The Lair of the White Worm (Synopsis)

The Lair of the White Worm was Bram Stoker's twelfth and last novel. This novel, along with The Jewel of Seven Stars, is one of his most famous after Dracula. The novel is a horror story about a giant white snake that transforms itself into a woman. It was first published in the UK in 1911 by William Rider and Son, Limited, London. The book itself is a 324 page (plus 4 pages of advertisements) hardcover with a red cloth cover stamped on the spine and front panel in blind and gold. The 1911 edition contains six color illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith.

Synopsis

 * Note: much of this synopsis relies on Review of 1911 by Laughing Crow, 2015.

The story begins as Adam Salton arrives in England from Australia, his lifelong home, after receiving a letter from his grand-uncle, Richard Salton, now an old gentleman in his eighties. Both are thrilled to meet their only surviving relative, unknown to each other until recently. The two immediately become warm friends, and the elder makes it known, with relief, that he now has a relation to whom he can will his ample estate, Lesser Hill, (not knowing that Adam himself is quite rich). Mr. Salton has tracked the young man through Adam's research and lectures of Roman relics, and the elder is anxious to give his nephew a tour through parts of England with a rich Roman heritage, especially near Salton's own estate, the old kingdom of Mercia. Stoker attempts to excite the reader with Edgar Caswall, the only known living heir to the main estate, Castra Regis, also returning home. Castra Regis has been unoccupied by a Caswell for six generations because of a scandalous quarrel. Stoker does not reveal the cause of the tension, but, the audience is made aware that the Caswells have a reputation for being mean, selfish, and even creepy.

When the Saltons arrive home, they are met by Richard's best friend, Sir Nathaniel de Salis from nearby Doom Tower of Derbyshire. Adam and Sir Nathaniel strike up a relationship as warm as that of uncle and nephew. In fact, soon after the book begins, Richard Salton is barely mentioned. All the unraveling of the terrible mysteries hanging over Mercia are undertaken by Adam and Sir Nathaniel, the elder who is an expert in local history. The next day, Sir Nathaniel takes Adam for a walk, explaining the Roman history of the neighboring land and estates, one being Diana's Grove, which had also been known as the Lair of the White Worm, and another called Mercy Farm.

On the way to meet the arrival of Edgar Caswell, the two Saltons and Sir Nathaniel happen upon a woman with a broken spring in her carriage. Lady Arabella March, a beautiful but strikingly unusual and mysterious woman dressed in a tight white gown, sweetly laments her unfortunate situation. Adam, who exclaims that he is skilled at mending all such things from his experience in Australia, quickly fixes the problem. Just then, he notices some black snakes near a heap of stones, but before he can kill them, Lady Arabella seems to have charmed them away.

Though Lady Arabella seems cordial enough, Adam notes a certain discomfort with her, even when she makes an open invitation to him to visit her estate, Diana's Grove. Presently, they both go their separate ways to meet Edgar Caswell at the ship. Upon meeting him, Adam also has a "feeling of repugnance at the man's face", as well as towards Caswall’s West African servant, Oolanga. It is obvious that the goal of Lady Arabella is to capture Caswell—as a move toward financial security because her own estate continues to suffer from increasing, unpayable debt.

Later that evening, when all are gathered for the homecoming party at Castra Regis, Adam notes how Lady Arabella clings to Edgar Caswell. He, however, has eyes for a beautiful young lady, Lilla Watford, granddaughter of Michael Watford, a tenant of Caswell who lives at Mercy Farm. Adam is immediately struck with her younger cousin, Mimi, who had been born in Burma when her father was killed in the service. Lilla's father is also deceased, and the two had grown up together as sisters with their grandfather. Adam spends the entire evening with Mimi, and is invited to visit the farm.

The visit turns out very upsetting as Caswell also visits Mercy Farm at the same time. Adam notices a terrible, frightening exchange between Edgar and Lilla—which he describes as "a hawk and a pigeon"—a hypnotic effect attempted by the evil man toward the meek lady. It is afterward learned that one of Caswell's ancestors was a student of Mesmer.

