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Reality, fiction and symbolism in bram stoker’s dracula: an essay about the famous vampire count
Reality, fiction and symbolism in bram stoker’s dracula: an essay about the famous vampire count
Themes in dracula by bram stoker
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In Dracula the vampire symbolises an invasion of innocence, reflecting increasing sexual anxiety amongst the women of the 19th century England. Lucy’s letters portray a childish manner in reference to sexual desire , she writes “I love him, I love him, I love him!”, this tone seems hyperbolic and her idolisation of her suitor after brief encounters shows sexual eagerness. This is because she gives limited information about Arthur except his role in society, however she describes interaction with her other suitors Quincey and Dr Seward in detail in her letter. Comparatively the relationship of Mina and Jonathan seems mature, throughout throughout the opening journal entry Jonathan makes reference to Mina, in his memoir he notes “get recipe …show more content…
This comes as a result of the industrialisation, wealth became increasingly associated with power. Therefore this desire for wealth is developed. Sir Perceival Gylde allows himself to be persuaded to kill his wife to “gain twenty thousand “ whilst Count Fosco stands to make ten thousand through his wife. The question “don't your career about your wife?” is significant as it represents the loss of traditional values in England, values which Walter Hathright still obtains as he feels the “instinctual” urge to assist to innocent women. Therefore the desire for wealth corrupts in the Woman in White. Similarly coins represent a significant desire for wealth. Frederick Fairlie becomes a symbol of selfishness as his only occupation is the attaining wealth, “coins of all shapes and sizes” the lining of “dark purple velvet” reflects his Aristocratic status purple is traditionally a regal colour. This blinds him to other dilemmas as he finds Mr Gilmore's advice to protect Laura's wealth “upsetting” justifying Walters claim of his “selfish affection”. In Dracula Stoker has Dracula accumulate wealth as he has a “heap of gold” in one corner of many currencies none of it being “less than three hundred years old”. This criticises the pointless accumulation of wealth which many desire as Dracula eventually farcically uses the coins as weapons, they provide no other function. This reflects the growth of the
In Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker explores the "wonderful power of money" (Stoker 341). Through the actions of Van Helsing and the "Army of Light" Stoker ponders "What can it not do when it is properly applied; and what it might do when basely used!" (341) through Dracula's machinations. Though one does not usually associate a vampire with a bank statement, Dracula utilizes the power of money as well as his abilities to turn into dust and bats. By granting Dracula the same influence of the "blessed buck" that the Army of Light uses to acquire information, Stoker augments the Count's threat to British society and allows him to function as not only a creature of the night but as a person of the day.
By this point in the story, the repercussions of Jonathon Harker’s visit to Transylvania and his over extended stay with count Dracula has had a mysterious effect on many of the other characters and the plots throughout the continuation of the text. Seward’s diary symbolizes love to me. I feel that Seward shares a love for Lucy that is corresponding with the love that Mina has for Jonathon and the love Dracula also has for Jonathon. I believe that a main theme that is starting to form in the midsection of the story is how love can affect the characters. Lucy must be a very beautiful woman or must have some very attractive trait because many men are lined up, in an attempt to court her. Van Helsing, Holmwood, Seward, and Morris are all very
So true, so sweet, so noble…”(Stoker 154), this said by Van Helsing as he praises Mina for her being a sweet and innocent woman. From this quote, Mina stands as a model for women and men during this time and even now. Stoker as wrote Mina to be a mother figure in Dracula, as she cares and helps Lucy when she sleepwalks and when she takes care of her husband when he got out of Dracula’s mansion. Later in Dracula, Mina also falls victim from Dracula and becomes the second female victim in the novel. Dracula attack and target Mina because she is the love of Jonathan Harker. She was also attacked because she did not have protection to stop Dracula because the men did not think Dracula would attack her. Mina did not become a vampire like Lucy was because the men knew how to stop and kill Dracula before Mina was able to become a
