A Comparative Analysis of Gender Roles in Dracula: Lucy and Mina

This essay delves into the portrayal of gender roles in Bram Stoker's Dracula, focusing on the contrasting characters of Lucy and Mina. It examines how these characters embody societal expectations and challenge Victorian norms. Lucy is depicted as a figure driven by sexual openness and flirtation, fitting into the stereotype of a woman with low inner strength. Conversely, Mina represents a more independent and resourceful woman, challenging traditional roles by utilizing skills like shorthand and typing. The essay explores feminist critiques of the novel, highlighting the impact of male sexuality on female characters and the evolution of women's roles. It analyzes the significance of Lucy's and Mina's characters in the context of Victorian beliefs and the emergence of new models of feminism. The essay also discusses themes of sexuality, societal expectations, and the characters' responses to the patriarchal society, offering a nuanced perspective on the complexities of gender in Dracula.

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English essay on gender roles of Lucy and Mina in novel
Introduction
Gender involves the state of being male or female that often defines one's sexual identity.
Women roles in the novel. 'Dracula" comprise of key complicated themes. The most prominent
one receiving various critics over the years is the core and derogatory portrayal of women.
Various critics and immense feminist movement and women traditional roles are depicted.
Various stereotypical issues regarding gender roles have been largely discussed (Azzarello,
Robert, 165). Women were only supposed to be the angles of the whole household. Their
anticipation was far off from doing any specific work rather than keeping the house clean,
entertainment of the children and visiting guests. They were also not supposed to offer their
opening regarding the subject matter. This is clearly depicted by the roles of Mina and Lucy in
the Dracula.
Stoker largely accepted this particular role of women and was reluctant to change the idea of
women alternating their responsibilities (Shoemaker,56). They were beginning to make their
own decisions and also starting to acquire jobs, power and represent authority positions in
society. Dracula comprises of a very sexist novel and very conservative regarding these women

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beliefs. They view Lucy to have low inner strength making her a perfect character that fits the
women angle stereotype efficiently (Chez, 67). Mina, however, represents a woman who has
independent roles, are smart and entirely resource in their societal duties
Given to family, better than average and home-cherishing – this is the manner by which the
normal Victorian ladies are typically portrayed. The lady is committed to and underpins her
significant other continually, making progress toward similar goals, yielding herself day by day
(Domínguez-Rué, 297). Emma Honesty, respect, immaculateness and purity are her
temperance's. In the Victorian time marriage was presumably the most noteworthy angle in a
lady's life. For some ladies, it was only a state of survival. Society disliked ladies making their
very own living, or supporting themselves, they inevitably relied upon men's salary: "Banished
by law and custom from entering exchanges and callings by which they could bolster
themselves, and confined in the ownership of property, ladies had just a single methods for
business, that of marriage."
In addition, ladies in the talk of the Victorian period must be virgins and free from musings of
sexuality and love, to be in any event considered as a potential spouse. Be that as it may, this
prerequisite of outright virtue was not substantial for men, who had the opportunity and could
take an interest in pre-marriage sexual connections (Fleissner, 89). After marriage rights,
property and in reality even the character of ladies was under the aggregate control of their
spouses. Conjugal assault and beatings were lawful. Any cash or property brought into the
marriage by the spouse had a place with husband, as did the kids. It's not astonishing that
numerous ladies thought about marriage as a sort of subjection.
As a general rule ladies assumed a vital role as wives, thinking about they dealt with the family
unit, as well as assisted with their significant other's work, and now and then were responsible

