Even After Lucy died, Van Helsing placed "a small golden crucifix over her mouth" in attempts to save her soul. (Stoker p162) When she turns into a vampire, the crucifix is one of the weapons the men used. Even in the killing of Count Dracula, the holy circle is used to trap him into the circle of good, so that he does not escape from the holy circle. Even Mina, who is one of Dracula's victims and "tainted by his blood", is unable to enter the holy circle until the men vanquish Count Dracula. (Stoker p322) During the time Bram Stoker, the author, wrote Dracula, the theme of good verses evil was very prevalent and as a theater critic, he knew there was no other surefire success formula as the
Despite Lucy’s flirtatious manner and breezy ways, both Mina and Lucy are pure and sweet women, truly in love with their men. In Victorian England, women were either wives, or virgins. However, Dracula destroys the very essence of Lucy by turning her into a vampire. As a vampire, women become objects of desire and sexual gratification, an idea very contrary to Victorian norms. They become devoid of their purity, able to make men abandon all logic and control.
‘The role of female vampires in the novel is to warn of the dangers of female sexuality’ consider the presentation of the female vampires in Dracula in the light of this comment Many may argue that the novel Dracula highlights the suppression and belittlement of women during the 19th Century. In Victorian England, women’s sexual behaviour was dictated by society’s rigid expectations. A Victorian woman was either a virgin or else she was a wife and mother. If she was neither of these, she was considered a whore, and thus of no consequence to society This idea is reinforced by Stoker with the contrast of the ‘brilliant white teeth, that shone like pearls against the ruby of their voluptuous lips,’ the virginal white is contrasted with the hellish red of their lips shows the battle the women went through suppressing and hiding their sexual desires. Stoker’s choose of women as the temptresses may be a warning to the women of the Victorian era to beware about pushing the boundaries of their sexuality.
Dracula diffidently contains gloom and horror. There are wolves howling at the Count’s command, Jonathan gets trapped in a room with the three female vampires, and the females cackle is spooky. The presence of gore also proves that Dracula contains horror. Dracula drinks blood, and to kill the vampires stakes where driven through their hearts. Dracula is Gothic literature
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. Forward Women A. - “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 50). -mixed feelings men had towards forward women
A friend of Mina Harker, Jonathan’s fiancée, develops a strange disease leading to vampire expert Prof. Van Helsing’s statement that Dracula must be caught and ritually killed. Bram Stoker undoubtedly reveals his distinct writing style in Dracula, partly because of his nineteenth century style. Whether the purpose of Dracula was to entertain or not, it was certainly a suspenseful novel. Although the first four diary
FEMALE SEXUAL REPRESSION IN DRACULA Women in Bram Stoker’s Dracula are primarily presented in two ways: There is the sexual being created solely with the aid Dracula’s vampire influence, and the device manipulated and virtually exploited by the men throughout the novel to contribute to the fight between Dracula and Van Helsing and his companions. This battle is not only the literal battle between Dracula and the men, but it is primarily a battle for the empowerment of women, both sexually and intellectually a fight against the constricting social boundaries which forced men and women into their respective roles. Dracula’s bite enables women to become sexual penetrators. Using their sharp teeth to penetrate men, the reverse the traditional gender roles and placemen in the passive position customarily reserved for women. The instance when Mina drinks from Dracula’s breast is the strongest example of this; where the reader to this point is accustomed to Dracula doing the “biting”, and suddenly Mina has the power to penetrate a male.
It is ironic because when Lady Macbeth enters, the doctor and gentlewoman are discussing her ailment of sleepwalking. Lady Macbeth starts telling them about the murders of Banquo and Lady Macduff. She tells the gentlewoman that her murdering hand will always smell like blood; “Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!”(5.1.51-53).
The melodramatic events that happen between Dracula, Lucy and Mina can attest to the fact, that the opposite sexes are unequal. Mina and Lucy’s correspondence that was taking place while Jonathan was traveling to Transylvania to work do some work for Dracula; can be perceived as young love of possibly considered naive. What this says to me is that their world view is distorted by their era. These women see England as a safe place and as a seat of power; that England is a safe place. While the rest of the world is poverty stricken countries and they are in British control.
Louis bends under Lestat's influence and begins feeding from humans. He slowly comes to terms with his vampire nature. Escaping to New Orleans proper, Louis feeds off a plague-ridden young girl one night, who is six years old, whom he finds next to the corpse of her mother. Louis begins to think of leaving Lestat and going his own way. Fearing this, Lestat then turns the girl into a vampire "daughter" for them, to give Louis a reason to stay.