So I've just had to remind myself of what these chapters are about; Lucy has deteriorated in her illness (well, become more vampire-like but the characters don't know that) and Van Helsing has arrived and has quickly identified the problem. Then there's that weird bit about the wolf escaping and finally ends with Lucy's diary in which she describes a wolf's head smashing through her window and the consequent death of her mother.
I suppose the most significant part of these chapters is the arrival of Van Helsing. He comes to (try to) counteract the evil work done by Dracula, so is sort of a Christ-like figure. This interpretation is helped by his use of analogies (like Jesus' parables) and possibly his name; Abraham being the father of Christianity (as well as for Judaism and Islam). His knowledge is vastly superior to the others as he is aware of what is happening to Lucy well before the others, despite not being present at the start of the condition. That he's from Amsterdam may mean that a foreign invader has to be defeated by another foreigner, like fire fighting fire. Though there are many differences between Van Helsing and Dracula, there can also be said to be some similarities. Firstly, they are both clearly very intelligent and this means they are also evenly matched in this respect so to get around the Count's abilities Van Helsing has to keep an open mind in order to be a step ahead. Also, they are both determined; Dracula because he has to drink blood in order to survive and Van Helsing because of the danger Dracula poses to humanity.
Another thing that interested me (if that's really the right word) is the rather bizarre article about the wolf escaping. Obviously, this links in with Dracula's ability to command creatures of the night, as seen when Harker first arrives in Transylvania. Maybe this is supposed to parallel the command that Dracula has over Lucy (and later Mina) and that he can transform a reasonably tame wolf (in that it is not completely wild) into a vicious animal that can terrorise London's population.
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