Dichotomy In Dracula

It is noteworthy in Dracula that the reader only witnesses detailed vampiric transformations taking hold on women. This must be significant in some way. Perhaps Dracula only preys on women because he intends to make them powerful over men; perhaps he gets some enjoyment from removing women from submissive societal roles, free to be sexually aggressive vampires. Or since Dracula could be a normal person, perhaps this means that he wants women to change. Eric Yu remarks that the Count is “as austere and diligent a scholar as Van Helsing… a champion of intellectual labor” with “surprising modernity” (160). The Count is intelligent and sophisticated, deliberate and efficient in his encounters with others. Based on this notion, the Count resembles

Just as Count Dracula could be considered a progressive figure, Lucy and Mina could easily represent the virgin-whore dichotomy. The virgin-whore dichotomy, according to Wyman and Dionisopoulos, “illuminates how women are often defined by patriarchal needs, thus contributing to social inequities by undermining the power of women to define themselves” (209). Furthermore, that “the premise [of Dracula] revolves around both male and female characters attempting to define themselves, and each other, by exploring various facets of sexuality and power” (212). Vampire's view and act is strange and enigmatic, as Lucy. Although she and Mina are close friends, they are different kinds of Victorian women. Mina is content in her modesty, satisfied with her sole suitor, excited to “be able to be useful to Jonathan” when the two are married (125). Furthermore, she is never physically described in any image-evoking detail. Lucy, on the other hand, has several men pursuing her until she finally chooses one. She is described in great physical detail that goes as far as “a

However, she remains "the inessential." (Beauvoir 1413) when she transforms into a vampire, she becomes more powerful and can control men over her sexuality. She should not take the man's position and be desirable (Beauvoir 1414), she should be inferior as the rest of the women. So in stopping the vampire, the group relies on their educated minds alongside brute strength and physical force. Whether monitoring Lucy’s illness, performing blood transfusions, or eventually pounding a stake through her chest, the Van Helsing men embody the typical image of the “everyday hero.” Their motives may not be so pure; however Nancy Armstrong claims that such action “suggests the upper- and middle-class male hostility towards their revered and idealized mates” (108). Arthur is ultimately the one to slay Lucy, forcing a stake into her chest, perhaps releasing his frustration towards his unconsummated marriage. Arthur only enters Lucy’s body to violently kill her, disgusted by the sexual and powerful being she has become. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a triumph of a male, heterosexual, Christian ideal. It depicts a victory over a progressive and supposedly damaging social figure who attempts to empower and sexualize women. The happy ending provided by Stoker depicts a heterosexual, consummated marriage resulting in the birth of a son, named for a group of men with Quincey at the forefront. There is notable contrast between how the