"Caught in the Widow's Web" (page 57) by Gordon Grice
The short story, Caught in a Widow’s Web, by Gordon Grice relates to Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, because of the similar themes portrayed in both, as well as how the themes are similarly developed. One of the major themes in both writings is the theme of temptation and manipulation and how it characterizes its surroundings. In Grice’s work, the black widow is the symbol of evil and temptation because of the “fascination” people have with such creatures, and how that “fascination” is “rooted in [the] fear” that black widows cause. Likewise, in Stoker’s novel, the vampires are seen as conductors and symbols of evil in everyday society through the manipulation and temptation that they cause through the evil that contains and controls them. The vampires are described as “voluptuous” beings that can tempt and draw in even the strongest beings because of the “fascination” that they present to the innocent people in society. Yet, both the black widows and the vampires are represented as powerful beings in their societies as well which allows them to control the world around them.
In both Grice and Stoker’s works, they use black widows and vampires as pivotal characters in their stories to portray a sense of temptation and manipulation through the power that they hold over others in society. The power both of them have comes from the temptation they use to manipulate the beings around them. In Stoker’s novel, Van Helsing is portrayed as a strong person who knows his role in society through the knowledge and open mind he has, however, even Van Helsing is tempted by the “languorous, voluptuous grace” of the vampires that are manipulating him. This shows that even the powerful to common society, are tempted by the power of the evil, less common beings in society; likewise, it shows that the evil the vampires contain can be overcome by the good in a strong character such as Van Helsing. Grice uses the black widows in his story in a similar way, as the process of killing a black widow is as significant and sacred as the role of “religion or sex” in our everyday lives. The sacredness of the way Grice displays the black widows as if they are as pivotal in life as “religion or sex” gives them power much like the power “religion” has over a society. Yet, Grice also displays the temptation that this power represents as he states that “the female’s habit of eating her lovers invites a strangely sexual discomfort”, showing that these “female” black widows display a sense of temptation and manipulation, much like the manipulation many feel “religion” consists of, or the temptation that many feel “sex” portrays. Both Grice and Stoker use pivotal characters, such as the vampires and black widows, in their stories to show how manipulation and temptation is a part of everyday life and how it contains power through such temptations and manipulation.
The short story, Caught in a Widow’s Web, by Gordon Grice relates to Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, because of the similar themes portrayed in both, as well as how the themes are similarly developed. One of the major themes in both writings is the theme of temptation and manipulation and how it characterizes its surroundings. In Grice’s work, the black widow is the symbol of evil and temptation because of the “fascination” people have with such creatures, and how that “fascination” is “rooted in [the] fear” that black widows cause. Likewise, in Stoker’s novel, the vampires are seen as conductors and symbols of evil in everyday society through the manipulation and temptation that they cause through the evil that contains and controls them. The vampires are described as “voluptuous” beings that can tempt and draw in even the strongest beings because of the “fascination” that they present to the innocent people in society. Yet, both the black widows and the vampires are represented as powerful beings in their societies as well which allows them to control the world around them.
In both Grice and Stoker’s works, they use black widows and vampires as pivotal characters in their stories to portray a sense of temptation and manipulation through the power that they hold over others in society. The power both of them have comes from the temptation they use to manipulate the beings around them. In Stoker’s novel, Van Helsing is portrayed as a strong person who knows his role in society through the knowledge and open mind he has, however, even Van Helsing is tempted by the “languorous, voluptuous grace” of the vampires that are manipulating him. This shows that even the powerful to common society, are tempted by the power of the evil, less common beings in society; likewise, it shows that the evil the vampires contain can be overcome by the good in a strong character such as Van Helsing. Grice uses the black widows in his story in a similar way, as the process of killing a black widow is as significant and sacred as the role of “religion or sex” in our everyday lives. The sacredness of the way Grice displays the black widows as if they are as pivotal in life as “religion or sex” gives them power much like the power “religion” has over a society. Yet, Grice also displays the temptation that this power represents as he states that “the female’s habit of eating her lovers invites a strangely sexual discomfort”, showing that these “female” black widows display a sense of temptation and manipulation, much like the manipulation many feel “religion” consists of, or the temptation that many feel “sex” portrays. Both Grice and Stoker use pivotal characters, such as the vampires and black widows, in their stories to show how manipulation and temptation is a part of everyday life and how it contains power through such temptations and manipulation.