Dracula: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 follows the same character as in Chapter 1, and is where he and the reader meet Count Dracula for the first time in the novel. When Harker arrives at the castle, his surroundings are described as very dark and gloomy (the fact its night adds to this) in significantly gothic detail. This is building up to the point where the reader and Harker have their first impressions of the Count, and it has to be done with significant effect as there is never a second chance to make a first impression. The gothic imagery used in this part of the chapter includes the phrase "frowning walls", and there is even satanic imagery used much later on in the chapter, e.g. "demonic fury".
As the chapter goes on, it digs deeper into being a mystery. Everything seems very odd to Mr Harker, and he starts to ask a lot of questions because simply nothing makes sense. Elements of the supernatural also come into this when he notices that the Count is not seen in any of the mirrors. Harker also feels more and more unsettled as the chapter goes on when the Count appears to lock more and more of the doors, so much so that Harker begins to feel like a prisoner; if you add these strange happenings (especially when the Count is not seen in the mirror) to the picture it makes it even more unsettling for Harker, and the reader aswell.
The Count himself is also hugely significant in the chapter. In theory he is a frail old man, however the manner in which his apprearance is described makes him fearful to the reader. The clause "clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere" makes his skin appear pale to the imagination of the reader; the use of pale skin is used commonly in the gothic genre. Shadow is also used to describe his appearance, with "quivering shadows as it flickered" to convey a cold and chilling atmosphere at this point.
A surreality is also portrayed on the castle itself. Everything appears to be of perfection in the old castle, which is very unusual and strange. This is conveyed in clauses such as "The table service is of gold, and so beautifully wrought", "the hangings of my bed are of the costliest and most beautiful fabrics", and "they are centuries old, though in excellent order".
The ending of the chapter is left on a cliffhanger when Harker finds almost all of the doors in the castle locked, meaning that he is inclosed within a small part of the castle. This is effective as it makes the reader want to go on and read the next chapter to find out what happens next , and the manner in which it ends with "The castle is a veritable prison, and I am the prisoner" makes it more dramatic, and shows Harkers fearful emotion at this point. Also, the fact that the whole chapter is written in first person makes the lexis used more personal, which makes the emphasis with the reader more effective.