Dracula, the male figure in this novel, has all the power and is dominant. The count, being the only one that can create more of his kind, transforms Mina and Lucy into vampires. Although Lucy and Dracula’s three brides feed on the blood of children “...saw the wounds
Just as Count Dracula could be considered a progressive figure, Lucy and Mina could easily represent the virgin-whore dichotomy. The virgin-whore dichotomy, according to Wyman and Dionisopoulos, “illuminates how women are often defined by patriarchal needs, thus contributing to social inequities by undermining the power of women to define themselves” (209). Furthermore, that “the premise [of Dracula] revolves around both male and female characters attempting to define themselves, and each other, by exploring various facets of sexuality and power” (212). Vampire's view and act is strange and enigmatic, as Lucy. Although she and Mina are close friends, they are different kinds of Victorian women. Mina is content in her modesty, satisfied with her sole suitor, excited to “be able to be useful to Jonathan” when the two are married (125). Furthermore, she is never physically described in any image-evoking detail. Lucy, on the other hand, has several men pursuing her until she finally chooses one. She is described in great physical detail that goes as far as “a
We are introduced to two particular women in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. These two women are Mina Harker and Lucy Westenra. These women were presented to serve as Foil characters and show the two types of women: the pure and the vulnerable.Early in to the novel, they were described as the stereotypical perfect women in this era. As the story progresses , significant differences are shown by both women. Lucy will show the difference between which allows Dracula to capture her with his spell first. This will show the similarities and differences of MIna Harker and Lucy Westenra.
Victorian England, as depicted in Bram Stoker’s Dracula was a much different time then the world that we live in today, this much should be obvious. The biggest difference, perhaps, is the one that is seen through the gender roles expressed in the novel. In Victorian England women were expected to maintain their chastity, at least until marriage or they would be shunned from society, or looked down upon. Once married they had “womanly duties” that were expected of them, duties that depended on them taking care of the home sphere of Victorian life. As could be imagined, men were expected to be chivalrous, “knights in shining armor,” who provided and protected for their families. But I feel as if in Dracula, the main characters experience a
In Victorian England, women were seen as the weaker sex. The whole gender was assumed to be less intelligent, more fragile, and almost always in need of a man to be the knight in shining armor. This theme can be seen in Bram Stoker's Dracula, in which two women are shown in completely different lights, suggesting that Stoker himself was a forward-thinker of his time. Lucy and Mina are two characters that have been best friends since childhood. They were raised together and care very much for one-another, though they differ in views and barely ever act in the same ways. While Lucy showed the conventional stereotypes of the Victorian English woman, Mina broke free of that role, and went beyond hackneyed cliches to be a well-rounded and respected
Superficially, “The Goblin Market” seem to end in successful resolution, where Laura and Lizzie, as wives and mothers, “Would call the little ones/ And tell them of her early prime,” extolling the bond of the sisters (Rossetti 548-549). But there is a deliberate ominousness present in Rossetti’s poem that is absent from Stoker’s Dracula. The goblin men, who were the cause of Lucy’s fall, evaded any punishment, thus revenge against evil was not undertaken. Through the ambiguous tone in which she concluded “The Goblin Market,” Rossetti questions the fairness of Victorian society, and challenges its long-living patriarchy by introducing a female hero, Lizzie. Meanwhile, Stoker’s Dracula is a novel about the effectiveness of a male-oriented society. Contrary to “The Goblin Market,” the novel indeed resolved in a satisfactory note, as Dracula, who is the villain behind the fall of Lucy is appropriately “sterilize[d]” (Stoker 281). Stoker also concludes his novel with Van Helsing passing down the story to Harker’s son, but his story, unlike Laura’s, is not about power of femininity. Rather, it
He collocates Mina and Lucy throughout Dracula in order compare and contrast the two drastically different categories of women that existed in the Victorian era: innocent and submissive women versus the dangerous and rebellious ones who want to break free from the sexist stereotypes. Although they both have opposite views of how woman should live, both girls acknowledge the belief that men are more dominant and diligent than women: "My dear Mina, why are men so noble when we women are so little worthy of them?" (Stoker
