Dracula Historical Analysis Essay

Historical Analysis The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker is a complete contradiction of cultural and social norms of the Victorian Era. This era which took place from 1837-1901 had strict ideas about men and women and how they should live their lives. Throughout this novel, there is a complete change of these ideas for this period of time. In Dracula women are extremely sexual which for this time period is highly unusual. This contradictory starts with the vampire women, when they attack Johnathan in the castle during the evening. During the Victorian Era, women were not supposed to want to have sex or feel the desire and men were supposed to want it and feel all the pleasure. These women attack Johnathan and during the whole encounter, the women are instigating this desire showing us that they want to do it with the male, not the male doing with them. This shows the contradiction of the Victorian Era. In a certain scene of the novel, the women wanted to enter Johnathon, even though during the Victorian Era this is seen as wrong. Something that should never be spoken or thought about. Johnathans’ desire in this case is also breaking social norms because throughout this scene with the vampire women, he describes how he wanted them to do

Also throughout the book other cultural ideas are broken, starting with when Mina goes to help Johnathan get better. The cultural and social norms of this era tell us that the men are supposed to save the women like in a Disney princess story before Frozen (copyright of Disney Pixar Inc.). Mina goes to help her husband which at this time was completely opposite of what was expected at the time. Also Johnathan is at a mental hospital and for this time period women were thrown in mental hospitals for anything. It took a lot to institutionalize a man, so having Johnathan at one is showing of a contradictory these cultural and social ideas