This stresses the desire for an ideal Victorian woman. An ideal Victorian woman stays loyal to her man and therefore decreases the chance of spreading diseases that make society so fearful. In this way, loyalty would ensure protection from sexually transmitted diseases (contrived from people other than the woman’s husband). Mina, of Dracula, is in this way able to be cured from vampirism. She would not have been so lucky however if she had been bitten by Orlok.
Science and Religion: Dracula’s Contrast Religion has been practiced by many and continues to be a part of many households today. Individuals use it as a means of healing, meditations and a philosophy of life. In ancient times, it was the foremost practice for healing and protection against harm. As the modern era began to emerge, science began to present itself as a more reliable and highly sought after practice. People began to question religious practices and some even left it complete.
The central idea of this excerpt from Dracula was the fear of the prisoner living in the castle of Count Dracula who felt trapped and alone. The authors use of first person point of view of the prisoner was able to develop this central idea of fear because prisoner was able to describe his feelings first hand living in the castle with the Count as well as emphasize the thoughts that were scattered inside of his head during this time. An example of the author using first person point of view to help develop the central idea of fear was when the prisoner had realized that he was helpless in the situation of his current living conditions. The prisoner said "I think I must have been mad for the time, for I have behaved much as a rat does in a trap" (lines 4-5).
Humans have relied on interaction with other humans since the creation of man; without human interaction, one does not learn the social expectations and civilized manners required to survive in this world. Dracula’s view as an anti hero build the claim to his lonely existence. Loneliness can be attributed to any of the main characters within Dracula and can even explain the motivations behind their actions. Moreover, the characters, at times, not only feel physically separated from the others in the story, as well as society, but they also feel emotionally isolated. Also, Count Dracula leads the loneliest existence out of all of the characters in the novel, and is therefore motivated the most by his feelings of isolation and desire for companionship
In Bram Stolker's novel, Dracula, the female characters such as Lucy Westerna, Mina Harker, and the three vampire brides are depicted in judgmental ways. The way the author portrayed the women questions what role the female characters play in the story, and what their actions and attitude suggest about gender norms and expectations. Each female within the novel displays a different aspect of femininity, they all had different roles which challenged the societal expectation of women's identity and behavior, especially during the late 19th century. The novel depiction of women highlights the way in which society sees gender roles were changing but it also deconstructed the proceeding struggles of women's empowerment and equality. This paper will
A couple years later Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Claire Clairemont, Lord Byron, and Byron’s doctor were all staying in Geneva. Various sources mention how the weather was unrelentingly terrible, which is why it is often referred to as the year without summer, so they had little to nothing to do all day except sit around and read creepy German ghost stories. So naturally enough, being a circle of creative writers, a novel-writing contest ensued. The doctor wrote a story that would later be a huge influence on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Mary Shelley, still a teenager wrote Frankenstein.
Throughout the Victorian era, probably one of the biggest worries was the role of women in society. In “Dracula”, Bram Stoker makes most of the women in his story as very sexual and some as pure. The pure women in society were liked and the impure were considered evil and tempting. Throughout the story, Mina is the perfect fit for the “angel of the house” by remaining smart and loyal and she is seen as heroic and strong in the end because of it. Mina’s relationship with Harker represents the traditional part in society that women should play in the Victorian age.
At first glance, the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker appears to be a typical gothic horror novel set in the late 1890s that gives readers an exciting look into the fight between good and evil. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that Dracula is a statement piece about gender roles and expectations for men and women during the Victorian age. Looking at the personalities, actions, and character development of each of the characters in Dracula bring to light startling revelations about Victorian society and how Stoker viewed the roles of men and women during this time period. To really understand Dracula, it is important to note that this novel was written during a time “of political and social upheaval, with anxieties not just about the
To a Victorian male reader, this would have the same effect as a real sexual experience. It also emphasizes the transformation of a pure monogamous woman into a wild lascivious fiend who feels a desire for
Most people just love a story about blood, death, and love… well, there isn’t a better place to turn than to Dracula… as some would say, the classic story of true love- with some serious problems. Bram Stokers Dracula has been loved for many centuries by many people, for many different reasons. Some want to know who the original Dracula is… and why he is so famous, others love the writing style, and some simply indulge in it because it's got all the gory stuff. Although, a there has been a contradictory topic devoted to this book for years-- the main theme of Dracula. Many people have very different ideas as to what this is, some saying it has to do with female sexuality, others think it always has been and always will be simply a horror novel.
During the Victorian period in which Dracula was written, morals and ethics were often strictly enforced. Some of the morals that were upheld had to do with personal duty, hard work, honesty, as well as sexual proprietary. It was very important during this period that one was proper in their sexual behaviors and conventional in whom they had sexual relations with. However, during this period, many authors sought to challenge the ‘norm’ with ideas of reform and change and Bram Stoker was no exception to this. In his novel, Dracula, Stoker provides a critique of this rigidity in his portrayal of Dracula and Dracula’s relationship with Jonathan Harker.
Word Count: 1188 5. Describe the appearances Dracula makes throughout the novel. What does Stoker achieve by keeping his title character in the shadows for so much of the novel? In Bram Stoker’s 1897
Annotation # 3 This quote relates to one of the key terms in the novel, which is sympathy. Throughout the book, many innocent characters experience traumatizing events. For example, when Jonathan Harker was nearly attacked by the women at the castle of Dracula, or Lucy being stalked by Dracula. These events can cause the audience to feel a sort of sympathy for the characters. Mina is trying to contend while being comforted by her dear friend, that sympathy cannot change what is happening however, it can lighten up one’s mood about a situation.
The ways in which Van Helsing and Seward customarily address Lucy with pet names and terms of endearment, is the same as how an adult would treat a child that denies their maturity. In spite of the fact that these appear affectionate on the surface, it is a manipulative tactic exercised frequently by the band of men. Whether or not they are aware that they are doing such, revoking Lucy of her name strips her of her identity and, essentially, her authority over her personhood. Women in Victorian could only be two things; either you were a pure woman or you were a fallen woman. Lucy can only be one or the other, it was not common for women of the time to possess the traits of both types.
In relation to Dracula, the reader is never told how Dracula became a vampire. However, Van Helsing hints that as Dracula must have battled against the Turks “he was spoken of as the cleverest and the most cunning, as well as the bravest of the sons of the “land beyond the forest””(Stoker 224). In Dr Seward’s diary, Van Helsing learns from the researches of his friend Arminius of Buda-Pesth that Dracula “was in life the most wonderful man. Soldier, statesman, and alchemist—which latter was the highest development of the science- knowledge of his time. He had a mighty brain, a learning beyond compare, and a heart that knew no fear and no remorse” (Stoker 280).
