Chapter 15

Van Helsing tells Quincey and Arthur that they most go to the Westenra vault and open Lucy's tomb. He tells them that Lucy is now undead, and that he will have to decapitate her. Arthur is initially outraged, and refuses consent, but after an impassioned plea for trust from Van Helsing, he agrees to at least go to the tomb.

Even after all that he has seen Seward finds it difficult to accept Van Helsing's theory. He wonders if Van Helsing has gone mad. Part of the horror of the vampire is that it leads one to question his sanity and the sanity of others: the threat of madness is one that seems to affect Seward heavily and constantly. He questions his own sanity and the sanity of his mentor. Remember also that Jonathan Harker's encounter with the supernatural literally drove him mad. In this chapter, the theme of madness and its threat plays itself out as a fear of being able to trust one's own judgement or the judgement of others. The possibility of madness threatens the legitimacy of reason and scientific method. Everything is thrown into doubt, including evidence provided by the senses and the conclusions reached through one's judgement.

As far as my own reaction....... he would never have convinced me.