The Role of Gender in Dracula

The Victorian Era was a period from the early 1800’s to the very early 1900’s. During this time period the role of men and women became very distinct. Women had to hold perfect expectations so that they could get married in their early 20’s, however not focusing too much on this because they couldn’t show their sexuality (Hughes). Women showing their sexuality during this time period was thought of as vulgar and unnatural. Men however, were allowed to do pretty much whatever they wanted until married, even participate in prostitution (Hughes). Dracula portrays this idea of women being less superior then man and having more social standards in which they need to maintain.

The notion of separate spheres serves to set up the roles of men and women in Victorian society. Women fulfill the domestic sphere and are seen as submissive and emotionally sensitive individuals. Conversely, men are intelligent, stable, and fulfill all of the work outside of the home. In Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, the Count seems to actually embody the fear of the breakdown of such separate spheres. However, Stoker breaks down these separate spheres and the fear associated with their breakdown through the theme of the “New Woman” intertwined with the actions and behaviors of the characters in the novel.

These women have strong sexual powers, to which they use to their advantage in dangering men with their reasoning. Nearing the end of Dracula the three brides are brought back into focus. When even Van Helsing, the strong doctor and picturesque example of what a Victorian male was expected to be, hesitates because “She was so fair to look on, so radiantly beautiful, so exquisitely voluptuous, that the very instinct of man in me, which calls some of my sex to love and to protect one of hers, made my head whirl with new emotion.” This heightens the danger over the women’s control and influence over men as even the knowledgeable and powerful

Innocence, chastity, purity, and married life are just a few things that made up the ‘image’ of the nineteenth century Victorian woman. During this time, it was greatly looked down upon if a woman chose to stay single, as she would be pitied and dubbed a “whore”. Lucy Westenra is one of the main characters in the novel, Dracula by Bram Stoker. Lucy is a beautiful young lady whose innocence and virtuous being draws three suitors to her. Although, this portrayed innocence is not the only thing that is drawing these men towards her. Lucy has a sexual appeal to her personality, much different than her best

In this paper, I plan to put into conversation Bram Stoker's Text, "Dracula," with Appendix G: Gender. My working thesis: In the novel "Dracula," Bram Stoker analyzes the relationship between masculinity and femininity, as well as traditional gender roles. He not only critiques and depicts these gender roles within his characters, but also obscures these roles with the concept of vampirism. Specifically, Stoker uses the relationship between Jonathan and Mina Harker and their respective vamping by Count Dracula to portray these complex and convoluted gender norms. Bram Stoker pulls from several gender related texts and further develops them into his twisted vampire tale.

Arguably, Dracula’s wives are guilty of another of Bertens’ proposed stereotypes, that of utter dependence on man. They rely on Count Dracula to bring them their food, and therefore without him they would presumably die. This seems to reflect the well-established idea of public and private “spheres” that pervaded so much of Victorian domestic life. In this system, the woman was effectively condemned to the role of homemaker, while the man became the breadwinner. The inability of Dracula’s wives to resist feeding on Jonathan when he falls asleep in the study could also reflect on the – once again, Victorian idea – that women were too hysterical and so inept at keeping control of themselves that they were unfit for a vast range of careers. However, while Stoker does indubitably include these stereotypes in his work, it does not necessarily mean that he agrees with them.

Stoker used his widely acclaimed book to bring his own opinions of gender roles to light. Behind the violent storyline of vampires and wolves, Stoker takes advantage of his characters to express his disagreement with the "New Woman" movement and to show how men should be viewed in Victorian society. Dracula details the journal entries of two female

The Victorian era depicts strong qualities, sexual limitation, and a strict social set of social rules. Throughout the Victorian period, one of the main concerns was the role of women and the place they played in society. Victorian conviction expresses that women had no sexual desire, but Brian Stoker's Dracula is a story that is a thinly veiled disguise of the repressed sexual mores of the Victorian era. It is more than clear that there are themes of female sexuality and its imagery. The Victorian society spins around the concealment of women and are put down in scenes and occasions all through the nove.

In the late 19th century, when Dracula by Bram Stoker is written, women were only perceived as conservative housewives, only tending to their family’s needs and being solely dependent of their husbands to provide for them. This novel portrays that completely in accordance to Mina Harker, but Lucy Westenra is the complete opposite. Lucy parades around in just her demeanor as a promiscuous and sexual person. While Mina only cares about learning new things in order to assist her soon-to-be husband Jonathan Harker. Lucy and Mina both become victims of vampirism in the novel. Mina is fortunate but Lucy is not. Overall, the assumption of women as the weaker specimen is greatly immense in the late 19th century. There are also many underlying

In a time period where females had narrow gender roles, Bram Stoker wrote his novel, Dracula. The Victorian culture often suppressed women and their value. Traditional Victorian women were thought of to be pure and virginal. Bram Stoker revealed another side of women that was not often seen. These qualities were like that of the emerging new feministic culture called the “New Woman”. The concept of gender roles in the 1890’s was very conflicted; Dracula challenged traditional gender roles.

During the Victorian period, women’s sexual behavior was dictated by society’s firm expectations. A female in the Victorian times were supposed to be either a virgin or a mother and wife. If she was neither of these things she was labeled impure. But at the same time, the woman was not supposed to be too “forward” in the company of men because it would suggest that she had a bad sexual appetite. Marriage for a woman during the Victorian period was assumed to be desired by women for the sole reason that it allows them to become a mother. A woman was not supposed to desire marriage to pursue sexual or emotional satisfaction. The sexuality of Mina and Lucy differ throughout the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.

In Bram 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 “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 are inverted to draw attention to the similarities between Dracula and the characters. Vague to a majority of readers, Bram Stoker uses Dracula as a negative connotation on society being that the values of

Bram Stokers Dracula is a fictional book that is still used in classroom’s world wide. Dracula touches many different elements in the 1800’s English Romance era, which is why it can be evaluated with many different critical theories. In this paper I decided to write about Feminism in the novel. The Feminist theory can’t be used to describe every part of the novel, but the roles of some of the females such as Lucy Westenra, Mina Harker, and Dracula’s Brides.

In the Victorian era, women were viewed as subordinate to men. They often had one job: reproduction. They would become housewives and cater to their husband and children’s needs. As the era progressed, so did the role of women. The once shy women were now changing into courageous and outspoken members of society. These women were open about their sexuality and embraced their intelligence. This new found independence was a turning moment in history and was given the name the “New Woman.” The ever-changing role of women into a new found independence was prominent in literature as well. One of the most famous literatures is Dracula by Bram Stoker. It is evident that Bram Stoker wrote about the New Woman throughout his novel. It is questionable whether Bram Stoker wanted to embrace the New Woman in society or wanted to tear it down. In fact, neither is the case. Bram Stoker created the ideal women in Dracula in order to embrace the woman character without having to be open about their sexual identity. The portrayal of the women characters in the novel gives evidence on why Dracula created the ideal woman instead of highlighting the New Woman role.

The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker is seen to be a part of feminist literature. Stoker’s story tells the tale of multiple characters, through Jonathan and his ordeal at Transylvania where he first encounters Dracula. He meets Dracula to buy him a new estate in England. However, when he stays at the castle, he realizes something wrong with Dracula. Stoker laters shifts the novel to Mina and Lucy’s perspective, writing to each other about light-hearted things. However, it takes a turn for the worst as he infects Lucy and transforms her into a vampire with a voluptuous body. The men must kill her, even as it is Arthur’s wife, he does it himself to put her to peace. However, Mina also gets infected but provides more use to the men as they use her