The Desire For Money In Bram Stoker's Dracula

In Dracula the vampire symbolises an invasion of innocence, reflecting increasing sexual anxiety amongst the women of the 19th century England. Lucy’s letters portray a childish manner in reference to sexual desire , she writes “I love him, I love him, I love him!”, this tone seems hyperbolic and her idolisation of her suitor after brief encounters shows sexual eagerness. This is because she gives limited information about Arthur except his role in society, however she describes interaction with her other suitors Quincey and Dr Seward in detail in her letter. Comparatively the relationship of Mina and Jonathan seems mature, throughout throughout the opening journal entry Jonathan makes reference to Mina, in his memoir he notes “get recipe

for Mina” this being our first reference to Mina, it provides evidence for a loving relationship due to their premeditated martial roles as Mina as the woman in Victorian England would have been expected to fulfil the iconic domestic duty. Therefore through her hastiness Lucy becomes susceptible to the influence of men like Dracula who preys on innocent young women. Similarly many Victorian men obtained young mistresses to fulfil their lustful desires. The painting Awakening of Conscience shows a woman sat on a married mans lap as she is his mistress, she seems discontent but the man seems to be encouraging her to continue their relationship, in the background the shadow of a woman we believe to be his wife haunts them. Thus Lucy belongs to this adherent new woman, susceptive to perverse sexual desire similar to Thomas Hardy’s “spouseless mother” in Tess.

Lucy takes thus adopts the role of a succubus wholly dependent on the male characters literally surviving from their blood. She brags of about receiving three marriage proposals a making her sexuality her defining characteristic. Lucy states that “some girls are so vain” contradicting her own selfishness as she brags about threes marriage proposal . Similarly the woman from La Belle Dame Merci has these men she has been sexual involved with as “trophies”. Therefore Lucy’s premature desire to be sexually involved leads to her eventual appeal to a character of Dracula nature. This being a lust-full man looking to take advantage of pure innocent virgin whom he could manipulate.Comparatively Mina is evidently what Robert Frost argues “the ideal partner in matrimony”. She adopts the role of the “Angel in the house”. She is not a slave to her pleasures and desire but works “unselfishly” to fulfil the desire of the men around her as the poem says “but him to please is a woman’s pleasure”. She learns shorthand to be “useful” to Jonathan and volunteer to transcribe the events in order to help the men better plan their attacks. She maintains her emotions have “never cried on my own account” she acts unselfishly and provides the service to the men by allowing them to rest on her “bosom”. The word “bosom” thus loses its sexual meaning as she does this to provide to those that have lost. Thus Minas desires unselfish desire leads to a cliche’d happy ending.

Lucy develops an sexual aggressive in her vampiric state as she lunges towards Arthur saying “come Arthur to me.Come my husband come” which was said with a “diabolical sweetness”, this being a paradox as something sweet tends to bring about pleasure, however this pleasure is undesirable and therefore “diabolic”. This refusal of sexual desire from women is identified by Judith Roth who says Stoker shows a “hostility towards female sexuality”. She is described in the grave scene as “growling” like a dog having once been a symbol of “ purity” it is turned into “heartless cruelty”. She has lost what collins phrases “priceless value of true and honest women” through succumbing to sexual desire. The painting Found Drowned by JF Watts shows the result of promiscuity in Victorian England as a woman has committed suicide for what we assume to be social disapproval. This is shown by the evident darkness of the city of London in the background of the painting, she has been isolated from this society. This contrasts with society's disproval of the actions of the “Un-dead Lucy” as she “held something dark at its breast” representing corrupted sexuality.

Tina Woods critical view is that Stoker uses Dracula to show what happens “when female sexuality is allowed to surface”. This is portrayed by the vampiric women who share an animalistic sexual nature. The “red lips”, a feature of Dracula’s wives, contrasts the wolves’ “lolling red tongues”. This symbolically represents the idea that if you allow people to submit to their instinctual desires they become no better than animals, this is shown by the inhumanity of the vampires. The wives of Dracula also try to tempt Jonathan as he notes their sexual advances and attractive features like a “musical laugh” symbolising a similarity of dangerous temptation of the vampire and the ‘Sirens’ of the Odyssey. These seemingly innocent features have a hidden danger as we the reader know that these vampiresses want to suck Jonathan’s blood. This reveals the sexual temptations facing the Victorian man by prostitutes and mistresses. It is estimated that for every one prostitute there was twenty five men in London and often the men were married. He describes it as a “burning desire”’ this fraise is crucial as it is synecdoche for the nature of temptation of these women. The desire is forceful and you cannot control is as it pierces your skin, the idea of burning also reveals the sinful nature of such desire.

Stoker and Keats present the characters blurring the lines between human and animalistic nature. This shows that despite Dracula appearing mentally calm he has no control of his instinctual desires. Dracula is seen by Jonathan climbing the wall of the castle “just as a lizard moss among a wall”. The reference to him being Lazar-like sparks a comparison as lizards are cold blooded animals whose only aim to survive through reproduction. Similarly Dracula’s sole desire is spreading his vampiric disease, he goes about this in animalistic nature,”his eyes blazed with a demonic fury” at the sight of Jonathan’s blood, his lunge at Jonathan therefore predators attack showing a lack of control of desire. Similarly the character Lamia is described as having “her head was serpent” adhering to the mythical legend of the Lamia, this creates another creature with animalistic features. However she has a “woman’s mouth” illustrating the blurred identity between human and animal, leaving only her mouth also unveils a lustful desire.This represents what John Rogers calls the “random fecundity of a Darwinian world”, the victorian readers would have been aware of the idea of evolution as the Origin of Species had been published in 1859. The book revolutionised our perspective of our origins detailing process of evolution, the emphasise of the survival of species is played upon by Stoker. The topic is likely to have been controversial as The Island doctor of Mereu which touch upon this topic was heavily criticised.

