“Mere “modernity” cannot kill.” The year is 1897 and European culture is changing. Skepticism towards both Christianity and the introduction of Darwinism into common thought is current, and the concept of what we now call "feminism" is planting its roots, evident in the rise and fall of political parties and movements such as Paris municipality in favor of women. in France (Smith 72). For a man like Jonathan Harker, sitting in Dracula's castle, this is uncomfortable (Stoker 53). These words demonstrate his doubt that the Count's social model, as he will soon learn, can fail. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Stoker created the character of the Count in Dracula to personify sexual promiscuity and various other countercultural ideals that supposedly preyed on British society. Seen as an obstacle and an infiltrator in a system that does not need fixing, Dracula embodies the feminist movement. His framework for English society presents more radical ideas than what activists considered cutting-edge, making Dracula the perfect villain even for progressive readers. Dracula works primarily through the capture of women in the novel, luring them to meet him sexually. It seeks to take over social thinking through the control of women's desires. But Dracula isn't the only one to achieve this kind of control. While it seems like Dracula is the sole violator of Lucy and Mina's prerogatives in the story, what goes unchecked is how the other male characters also downplay the two women. In Dracula, we observe the supposedly protagonist men who defeat Dracula at the end of the novel practice manipulative tactics similar to those of the Count. Some examples are men's benefit but failure to recognize Mina's literary contributions, which lead to Dracula's conquest, and their poor relationship with Lucy's inherent sexual frustrations. Both Dracula and “good” men, such as Harker and Van Helsing, are in battle throughout the text over which social ideals regarding female sexuality will prevail, in a time when sexual norms for women were so conservative. Unfortunately, functioning as a means to an end in Stoker's analysis of Victorian-era ideology, women are minimized; they are the pawns played to the advantage of men. Despite the fact that women are reduced to tools for man's domination, Stoker argues for the immensity and importance of female opinion. Since influence on Lucy and Mina's philosophies is the prize at stake, the battle indicates the absolute value of feminine ideals in culture. Perhaps it is this awareness of self-worth that could allow women to break out of social boundaries illustrated by Stoker. In Dracula, all men act as antagonists to establish their own social ideals, particularly involving women's sexual freedom. To properly examine Bram Stoker's Dracula, it is necessary to provide a brief historical and contextual background of Victorian era society. Appearing at the end of the 19th century, Dracula is set in England. Dominated by masculine ideals and religious piety, a woman was allowed two reasonable life options: marry or remain a virgin. Women's only role in sex was to give birth to the child; the sex was not for their satisfaction. As sexually restricted as they were, women had to take pride in subduing their sexual desires (Kline 105). Whether it was about embracing the pressures of quasi-asexuality, as in the Movement forSocial Purity, or to rebel against it, women hardly had a choice either way. In Victorian thought it was important for the man to be sexually dominant: “If women were more sexual than their man…then the man would not be the dominant, active, highly sexual partner” (Difilippantonio 4). popularity of this type of sexual philosophy, Stoker's text serves as a commentary on the opinion of the times (Stevenson 139)."Most critics agree that Dracula should be seen as an excellent example of pandering to the Victorian male imagination , especially regarding female sexuality" (Pektas 1). Sexuality is an often explored theme in the analysis of Dracula, as numerous scenes in the novel display this tension (Fleissner 418). Harker's near-seduction in Dracula's castle, Lucy's desire to marry multiple men, Dracula's visit to Lucy, and the blood transfusions offered by Van Helsing and Arthur Holmwood, among others, are all references to the sexuality of the social context where Stoker was working. The restriction to which Victorian women were subjected allows us to understand specific instances in history where women serve only as pawns in the male game of ideological domination. But before we consider these examples, let's look at the main female characters of the text. The two important women in the story, Lucy and Mina, have different opinions about the social pressure to keep sexual actions within marriage and stay out of men's work. . Lucy doubts the appropriateness of monogamy and consequently why sex is limited to one person. At the beginning of the book he asks Mina: “Why can't they let a girl marry three men, or all those who want her, and thus avoid all these problems? But this is heresy, and I must not say so” (Stoker 87). Lucy raises the dilemma but quickly dismisses it, knowing that it is impossible in her social context to have multiple men and then be considered acceptable. This quote also reveals Lucy's lack of absolute satisfaction with any of her options, which later plays a role in her downfall. Furthermore, Lucy offers little help or effort when it comes to winning over Dracula. In the novel, almost no reference is made to Mina's sexuality and, according to the times, that is how it should be. However, Mina is bright and composed as she plays a central role in Dracula's defeat in chapter 26. Van Helsing tells her that she has a "man's brain", a remark which she takes as a compliment (Stoker 335) and understandably so, considering her submission to men throughout the novel. She “practices shorthand,” but not for herself, but so she can be useful to her husband Harker (Stoker 79). the group in pursuit of Dracula, only to be dwarfed by the end of the novel typing" (Fleissner 418). Her efforts are apparently "nothing more than a mass of typing", as the child she has given birth serves as only legitimate evidence of the victory over Dracula that Harker and Van Helsing are interested in (Stoker 541-542). that we have examined the characters of Lucy and Mina, we can better evaluate the antagonistic work of Count Dracula The only supposed antagonist of the story , Dracula, works to eradicate the Victorian sexual norms already in place. Dracula is studying English culture, as is evident from his collection of English literature and his constant questions to Harker about what society is like there (Stoker 29-33): “I long to go into the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity… and all that makes it what it is” (Stoker 30). Dracula also tells Harker of his family's past military fame and power heldfrom his ancestors (Stoker 42-44 ). All this suggests Dracula's imminent