... mounts as Madeline shows signs of life from her tomb. As the narrator is reading the story of Ethelred, Madeline truly comes awake. At the point where Ethelred slays the dragon, the narrator finally acknowledges and accepts the sounds he is hearing from within the vault. It is important to note the juxtaposition between the story itself and the story-within ... -the-story. The dragon symbolizes a vampire, and as the dragon is being slain, the vampire is coming back to life. This revival of Madeline as her dragon symbol is being slain conveys the concept of vampire's inability to die othe...

• Word Count: 1291
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate