Sexualized Women In Dracula

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Kathryn Goers ENG 346: Virtue and Vice in Gothic Literature Dr. Timothy Decker 5 November 2012 Sexuality? Predator vs. Victim Women in several known horror narratives, stories, and films, are highly sexualized. They aren't always seen as human, and are treated as victims. 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.…show more content…
I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is not good to note this down, lest some day is should meet Mina's eyes and cause her pain; but it is the truth.” (Stoker, 31 – 32) In the above passage, we are introduced to Dracula's brides. From the moment Jonathan Harker opens his eyes, he knows these women aren't human. He feels an instant fear and revulsion towards them, not knowing what they are. We can infer from his language that he feels a sexual attraction for them, one that he knows is wrong, since he's feeling remorse over hurting Mina, that he's in some way betraying her, though he doesn't say no, and seems unrepentant about his actions. “The fair girl went on her knees, and bent over me, fairly gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal, till I could see in the moonlight the moisture shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth.” (Stoker,…show more content…
A friend of Mina's, the first peek we see of her is through Mina. She's seen early on as a flighty, silly young woman, who is excited that she is soon to be married to one of her three suitors. She expresses regret that she cannot marry all three of them, but she has made her choice. Several times Lucy is described as being “sweet,” and is more often than not seen as the less intelligent of two women, the more open, more naïve, less likely to follow by the society norm. She's the first targeted by Dracula, and is eventually changed into becoming a vampire. When Lucy is transformed, we see, not only how she's changed physically, but how Stoker writes about

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