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for dealing with the accounts .Be that as it may, they were seen by men not more than like
"excessively passionate and careless animals managed by their sexuality, or essentially the sex".
Motherhood additionally wasn't generally regarded. "Moms were esteemed socially just in the
event that they were 'great' moms, great as per unbending good benchmarks of respectability in
conduct as well as in supposition (Bove &Tanuja, 72). Mina Hacker's role in the novel is
significantly more essential. She likewise ends up one of Dracula's exploited people in a
genuinely ghastly scene in which he compels her to benefit from an injury all alone chest.
Women's activist feedback on Dracula has additionally appeared as noticing the portrayals of
male sexuality in the novel and how they affect the job of ladies. Maybe most fascinating is grant
on the Consider a sexual being who benefits from ladies yet appears to have a homo-social (a
term authored by women's activist researcher Eve Sedgwick) association with Jonathan Hacker.
These articles on sexuality in Dracula challenge readings of the connections and exhibit that the
job of ladies in the novel is, at any rate, muddled (Messerschmidt & Stephen, 81).
According to the book the Dracula, important feminist roles examines and evaluates Mina as the
new upcoming representation of a completely new model of feminist. Her skills that revolve
around utilization writing shorthand and usage of a typewriter in the advanced technology makes
her to have an integral or key role in the member as a hunter and also a very productive character
in the state's economic progress. According to various critics, women roles are not necessarily
deemed to comprise of laboring class. However, they were only limited to the domestic triangle
responsibilities thus cared only for the household chores. Lucy is seen to represent this kind.
Conversely, Mina's roles and responsibilities as a worker in the existing Dracula challenges this
vital role and shows that women were starting to play diverse roles and getting into their male
counterparts spheres outside the household stuff (Pikula, 283). This perspective, however,

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acquires various criticism. The women experiences include anti-feminist, anti-capitalist various
infections and sexual conventions. In addition, the novel also articulates on the important
characters who are groundbreaking and intelligent. There are also independent and embrace
more on the issue of life. The novel is vital for the support of women with different societies.
Lucy is entirely described as someone who is driven by sexual openness and flirtatious. She is
tempting in nature and that's why men have attention on her. The issue is how men get attracted
to women within society (Senf, 123). This analogy proves how women tend to equalize
themselves in those societies which believe that men are superior. On contrary, Mina tends to
negate from what men commonly do. He chose to be monogamous and that's why he does not
need to use the feminine sensuality to prove. He remains dormant throughout the content and this
proves that only women who are more concerned about sex. Therefore the author indicates the
role women play in succumbing man's sexual needs and desires.
Lucy's character seems to be unique. The way she handles issues it includes the way women
think and act in different situations. Lucy can't leave out her sexual appetite in the public but she
prefers it in private through sleepwalking (Senf, 323). Through sleepwalking Lucy is illustrated
as unconscious and therefore she is able to express her thought and longings freely. The Dracula
expresses Lucy as a vampire especially when she is in sexual desires. Lucy expresses how
women impacts on feminism roles. Conversely, Mina is used as the character who is not sexual
neediness like Lucy. She prefers being a maternal figure a fact that she believes would be more
beneficial to those who need it. She allows characters such as Arthur to cry on her shoulders so
as to ensure that they feel the comfort of a mother.
Lucy on other hand portrays those women who careless .This is a negative virtue which tends to
negate from the morals expected within the society. Lucy does not take much interest in qualities

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of women and that's why she mistreats children in the novel. The child gave a sharp cry in the
story and scrolled down moaning. This virtue indicates that her craving is more crucial than the
maternal qualities of protecting and caring for children. The author shoes that she would rather
feed on the child but fails to feed the child. This is the aspect of uncaring within society. The
incidence has a lot of interpretations depending on different perspective.
Also, women have been illustrated as threats to society and people who gain power from the men
in the society. Lucy is attacked and killed for a reason .The Victorian society wanted to see her
destroyed because her beauty brought chaos all over. The writer uses the character of Lucy to
acknowledge on the number of women's in the society who usually uses their beauty to have
power over the men (Westbrook & Kristen, 81).This type of women tends to last for short time.
The author also goes on and warns this category of women saying that women of this type will
be out-casted and socially demeaned. The punishment has been illustrated by the death of Lucy.
Lastly, Mina's character shows those socially behaved women in society. She uses all that she
can to survive in a society full of men .The author describes her features as the woman who is
trained like a man in a society.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the author uses both Mina and Lucy who marks a key strategy of realizing the
roles of women in society (Swartz-Levine, 45). Victorian beliefs about the gender roles have
been clearly discussed and that's why women are today embracing on this key method. Most of
the parts have tried to indicate the inferior of women and just pointing a few positive remarks
such as the childbearing and upbringing in the society.

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Work cited
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