Female sexuality in Dracula and Bram Stoker’s fear of the New Woman
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula there is a presentation of two kinds of women, one that’s rule abiding and the other that is sexualized and deviant. Mina Harker, Lucy Westerna and the sisters of Dracula are juxtaposed against each other, creating a line of morality in which Lucy longs to cross. The Victorian era is characterized by the “New Women” movement, where for the first time ever the idea of feminism and an opposition to the patriarchy was brought to discussion, this led to a societal uproar of people who began to fear change, believing change equalled the downfall of society. Stoker’s portrayal of women and specifically of female vampires harbors the idea that independence equals danger. Within Dracula Stoker utilizes the differences between the female characters in order to portray the danger that comes following female empowerment and freedom through the use of the juxtaposition between victorian women and new women within each character themselves, and the connection between lust and horror.
The vampire sisters that reside within the castle are a perfect example of women who are entirely impure, they have completely abandoned societal norms and have lost their humanity. There is an obvious difference between these sexual vampires and regular Victorian women. The words used to describe the female vampires are all extremely sexual, Harker describes the vampire as having “voluptuous lips”(Stoker,55) and he then goes on to say that “there was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive” (Stoker,56). Harker repeats the word voluptuous which is a word that in itself is sexualized, and his repetition of it shows just how important it is for Stoker that as a reader we see these vampires as extremely sexual. Harker describes the way in which he can’t help but lust for the vampires with phrases such as “languorous ecstasy”(stoker, 56) and “burning desire”(stoker, 55), which depicts a scene in which Harker is entirely under the control of female vampires. The connection between the lust that is felt with the simultaneous feeling of horror is representative of the feelings that Victorian society had over the idea of change, and of female empowerment and sexuality. Stoker seems to hold the belief that the ideas of the New Women go too far and that allowing women to be in positions of power can only lead to the downfall of society itself. The idea of the vampire sisters represent the idea of a woman who has abandoned the rigid societal expectations of a victorian woman, one who has taken control of their own sexuality, which leads to the possibility of a woman using her sexuality against a man. This leads to the idea that new women and the idea of them are inherently evil and potentially dangerous to all men. The vampire sisters are “both thrilling and repulsive” (stoker, 56), due to their sexual freedom Harker can’t help but lust for them, while at the same time he is disgusted by their complete lack of societal standard, one in which women are pure and innocent. Stoker uses this contrast between horror and lust to connect the idea that women who are sexually independent and outwardlly erotic aare inherently evil.
From the first time Lucy is introduced Stoker describes Lucy as obviously having some New Women ideals, long before she becomes a vampire. From Lucy’s letter to Mina we learn that she has three men who proposed to her, although she’s forced to pick only one we get insight as to Lucy’s real feelings when she says “Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her”(Stoker, 87), as she reveals that if it weren’t for that being socially unacceptable, she might prefer to have multiple partners. Lucy ultimately is a two dimensional character who serves the purpose of being a damsel in distress for men to protect and for Dracula to feed on. She turns into a vampire in order to serve the purpose of being Stoker’s representation of what happens when a woman becomes a new woman. Stoker utilizes color symbolism and the contrast of white and red to emphasize Lucy’s transformation and her loss of purity when she turns. Before she turns she’s described as” looking sweetly pretty in her white lawn frock”(stoker, 94) and she is described to be white and pale in the days leading up to her death. After Lucy dies and is a vampire it’s said “Death had given back part of her beauty”(stoker, 239) as the blood returns to her face and she begins to look better Lucy’s transformation is complete as she becomes a vampire and a new woman. Lucy’s vampire voice is described as “soft, voluptuous” (stoker, 230) which shows that immediately after Lucy becomes a vampire, she is sexualized and represents a woman who has abandoned societal roles. Vampires represent the fears of men, the idea that women can be more powerful than them and support the idea that female empowerment is nothing but dangerous. Stoker parallels Lucy and New Women with one another in order to push the idea that feminist ideals lead to the possibility of the overthrow of the patriarchy if women learn how to take advantage of men.
Bram Stoker has anxieties about female empowerment and believes that if women are allowed to be in positions of power that society is going to collapse. Stoker pushes his conservative beliefs within Dracula through his female characters and Lucy’s progression as she spirals from a regular victorian woman to a bloodthirsty vampire. The sexualization of the vampires and the sexualization of blood drinking itself leads to the connection of lust and horror, within each scene where a female vampire is depicted men will simultaneously be encapsulated by their looks and also disgusted by their savagery. The idea of female vampires being sexually promiscuous and also terrifying then connects the idea of a sexually free woman as being inherently evil. Within Dracula Stoker utilizes the symbolism of colors, the connotation of lust and horror, and the juxtaposition of new women and the characters within the novel, in order to push the idea that women having more freedom is inherently bad and that the New Woman is dangerous.
Works Cited
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Ed. Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal. New
York: Norton & Company, 1997. Print.