Gender Deviation In Bram Stoker's Dracula

During the Victorian era women were expected to be either a mother and a wife, or a pure, innocent girl. Any other deviation from the set path resulted in punishment, both physically and socially. Deviation can vary as women being over sexual to resembling men in their actions. Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, is no exception in its representation of Victorian ideals. For his purposes, Stoker uses symbolism, tone, and diction throughout to convey the standard Victorian British perception of themselves. Through this conveyed standard to express his belief that gender roles are essential and relevant to Victorian society and that there are consequences if strayed from.

Symbolism was used quite frequently throughout the text, but a specific

Besides being looked down upon by the stereotypical men of the novel, they were also killed later on. The perception of the brides and later actions made against them due to the outward sexual appearance and non-adherence to gender roles, it is seen what Stoker is attempting to communicate about the places of women in society; that they must stay confined in the miniature box of purity or misfortune shall befall them. As previously stated in the introduction, women were expected to fall into two categories; a wife or mother, or a young, harmless girl. Anything out of that norm was incredibly shocking and frightening. Especially when women were to expecting to remain pure, but shifted to the polar opposite, it became even worse. When it was found out that Lucy was the “bloofer lady”(628), she developed into that polar opposite traditional woman. Instead of being a proper lady and staying at home and possibly taking care of her children if she had any, she was out in the dead of night luring them and then feeding on children. Through Lucy being seen as a

“thrilling and repulsive”(126) was how Dracula’s brides were described by Harker. This tone of disgust and fear towards them by Harker as well as the author himself indicates how the desire and hatred towards the women are perceived, all due to them being exceedingly sexual. The tone that is utilized emulates the allure and loathing dictated in the text to the point that it is intended for the reader to feel it as well. The fact that the reader can sense it too, causes them to feel hatred towards the brides, similar to the hatred all of the characters feel towards them. When sweet Lucy was turned she was transformed in a manipulative sexual being with “languorous, voluptuous grace”(747). Her interactions appear innocent and pure, but in actuality she is attempting to convince one of her husbands(she had four due to sharing blood with them), to become a vampire; an evil being. This almost harmless tone portrayed by Lucy’s manipulative actions, juxtaposes with the true nature of her actions, those of evil. The given contrast shows how any woman out of the gender role; being sexual, telling your husband what to do, or even having multiple husbands in the eyes of God(that one just pertained to women there, as Van Helsing has a wife in the eyes of the church, yet