Victorian Women in Dracula

Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” came to print in 1897, at the height of Nineteenth century Victorian life in Europe, a progressively modern era that saw much medical and technological advancement. This era brought with it the contentious idea of an empowered woman, the “New Woman,” a woman who aspires to be educated as well as sexually and economically independent. Stoker gives a contrasting view of this notion in “Dracula.” While the main characters, Lucy and Mina, are clearly opposite in personality, they are both portrayed as unequal, defenseless objects that are to be protected and desired. However, one woman’s fate is determined by her weakness, while the other is determined by her strength.

Lucy Westerna is introduced as a beautiful, flirtatious, young woman. Lucy is wealthy and takes pleasure in a carefree life. She enjoys spending her days taking walks and admiring art in the local galleries. Lucy is uninterested in books or education. However, she is very interested in becoming a bride, and with her enticing splendor has captured the hearts of several suitors. Judith Weissman explains how Lucy’s accommodating nature makes it hard for her to choose just one man, as she feels capable of pleasing and would be happy to oblige all three men (3). Lucy writes to Mina and describes in a self-satisfied tone of the three proposals she received in one day. One critic notes, although she claims to be remorseful for the broken hearted men she has been forced to reject, she sounds rather jubilant in her description (Johnson 4). Nonetheless, Lucy accepts the noble Arthur Holmwood’s proposal. Arthur is a doctor, whom Lucy’s mother likes very well.

While Lucy is overjoyed with planning her nuptials and daydreaming of her soon to be mar...

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...have a strong desire to maintain control within and outside of marriage, they also have the support of a male dominated society. Stoker displays this struggle in the main characters of Dracula. Lucy Westerna is the obtuse, innocent, fragile, yet sultry siren of male desire; her aggressive sexual power is threatening to the Victorian man, making her not quite pure enough of mind or strong enough of will to be saved. On the other hand, Mina Murray Harker is a clever, unadulterated, strong, yet motherly woman, the kind of woman all women should strive to be. Therefore she is deemed superlative and worthy of salvage.

Stoker illustrates Victorian women in what is possibly his own view and most likely the view of most men of his time. There are those women who are to be vehemently desired, yet never acquired and those who are to be acquired with practical desire.