The Portrayal Of Women In Bram Stoker's Dracula

A controversial issue from the text I would like to take a stand against is the portrayal of the women in the book of “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. I believe that Bram Stoker had wrongfully portrayed women in his classic novel called “Dracula”. He either made them seem weak and innocent or impure and horrible. Stoker had written Dracula in 1897, during the Victorian Era (1837-1901). The Victorian Era was a time of limitations, especially towards women, and a simple mistake would cause you to suffer social ostracism from others. Stoker had grown up and lived through the Victorian Era, his successful novel was written during the era as well. In the view of a feminist, the text had wrongfully shown the accusation of women being weaker individuals.

First, the women

Mina was an assistant schoolmistress, who wanted to be useful for her fiancé. Bram Stoker was right to show that she was very willing to further her education, but he had questioned the feminists reading his book, as to why Mina it wasn’t mentioned often. Mina, being one of the only female characters in the book to show bravery and the will to further her knowledge, was not given enough recognition. On page 250, Renfield talks about Mina and says, “She has man’s brain - a brain that a man should have were he much gifted – and a woman’s heart.” This single quote suggested that Mina could be considered equal to men, but Renfield degraded her as he continues and quotes, “But it is no part for a woman.” Also, Mina’s motif to become more knowledgeable was to be useful for Jonathan, making the reader infer that Stoker did not believe a woman would do it for herself. Yet there were many real-life examples Stoker should have considered before contributing in a stereotype, such as Mary Shelley herself. Ultimately, Mina was not recognized enough in the