Meanwhile, Sir Nathaniel and Adam have more and more to discuss, keeping their disturbing questions secret from Mr. Salter, so as not to excite or alarm the old man, and fortunately, he often has business away from home. What is really going on between Caswell and Lilla? And who or what is Lady Arabella? Slowly, but surely Adam and Sir Nathaniel discover an underlying evil force within Mercia, and Adam vows to stop it.

Critique

 * Academic resource: for more research on underlying characteristics of racism by authors in the 19th century

Accusations of racism
Stoker's novel is accused of being racist, especially with Pamela Colman Smith's use of a appearance for Oolanga on page 148. However, most of the criticism is largely as a result of later editors who had taken liberties to utilize the word "nigger" in abridged versions published since 1925. Although Stoker does portray the West African character, Oolanga, as a hideous, evil savage, the other two major antagonists who are "white", are also equally portrayed as evil. The story does not single out the 'black man' as the bad guy. Stoker uses the strongest descriptions for all three antagonists, black and white, to convey to the readers that they are all villains in their own way. Stoker acknowledges that the term 'nigger' is a “word of dishonor” (1911, Chapter 20) and thus shows a preference to the term 'negro' (used nine times) or ‘servant’ befitting to the English culture, of the time, that is being conveyed.

A glaring element, notably in Chapter 2 is Stoker’s prolific use of the word “race”. But in context, its use refers to the genetic stock, or makeup, of a family who owned a nearby estate in middle England, namely the Caswalls. Stoker’s use of the term “race” to discuss genetic features, does not imply an advocacy for racism, but was perhaps a limited word choice considering his time period’s little knowledge on genetics and non-existent political correctness.

Interestingly, the original 1911 story shows the main protagonist, a white Australian named Adam Salton, having an interracial love interest. Mimi Walton, whom Adam ultimately marries, is a Burmese girl described “as dark as the darkest of her mother’s race. Lilla is as gentle as a dove, but Mimi’s black eyes can glow whenever she is upset.” This excerpt taken from 1911, Chapter 5, Home-Coming, which was removed from the subsequent abridgments since 1925.

Ironically, while present day-critics chastise Stoker for flawed characterizations of a minor antagonist, the black Oolanga; the real monster of the story is not only the “White Worm”, but its major antagonist: the white, and dressed in white, Lady Arabella. What is easily misunderstood, and even misinterpreted by present-day Democratic societies, is the concept of class distinction in 19th century Monarchal England. Monarchal class distinction, from this time period, is often seemingly indistinguishable from the present-day Democratic perspective of racism. Thus, Stoker’s White Worm characters, who are based in a setting of English society’s class distinction, sharply contrast characters in Dracula who are roaming around Transylvania.

Jeffrey Somers
Author Jeffrey Somers, B.A. in English from Rutgers University, states in his Study Guide: "The White Worm is, in part, based on the legend of the Lambton Worm, which is in turn based on other, older legends of giant worms that herald the end of the world or other terrible fates." Somers poor analysis on what the "white worm" is and what the definition that Stoker's novel defines as the White Worm (Chapter 6), gives  Somer's study guide lack of credibility. Somer's analysis seems to rely more heavily on the 1925 abridgment, rather than having read or used sources that rely on Stoker's full 40 chapter story.

Somer's note on sexuality, concerning Stoker being called a "prude and pornographer at once" was a quote from a critic in 1996, and not by any contemporary of Stoker. Somers also relies soley on a Wikipedia source concerning Stoker’s declining health that states that syphilis (a tertiary kind) may have been the cause of death. Somers uses this source to suggestively reinforce his sexuality case against Stoker. However, proper research shows that after Stoker’s stroke, since 1905 he developed a severe kidney disease that may have spurned the condition. Thus, Somer's critique on sexuality allegedly portrayed in Stoker's novel is poorly constructed, appearing only as a segue for his next critique on alleged racism: "Oolanga exists solely to plot evil acts and then die horribly, and Stoker’s conviction that white ethnics were superior to other races is a clear and distasteful vein in the story."

Stoker does use strong, sometimes derogatory descriptions to develop the black Oolanga’s character, however he is portayed with a balance of both ugliness and beauty, intelligence and keenness (1911, Chapter 15). Although there is terminology that could be interpreted as 'white ethnics as superior to other races', it must be kept in mind that Stoker's setting was based on the time period that he lived in, and that he best understood, conveying concepts of class distinction, servitude and slavery that existed at that time.