Examples Of Sexuality In Dracula

Sexuality in Dracula

When reading Dracula, most are overwhelmed with a sense of the carnal. Vampires in the modern day are often seen as symbols or beings of sexuality. The same is true of Dracula, although using less direct language. Due to confines of the era of writing, Bram Stoker uses metaphor and symbolism to express sexual encounters.

In Dracula, sex is never directly referenced. That is a surprising fact, as most consider it a novel almost entirely devoted to sexual expression. This is primarily due to the era of writing. In the 1890s, blatant discussion of sexuality was forbidden, or in the very least, frowned upon. That is not to say novels of this time were devoid of sex, it just had to be written in a concealed fashion. Blood drinking, blood transfusions, and slaying of a vampire become key modes of describing sex scenes.

Whenever Dracula feeds, the words used have sexual undertones. This can be seen when Lucy sleep walks, and Dracula is bent over her drinking her blood. Lucy and Mina agree never to talk of this night (78-80). Another example of blood drinking as a sex act is visible in the disturbing scene in which Dracula forces Mina to feed on his own blood, from his chest. “With his left hand he held both Mrs. Harker’s hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension; his right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom.” (242). This passage has the tone of rape, and oral sexuality. This method allows Stoker to characterize the Vampire as a form of sexual predator, while adhering to the confines of his