Keats and Stoker use the the villains effect on the main characters to show symptoms clearly associated with sexually transmitted diseases, this to reaffirm the fear of sexual activity leading to a tainting of innocence.The mark left on Minas forehead resembles the facial besmirchment commonly associated with Syphillis. The disease was at an epidemic level in Victorian England claiming the lives of thousands allegedly including Stoker and Collins, the Victorian readers would have been familiar with such symptoms as Museums of Anatomy commissioned by the government displayed the effects of sexually transmitted diseases. She says “Unclean! Unclean, I must touch him nor kiss him no more” showing her acknowledgement of her infection and dutiful refusal to pass on her disease to her husband reflects Virginia Wolffs view that the Angle in the house “was utterly unselfish”. Geraldine in Christabel has a “bosom” which is “a sight I dare not dream of” symbolising STD’s,the stain a part of her body normally sexually attractive to men, so a stain on her sexuality. We assume this came as a result of her time in the “woods” symbolising sexual promiscuity. Sir Leoline is oblivious to her flaw and so that is why his embrace of her sends the memory of the sight into Christabel’s head reacting in a way similar to Mina. This prophesies the result of a increasing sexuality in society as there was a Syphillis epidemic in the 1890’s,it is believed by the National Geographic Stoker himself died from syphillis which he obtained from a mistress.

The works of Freud, having been published in 1895, would have been heavily influential in the perspective of the Victorian audience. Freud argues that repression of desire was bad for human development and he encouraged a sexual openness. This is a threat to the social order as it suggests that the women want succumb to their deep perverted desire. This is evident in Dracula as Mina says “I was bewildered but strangely enough I did not want to hinder him” showing that she found Dracula’s sexual approach appealing. This was a threat to the traditional view of the innocent female wife who was chaste and loyal to her husband. Stoker describes Mina Harker’s rape metaphorically comparing it to “a child forcing an forcing a kittens nose to saucer of milk compelling it to drink”. This again emphasises the perverted necessity of sexual activity as it may not be desirable for the kitten, milk traditionally symbolises nurture and care. The conflict of emotion is shown by Jonathan’s finding the vampiresses of “thrilling and repulsive”, these paradoxical emotions show the conflict between the ID and the superego, what Jonathan desires and what society permits. Thus the vampire symbolises an admission of repressed desire.

Dreams play a key role in unveiling desire through through the Freudian idea of being “wish fulfilment" in his Interpretation of Dreams. Freud gives the example of being thirsty as you sleep and dreaming of drinking water.When applied to the poetry of the romantics you could argue that the desires of the protagonist are illuminated by their dreams. Coleridge represents desires of a sexual nature by using sexual innuendo like “dreams that made her moan and leap” for her “lover thats far away” to symbolise sex before marriage in his character Christabel's dreams. The terms “moan” and “leap” are onomatopoeic therefore presenting the reality of the dream to the reader. The idea of an expression of sexuality was extremely unacceptable in Victorian England; women and men were prevented from seeing each other unless none the less having sexual relations before marriage. However in the dreams of Christabel she is not limited, she therefore can express her desire. He uses the idiom “midnight wood” to imply sexual exploration, this being unusual for women at the time. This implying increasing desire of Christabel to be sexual active with her lover. Similarly in the ‘Eve of St Agnes’ the protagonist Madeline experiences a realisation of her dreams, Keats writes “the blisses of her dream so pure and deep” and “lustrous salvers in the moonlight gleam”.

Robert Frost implies an “increasingly materialistic Victorian society”.

This comes as a result of the industrialisation, wealth became increasingly associated with power. Therefore this desire for wealth is developed. Sir Perceival Gylde allows himself to be persuaded to kill his wife to “gain twenty thousand “ whilst Count Fosco stands to make ten thousand through his wife. The question “don't your career about your wife?” is significant as it represents the loss of traditional values in England, values which Walter Hathright still obtains as he feels the “instinctual” urge to assist to innocent women. Therefore the desire for wealth corrupts in the Woman in White. Similarly coins represent a significant desire for wealth. Frederick Fairlie becomes a symbol of selfishness as his only occupation is the attaining wealth, “coins of all shapes and sizes” the lining of “dark purple velvet” reflects his Aristocratic status purple is traditionally a regal colour. This blinds him to other dilemmas as he finds Mr Gilmore's advice to protect Laura's wealth “upsetting” justifying Walters claim of his “selfish affection”. In Dracula Stoker has Dracula accumulate wealth as he has a “heap of gold” in one corner of many currencies none of it being “less than three hundred years old”. This criticises the pointless accumulation of wealth which many desire as Dracula eventually farcically uses the coins as weapons, they provide no other function. This reflects the growth of the

plutocracy.

Stokers Dracula’s desire for power is likely to have been heavily opposed by the Victorian readers. He aims to corrupt the British Society literally infiltrating the pure blooded, the aristocrats. Dracula's power can be observed by his dominion over the natives in Transylvania, Jonathan Harker’s diary entry details the harsh conditions under which his people had suffered having lost 13000 casualties of war and having many deaths attributed to death and famine. This strikes similarities with the Crimean war in which 16000 British soldiers died from famine and disease. He leads his people through fear, despite being “boyar” given the authority of the “conquering race”, he abuses this power. Jonathan’s landlords are “frightened” and “distressed” upon hearing that Jonathan is going to be living with the Dracula. The common man began to stand up for his rights and acknowledge the abuse of the social classes as Anne Catherick says “Not a man of rank or title…thank God I may trust him”. This therefore illustrates Dracula’s inappropriate desire for power.