Femininity In “Dracula” Essay

some(prenominal) critics and literary analysts believe that femininity or to some extent metabolic process of women constitutes the central theme of firefighters Dracula. For instance, K contestation explains that femininity proceeds in two ways first by the transformation of the good English women into sexually or intellectually challenging New Women, and then again when their potentially revolutionary attributes are destroyed, one way or an opposite either through and through death, as seen with Lucy, or reduction to a silent (and then no longer intellectually challenging) inspirational figure, as occurs with Mina (Kline, 144).Explaining the estimate behind women in Dracula fireman argues that for women to deny their traditional eccentric was to deny their womanhood, to challenge the distinctions between women and men upon which the family and and so society depended (Stoker, 206). Stokers Dracula addresses these concerns regarding femininity as outlined by Stoker and Kline, and contains examples of it, through the brute force and sexual wantonness of the lamia women that dishonour Jonathan, as well as Lucys transformation and the masculine pugnacity represented by Minas capabilities.The men in the brisk are established as representatives of a patriarchal society, but it is the arrogant presence of Van Helsing that is primarily employ twain to advocate a return to a patriarchal system, and to refeminize women through either vindication of their abilities or by repeated insistence that they are objects of gothic concern. The textual matter is engorge with examples where female identity is transformed.This is accomplished through a variety of methods that are, like the vampiric taint from the mixing of slant, interrelated. For example, Mina is transformed into an object of idealization and chivalric concern, and as a result of this protection, she is also attacked by Dracula and emotionally altered as a result of her exclusion both of which occur precisely because the men remove her from their counsel and leave her unattended.The text is used to show that these women in a sense new women representatives are chancy and in need of correction, which occurs in the novel through punishment, including death and destruction, and the denial of authority. The sexual aspects of the New Woman are vilified through association with the monster of vampirism, and what vilifies the intellectual woman in the text is her challenge to male intellect and authority.The attack on the sexual woman begins with Jonathans assault by the vampire women at Castle Dracula, which then justifies the attack on Lucy when she takes over as their modern equivalent since he gets no retribution against these vampire women, it is necessary in the text to have Lucy punished for her seemingly same challenge to gender roles as a result of her potentially on the loose(p) behavior. The attack on the intellectual woman begins with what Johnson calls Minas rough act in first handing Van Helsing her shorthand diary, which he is otiose to read.The sexual woman in the text is first represented by the weird sisters (Stoker, 80) at Castle Dracula, through both their role-reversing assault on Jonathan and their anti-maternal behavior in feeding on the half-smothered child given to them by Dracula when he halts their attack (Stoker, 71). These women symbolize what Griffins calls the worst nightmare and beloved fantasy of the Victorian male the pure girl turned sexually ravenous beast (Stoker, 143), with these vampire women being classified as frighten and by extension, all modern or sexual women in constituent due to the emotional confusion they create in men.Although they are draw by Jonathan as ladies by their dress and manner (Stoker, 68), having brilliant whiten dentition, that shone like pearls and a silvery, musical laugh (Stoker, 69), their effect on Jonathan is expound, through his own reporting, to make him uneasy ( 69) due to their deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive and his reaction that he felt in my face a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me (Stoker, 69).Interpreting Jonathans immix emotions as resulting from a fear of an inability to sexually handle leash women presents an interesting parallel later with Lucy, who wistfully speaks of being able to unify three men (Stoker, 91). By presenting womens sexuality as unnatural and monstrous rationalizes the hysteria that is utilized in destroying Lucy and the vampire women, and the text is therefore suggesting, through this vampiric taint, that all sexual women are dangerous and need to be destroyed. It is this destruction, in addition to physical death, that sends the centre that there is no buyback for new women.Sewards diary records the event that lets Lucy take her place with the other Angels (253) The Thing in the coffin writhed the sharp white teeth champed together till the lips were cut, an d the mouth was smeared with a crimson foam. But Arthur drove deeper and deeper the mercy-bearing stake, whilst the blood from the pierced heart welled and spurted up around it (Stoker, 254). Similarly, Van Helsing records the horrid howler as the stake drove home the plunging of writhing form, and lips of bloody foam as he restores these vampire women to their dead selves (Stoker, 412).From the beginning of the novel Mina is presented as contrary from the vampire women, signifying that the woman who challenges gender roles through her intellect is different from the sexual woman. Jonathans journal distinguishes her from the awful vampire women Mina is a woman, and there is nought in common with the vampire women. They are devils of the equalize (Stoker, 85). Once the sexual woman has been dispensed of through Lucys death, the text then attacks the intellectual woman through Mina and it is not until the antecedent is eradicated that Minas talents are presented as dangerous or terrorening.Although Charles Prescott and gracility Giorgio opine Lucys transformation and destruction function as protective examples for Mina. She learns not only that vampires and wrong must be brutally brought into line but also what can happen to anyone outside the Victorian codes of normalcy (Stoker, 151), it is only after she is stripped of the ability to use her intellect, as she is suppress by Van Helsing and excluded through the presumably chivalric protection of the men, that she becomes sexual.Descriptions of violence against women a retribution for their challenge to gender roles serve to impart the message that there is no redemption for femininity, that despite any atonement or transformation, their transgressions are considered so heinous that they must be destroyed. Interestingly, the eradication of Dracula, described merely as his crumbling into dust and passing from sight (Stoker, 418), without the brutality that is levied against the female vampires, serves as proof that the destruction previously described is in reprisal for the female transgression of gender codes, and not a necessity in ending the threat of vampirism. Works Cited Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Ed. Glennis Byron. Ontario Broadview Literary P, 2000 Kline, Salli J. The Degeneration of Women Bram Stokers Dracula as Allegorical Criticism of the Fin de Siecle. Rheinbach-Merzbach CMZ-Verlag, 1992