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
They defy the Victorian standards of female sexuality and expose them. Each of these five women represent a different of side of the society. The three vampire sisters are the most feared among Victorians because of their sexual desire is greater than any man. On the other hand, Lucy was the perfect picture of an “Angel of the House” Lucy was described by Mina as the perfect Victorian woman as she states “Lucy was looking sweetly pretty in her white lawn frock; she has got a beautiful color since she has been here. I noticed that the old men did not lose anytime coming up and sitting near her when we sat down…I think they all fell in love with her on the spot” (Stocker 73). When Lucy tells Mina that she was proposed by three different men in one day she states in the letter a taboo idea “Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble? But this is heresy, and I must not say it” (Stocker 67). This passage was simple but shows a hidden desire. But she is quick to take it back because of Victorian views but as Dracula manipulates her dreams she was able to express her needs through Dracula and becomes too sexualized as she discovers her dormant sexuality through becoming a
In Case's article “Tasting the Original Apple,” it talks about the role that now the new woman has and how it comes into conflict with how men react towards it as stated “Dracula is often read as a largely reactionary response to the threat of autonomous female sexuality posed by the phenomenon of the "New Woman," with its anxieties about female sexuality being most clearly visible in Lucy Westenra's story. Particularly once she has been "vamped," Lucy's sexual assertiveness seems to link her with the New Woman. But Lucy's actions as a vampire, like those of the "awful women" (42) Jonathan encounters at Dracula's castle, perhaps owe less to the specific threat posed by the New Woman's insistence on sexual autonomy than to the ambivalences built into the model of Victorian womanhood from the start. Since ideal womanhood (and the ground of male desire) was characterized by a combination of total sexual purity and at least the potential for passionate devotion to a man, this model...
Dracula features behind the lines, the chaos of this gender confusion and one of the main characters, Mina, is a vivid illustration of this. Beyond all, she is the orthodox woman, “Mina indeed acts and is treated as both the saint and the mother…….She is all good, all pure, all true.” (Roth, 31). Since the beginning, Mina has strived to portray herself as the perfect wife and the best potential mother by displaying her motherly instincts sporadically throughout the novel. She is impatient to get married and serve her husband, Jonathan when she writes, “When we are married I shall be able to be useful to Jonathan, and…..write….on...the typewriter.” (Stoker, 62). Without hesitation, she marries Jonathan in Hungary despite his illness and nurses
Bram Stoker uses to Mina to create a very innocent character that is violated to invoke emotion in the reader. To further this emotion, she begins to regret something that was out of her mortal control. “Unclean!”(Stoker 313). The very idea that she has been violated disgusts her down to her very bone. The men of the story seem to want to save Mina more than they ever did Lucy. This could be due to the fact that she is very innocent and they do not want Dracula to go there or because they wanted to avenge Lucy and save Mina. All of this caused because of violation. Sigrid Anderson Cordell, author of the article Sex, Terror, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Coppola’s Reinvention of Film History, analyzes a film that is based on Dracula. “Likewise, he associates Dracula’s desire for Mina with the use of film to put female sexuality on public display” (Cordell 2). This supports Stoker’s symbolism for sexuality as public display further violation in a large way. Stoker uses Mina to appall the reader when he violates Mina. Joan Acocella perfectly describes this in her article, “In the Blood”. “A terrible resemblance to a child forcing a kitten’s nose into a saucer of milk to compel it to drink” (Acocella 1). There is not much of a difference between the reactions to Dracula forcing Mina to suck Jonathan’s blood and if he had instead violated her sexually..The fact that these two actions are interchangeable, clearly supports the point that the whole time the world thought Dracula was about vampires(which it still partly is), it was really talking about