Essay on Victorian Women in Dracula - 960 Words

Bram Stoker’s â€Å"Dracula,† came to print in 1897, at the height of Nineteenth century Victorian life in Europe, a progressively modern era that saw much medical and technological advancement. This era brought with it the contentious idea of an empowered woman, the â€Å"New Woman,† a woman who aspires to be educated as well as sexually and economically independent. Stoker gives a contrasting view of this notion in â€Å"Dracula.† While the main characters, Lucy and Mina, are clearly opposite in personality, they are both portrayed as unequal, defenseless objects that are to be protected and desired. However, one woman’s fate is determined by her weakness, while the other is determined by her strength. Lucy Westerna is introduced as a beautiful,†¦show more content†¦In Arthur’s absence, Lucy unknowingly takes up her old nervous habit of sleep-walking. Late in the night while sleep-walking she makes her way to the church courtya rd overlooking the harbor. Here, Lucy is exposed and helpless and Dracula begins to take advantage of her. As Weissman notes, the change in Lucy is almost immediate; throughout the day she appears frail, gloomy and preoccupied, but as night falls, Lucy’s manner changes and she is sultry and aggressive (4). Arthur Holmwood returns to Lucy’s side and with the help of Van Helsing and his group of God-fearing men attempt to save her. Sadly, the men’s efforts are in vain, as Lucy does not contest her transformation and surrenders to Dracula. Lucy’s undead body is buried; however, she flees her coffin nightly to feed on unsuspecting victims. Dr. Seward notes in his diary, â€Å" ‘ The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness’ † (Diary, 29 September, Continued). Van Helsing and the gang of men descend on Lucy’s burial chamber where they dread the task that is at hand. Nonetheless, A rthur bravely accepts the duty of freeing his beloved’s soul. With the aid of Van Helsing, Arthur drives a stake through Lucy’s heart. The men look on as Lucy’s body quivers and her soul is freed. Lucy’s appearance returns to the soft, beautiful girl of their memory. The men can at last mourn the loss of sweet Lucy, and she may finally rest in peace. Mina Murray is presented asShow MoreRelatedVictorian Women And Feminism In Bram Stokers Dracula1979 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"Monstrous women do not adhere to standards† (Swartz-Levine). The late Victorian era demonstrates the unfamiliar social shift in society. Depictions of traditional Victorian woman’s standards can be seen as sexist, as the new crowd of feminist emerges. Feminism explores the double standard of projecting sexual desires to society, however, the women who accompanied these uncommon ideas, were often seen as some sort of monster. From this, anxiety was displaced around women who seeked sexuality as itRead MoreDracula, What Is Stoker Revealing About The Demonization Of Women In Victorian Society1115 Words   |  5 PagesPROMPT In Dracula, what is Stoker revealing about the demonization of â€Å"others† in the Victorian age and how does this relate to treatment of â€Å"others† in this group today? Primary issues/themes: Misogynistic attitudes of women— esp. In terms of female sexuality, gender stereotypes, and the concept of the New Woman vs. the traditional Victorian Woman 1. How did the tutor try to make the student feel comfortable? Be specific. The student has already done sessions with Jennifer many times, so she isRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker1291 Words   |  6 Pages ​Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, not only creates the early depiction of vampire stories; but writes more to contradict the age old beliefs of women and their role in society. Dracula is more that just a vampire story. There is a deeper level to this. A level in which it can incite change in the way one percieves women. There is a noition that all women were to be the same but Dracula refutes that. Vampire sexuality, as represented in Bram Stoker s Dracula, reveals itself as both a phenomenon thatRead MoreComparing Vampire And The Vampire Diaries1660 Words   |  7 Pageshappened without Dracula. Without Bram Stoker’s novel, there would be no stereotypical vampires that capture the culture’s conscious. Aside from telling a story on vampires, Dracula also explores ideals about the women of the time in which it was written, which is the Victorian Era. Throughout the Victorian period, one of the predominant concerns was the role of women and the place they fill in their society. Dracula is one of many Victorian novels that explore the varying roles women filled. Two ofRead MoreInverted Gender Roles: Dracula by Bram Stoker1465 Words   |  6 PagesBram Stoker’s novel Dracula, Stoker’s use of inverted gender roles allows readers to grasp the sense of obscureness throughout, eventually leading to the reader’s realization that these characters are rather similar to the â€Å"monster† which they call Dracula. Despite being in the Victorian era, Stoker’s use of sexuality in the novel contributes to the reasoning of obscureness going against the Victorian morals and values. Throughout the novel the stereotypical roles of the Victorian man and woman areRead MoreEssay on Female Characters in Bram Stokers Dracula1249 Words   |  5 PagesFemale Characters in Bram Stokers Dracula Having studied Bram Stokers Dracula as part of my GCSE English Course, I am going to consider the representation of women in the novel. The three main characters I will study are Mina, Lucy, and the three female vampires (belonging to Dracula). I am going to consider the similarities and differences of each character, and how well they compare to traditional Victorian women. I will support my answers with quotes and evidence. During the earlyRead MoreAnalysis Of Dracul Old Vampire / Nobleman From Transylvania1622 Words   |  7 PagesCharacters: Count Dracula: Old vampire/Nobleman from Transylvania, lives in the Carpathian Mountains, evil, can transform into a bat and is very strong, powerless during the day or when he’s not welcomed in someone’s house, cannot cross water = needs to be on some other transportation like a boat Jonathan Harker: A solicitor that is sent to the castle oversee the plans of Dracula’s purchase of an estate in London, naive and young, trapped inside Dracula’s castle, wants to escape and tries to, braveRead More Repressed Sexuality in Bram Stokers Dracula Essay1426 Words   |  6 PagesRepressed Sexuality in Bram Stokers Dracula      Ã‚  Ã‚   Perhaps no work of literature has ever been composed without being a product of its era, mainly because the human being responsible for writing it develops their worldview within a particular era.   Thus, with Bram Stokers Dracula, though we have a vampire myth novel filled with terror, horror, and evil, the story is a thinly veiled disguise of the repressed sexual mores of the Victorian era.   If we look to critical interpretation and commentaryRead MoreEssay about In Technologies of Monstrosity1430 Words   |  6 Pages Dracula: The Metaphor for Late Victorian-Crisis Jarae Comstock Reinhardt University This paper was prepared for IDS 306 for Dr. Little Dracula: The Metaphor for Late Victorian-Crisis Bram Stokers, Dracula, from the late-Victorian era, is one of the best stories of vampire folklore. Dracula was tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious with immense sexual character. His snow white teeth which outlined his rosy red lips made us fantasize of him and ultimately become obsessed. The overwhelmingRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker1166 Words   |  5 PagesThe story of Dracula is well documented and has stood the test of time since it’s Victorian age creation. More times than not, literature writings are a reflection of the era from which they are produced. In the case of Dracula, Vampire literature expresses the fears of a society. Which leads me to the topic I chose to review: sexuality. The Victorian Era was viewed as a period diluted in intense sexual repression and I believe that Dracula effectively exploited this as the fear of sexuality was