows Harker to his room himself, rather than calling for a servant—he says
that his servants are all in bed. Later, Harker joins Dracula for supper, but he says he has
already eaten. The sit together by the fire and Dracula asks about Jonathan’s journey. Now,
he describes the Count with more detail — he's very pale, has pointy ears, thick eyebrows,
and hair growing out of the palm of his hands. He is inexplicably repulsed by him.
“There seemed a strange stillness over everything, but as I listened I heard … in the
valley the howling of many wolves. The Count’s eyes gleamed, and he said: “Listen
to them - the children of the night. What music they make!”
Jonathan Harker's Journal, May 7
Harker sleeps until late in the day after his late-night arrival the day before. Upon waking the
afternoon, he finds a note from Dracula saying not to wait for him. Breakfast has been left
out for him, although he saw no servants. He also finds it odd that there aren't any mirrors in
either the bedroom or the sitting room where he ate his meals. Harker looks around for
something to read to pass the time and stumbles upon a library adjoining his own sitting
room, with many English newspapers, books, and magazines. The Count finds him there
and says he cannot wait to be a part of London society, but that he wants to work on his
English for a while before he leaves Transylvania. He agrees to help him. Dracula tells him
that he can go anywhere he likes in the castle except through doors that are locked. He then
begins to tell Harker all about the different superstitions of the region, including the
superstition about the blue flames that he had seen the night before. The tradition is that the
blue flames mark places where gold is buried, but that most common people are too scared
to seek it out because they believe it is haunted or cursed. The Count starts asking Harker
about London and the house that he is going to buy through his firm. The estate is called
Carfax and is close to London. It is old, with a chapel attached to it. There's a "lunatic
asylum" next door, but Harker assures Dracula that it isn't visible from the house. The Count
excuses himself and leaves the library for a few minutes, and when he comes back, he tells
him that supper is ready. After he eats (the Count, once again, says that he's already eaten),
they stay up until almost dawn talking. Although he is tired, Harker feels obliged to do what
Dracula wants, as he is the guest. The first rooster crows and Dracula jumps up and leaves,
apologising for having kept him awake for so long.
Jonathan Harker's Journal, May 8
Harker only sleeps for a few hours and then gets up to shave. He has his travel mirror all set
up and is in the middle of the process when he hears the Count's voice behind him—he's
startled and cuts himself. When he looks for Dracula, he can't see him in the mirror. He then
turns around with blood on his chin from the cut, and writes that Dracula's "eyes blazed" - he
suddenly lunges toward his throat. But his hand brushes against the beads on Harker’s
crucifix and he jumps back, just in time. He blames his outburst on the mirror, and tosses it
out the window. Harker finishes shaving and then goes out into the sitting room, where, once
again, he finds breakfast waiting and the Count gone. At this moment he realises that he's
never yet seen the Count eat or drink. Johnny decides to explore a little — he goes all over
the castle, but finds nothing but locked doors.The only way in or out of the Castle that isn't
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