Bram Stoker was born into a lower-class Irish family in late 1847. He grew up with six siblings, at least four of whom were brothers. Throughout his childhood, Stoker was an invalid, suffering from an unknown illness. He spent many days listening to his mother tell stories of Ireland. His stories are thought to have played an important role in his writing (Stoker 5). Perhaps due to Stoker's childhood illness and relationship with his brothers, his writing in Dracula displayed a large dose of homosociality, the idea of ​​same-sex relationships on a social, rather than romantic, level. In the novel, Stoker introduces the idea of ​​homosociality by creating a friendship and camaraderie between the main male characters. Dracula begins with a diary entry by Jonathan Harker, an English estate agent. Mr. Harker is traveling to Transylvania, where he must confirm a business deal between Count Dracula and his mentor Peter Hawkins. Traveling to Transylvania, Jonathan meets many people who warn him about his journey and his host. They cower at the thought of him entering the earth and give him gifts of garlic and a crucifix. At the moment, Mr Harker is unaware of the severity of his problems. Even though these people are friendly and offer to help Jonathan, it is not considered homosociality, since they do not form the close same-sex friendship that the term requires. For Jonathan, these first helpers are simply fellow trainmates. Once arriving at the castle, Jonathan meets the mysterious Count Dracula, a man described as strong and pale, with bright ruby ​​lips and sharp white teeth. Although Jonathan is unaware of what Dracula really is, he can already sense that something is wrong and becomes worried... in the middle of the newspaper... or at the party. Men go out together to accomplish something without female presence. Fighting is the ultimate male bonding, a real-life definition of homosociality. Throughout the novel, there were many instances where male characters banded together to accomplish a variety of tasks. At first, Dracula attempts to befriend Jonathan Harker to allay his fears. Later, we find that the relationship between Quincey, Arthur and Jack Seward is friendly and close. Van Helsing and Jonathan add to that mix to create the ultimate male friendship; the group of men who go out to fight battles together and achieve a victory. Although there are many other themes in the novel, homosociality is the most important and well highlighted by the words and actions of the characters. Works Cited Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Boston: Bedford, 2002. Print.