In his novel, Dracula, Bram Stoker is no different from other horror writers. The known women in the story are both sexualized, and victimized. Stoker takes one of the main characters, Lucy Westenra, and after her death at Dracula's hands, see her transformed from silly girl ready to marry, into a seductress trying to gain victims. She's dehumanized in more than one way. Dracula's “brides,” on the other hand, are never seen as human in any sense of the word.
Anything outside of those 2 realms was considered to be sinful and not good representations of Victorian women. In Dracula sexual expression undermines male dominance through the actions of Dracula’s mistresses, the specific targeting of Lucy as the first victim, and also the importance that the male characters place on keeping Victorian women uncorrupted. Some of the most unknown and spoke of characters in the novel are the 3 sisters that live in Dracula’s Castle. While Mina and Lucy are constant female characters throughout most of the novel, not much is known about the sisters. At no point in the novel are the sisters referred to as brides of Dracula.
“The Necklace” versus “The Story of an Hour” Fernanda Floresta ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Kristina Stutler June 13, 2011 “The Necklace” versus “The Story of an Hour” In the patriarchal world of the nineteenth-century women were oppressed from society and they had to stay home as housewives, cleaning, cooking and doing the household work (Jamil, 2009). They did not have any rights or value in the eyes of society. These concepts have changed drastically on the most recent years. Women now are more independent and really try to better themselves by studying and working. In literature, we are able to view what were the roles of women years ago.
Immortal Strength Within a Mortal Body A woman’s reputation influences a man’s judgment. In Victorian society, women were constricted to very narrow gender roles. Essentially there are two paths, she can either be pure and virginal (or a mother/wife) otherwise she was regarded as a whore, and expendable in any circumstance. This model is represented through two of Dracula’s main characters, Mina and Lucy. Both of these women are mysteriously feminine, pure, naïve and almost dependant on their husbands, but each with one exception.
Women's Strength? : Dracula One of the most notable qualities of Dracula is the strength of its main female character. Mina Murray, who marries Jonathan partway through the novel and becomes Mina Harker, is surprisingly critical to the development of the story. Besides being one of the story's main narrators, Mina also helps to drive the plot with her intelligence and resourcefulness. In many ways, Mina is as much a hero as any of the men.
OUTLINE Bram Stoker uses the women and their sexuality in the novel, to portray the changing society. I. Introduction II. Victorian Women -Written before the suffrage movement of the early-mid 20th century -male dominance over women -Women were not to be sexually leading -Conservative society - In the mind of society, females did not have a sexual drive - Unnatural- evil - Victorian standards - III. The Weird Sister -The three mistress vampires -encountered in Dracula’s castle represent all the qualities of how a woman should not be; voluptuous and sexually aggressive IV.
To begin with, they had forced her to marry Paris whom she did not love or want to marry. It is shown when Lady Capulet says “what say you? Can you love the gentleman? This night you shall behold him at your feast.” (1.3.79-80).The fact that her parents were forcing her to do something she did not want to do made Juliet the very secretive girl she was. Also, the Capulet family was in a fight with the Montague family.
Hair spray? (Oates 323) You don’t see your sister using that junk.” Connie hated when her mother would do this. She would say she hated her mother and wish she were dead. But when she has to make a decision on whether to jeopardize her own life or her mother’s, she chooses to put hers in jeopardy. When it came to describing her sister June, Connie thought of her as just a 24 year old secretary who still lives at home with her parents.
History 201 Professor Studebaker “Her-Story of Women’s Suffrage” Makyla Pittman Imagine living a life filled with all forms of discrimination where you have no voice in the government under which you live and in the equality of social life where you are a chief factor. It is a difficult scenario to visualize and before the 19th century that was the reality of a women’s position in this world. With limited access, a young wife and mother was expected to manage a household, train her children, keep her friends and sustain the affections of her husband. In a world filled with patriarchal constraints women were forced to fall back on their instinctive resources of common sense, wisdom, diplomacy and knowledge of human nature. Education, employment, and politics are all barriers where women were held back from the full development of their faculties.
Rossetti shows us she resents men and the power they have over women and also the weakness and few liberties that women have in this period. Rossetti chooses a first person narrative in this poem so the narrator can address her questions and laments to Kate. We are taken through an emotional journey with the maiden where we are told what happened to her. This explains her initial anger at Cousin Kate. The maidens Questions in the first stanza express her anger and confusion at the experiences she has had to endure.