attack on English ideals. But the first attack occurs before Harker even leaves the castle. Three sexual vampires attempt to seduce Harker and Dracula's true intentions come out. When I'm done with him, you can kiss him whenever you want” (Stoker 57). Once Dracula has finished defeating the common Victorian belief that sex is only for marriage, there will be no need to convince men like Harker to give in. Harker is almost subservient to the Vampires reveal the weakness of Victorian sexual thinking that Dracula hopes to exploit. The desire expressed in Harker's dream would be considered sinful, “debauchery” by the conservative standards of the day (Foucault 893). Once in England, Dracula begins his assault by luring Lucy into multiple sexual encounters. While Victorian men advocate absolute chastity for women, Dracula desires the opposite. Notice how Dracula doesn't chase the men after they arrive, instead targeting Lucy and Mina. In a later confrontation, Dracula mocks the religious men, saying, “Your girls that you all love are already mine. And through them you and others will be mine again” (Stoker 440). His strategy almost works, as the men observe the now demonized Lucy in the cemetery, until Arthur Holmwood kills her (Stoker 309). This exemplifies the main method by which Dracula is attempting to conquer England, through the repressed sexuality of women. The evil Count wishes to work through women to get to men, a strategy which the other party also executes upon further examination. By contrasting the ways in which Dracula attacked Lucy and Mina, the cultural norms of the time period are demonstrated through the antagonistic perspectives of the English men. about female sexuality and their contribution to the defeat of Dracula. Not unlike Dracula, the men in the story manipulate women out of a desire for order. Aware that vampiric and female sexuality threatens patriarchal hegemony, Harker and Van Helsing aim to destroy Dracula and thus regain the philosophical attention of modern-day women (Arata 632). The pretext that women should restrain themselves sexually is revealed when both Lucy and Mina encounter Dracula. In response to Dracula's attack on their power over sexuality, men respond by putting to death a threat to ideal Victorian women such as Lucy was (Stoker 310). While Arthur Holmwood kills Lucy, Mina also tells Harker to do away with her if she shows signs of being a vampire: “There have been times when brave men have killed their wives and women, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy. Their hands wavered no more because those they loved begged them to kill them” (Stoker 475). Mina is remorseful for making a sexual mistake, firm in society's code that her encounter with Dracula was wrong. Van Helsing praises Mina's character for her adherence to Victorian dogma: "She is one of God's women... So true, so sweet, so noble, so little selfish" (Stoker 268). It is only when a woman is pure and fits what men want her to be that they praise her in this way, a stark contrast to how Van Helsing detests Lucy's character once she becomes a vampire. To counteract the Count's sexualization of women, men attempt to regain control over women. Just as the Count needs blood to survive, men need social order. So who wins this battle over female thinking? Based on Dracula's death, it would appear that Van Helsing and the rest of the men are triumphant (Stoker 540). Van Helsing, tempted by vampiresaforementioned seducers, he manages to avoid giving in to them, symbolizing the victory of his sexually conservative ideals over Dracula's dissolute morality (530). In the book's concluding scene, a married Mina is portrayed with Harker's son, further boasting that the traditional Victorian view of sexuality has prevailed (Fleissner 418). But as before, the story doesn't end there. Although the story appears to have ended happily, it is important to note the methods the men used to defeat Dracula. When we look back at the actions of men like Van Helsing and Arthur Holmwood, we realize that men ended up compromising the belief that their goals were meant to protect: the chastity of sexuality. Through their victory, the active objectification of women by men is evident and, looking back at some key cases, Dracula seems much more of a protagonist than the religious.English men. In a way, Dracula ended up accomplishing what he set out to do: compromising the sexuality of Victorian women. By bringing both Lucy and Mina out of their sexual repression, he forced the men to fight back. Van Helsing is wise not only in Western medicine but also in ancient medicines (Stoker 161). Van Helsing's medical knowledge from ancient times symbolizes his awareness of the family roots of Dracula's war and Dracula's rekindled desire for conquest. So the doctor seems ready to fight off Dracula's bites. However, Lucy's health deteriorates until Van Helsing resorts to using blood transfusions in an attempt to save her. Throughout Dracula, blood serves as symbolism for sex (Pektas 11). Furthermore, the meaning of blood was linked to sex: “According to medical science sexual intercourse meant a depletion of sperm which meant blood and was not something to be wasted” (Pektas 8). The symbolism of sex is strengthened as it only allows men to provide Lucy's blood, not the skilled servants whom Van Helsing does not trust (Stoker 213). The men react to Dracula's drawing of blood from Lucy's neck with their own sexual force. , in turn. Her desire to have multiple husbands, as previously mentioned, is heresy. But it seems her wishes have come true, as all three of her marital suitors give her their blood, no doubt symbolic of sexual intercourse. Van Helsing acknowledges his polygamous desires, surely agitated by the issue (Stoker 251). Blood is important to the story even in a religious context. Dracula's drawing of blood from Lucy and Mina is perhaps a distorted reference to the death of Christ, as women are saved from their sexual boundaries. The return of the blood of the four men in Lucia could represent the return of the blood of Christ into His own body. Just when they give up religious mantra and sexual purity, the work of the Christian savior is undone in their lives. In this, the morals of men are compromised as the ideals implemented by Dracula consequently cause religiously devout men to act. Another scene in which Dracula replaces the ideologies of the English takes place in the cemetery, as Holmwood drives a stake through Lucy's heart, killing her (Stoker 308). With the stake as an allegorical penis, Holmwood, “going deeper and deeper” into his fiancée's heart, acts sexually promiscuously just as the Count intended him to do. It is through women that Dracula dominates men, who push Holmwood forward as he penetrates her (Stoker 308). “Great drops of sweat broke out on his forehead and his breathing became labored” (Stoker 309). This allusion to Arthur's ejaculation concludes the action, as does Lucy's ending. Being “ministers of desire 2015.