Gender Roles In The Victorian Woman By Lucy Stoker

The Victorian Era, a period that lasted from 1837 to 1901, was a time that witnessed extreme gender differences and double standards; women were dominated by their sexuality and defined by whether or not they held the inherent qualities of femininity expected by their society. Dracula magnificently captures the essence of these polarized gender roles, a principal known as the ideology of separate spheres , by posing a threat to docility and innocence in an evolving society where women were submissive and dependent on men for everything. Moreover, Stoker’s masterpiece proposes an intricate modification to the Victorian Society by portraying varying types of women present at the time; The New Woman, portrayed by the docile and loving Mina Murray; The Femme Fatal, reflected by the voluptuous sex-crazed vampire sisters; and the Damsel in Distress, represented by Lucy Westenra and her ambiguous position between the ideal and the doomed. Using a fictional approach and his superb linguistic skills, Stoker creates a contrast between these three female roles, divinely threatening the male hierarchy and implying a near detachment from the conservative idealizations present at the time. The perfection and docility embodied by the prestigious Mina Murray make her the ultimate Victorian Lady. Praised by the characters and author, Mina contains the essential characteristics expected of women from that era, a lovely and intellectual future “angel of the house ”. Her angelical chastity