Refusal of Protagonists: Apex Predators in Male Gothic Literature

This essay delves into the Male Gothic genre, exploring the portrayal of protagonists as apex predators. It examines Bram Stoker's Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, highlighting how these novels depict characters with inhuman strength, manipulative abilities, and a refusal to be anything less than dominant figures. The essay analyzes the characters' actions, motivations, and the ways they exert control over others, ultimately arguing that both the creature in Frankenstein and Count Dracula embody the characteristics of apex predators within their respective narratives. The analysis uses scholarly sources to support the claims, demonstrating how the novels reinforce the concept of the apex predator in the context of the Male Gothic genre, with Dracula being a more complete representation.

Running head: ENGLISH
English
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction:
Male Gothic is a sub-genre that exists within Gothic Literature, and is characterized by strong
male identities with strong roles, and shows females in a weaker position. Several novels
exists within the Male Gothic Genre that shares the characteristic feature. Two of the most
well-known novel from this genre includes Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by
Mary Shelly. Dracula is a horror novel written in 1897 by Bram Stoker which revolves
around the story of the protagonist, Count Dracula, a vampire and his nemesis Abraham Van
Helsing. Frankenstein also known as The Modern Prometheus is a science fiction novel
written by Mary Shelly in 1818 and recounts the story of De Victor Frankenstein and a
Monstrous creature created by him, who plays the role of the protagonist. Both the novels are
characterized by the protagonists playing the apex role in the stories, and can be characterized
as the sole apex predators (Shelley p 35-52; Azzarello p 165-186).
The aim of this essay is to discuss whether the male gothic narratives are founded on the
refusal of the protagonists to be anything other than the apex predator by taking the examples
of the two novels: Dracula and Frankenstein.
Discussion:
In the novel Frankenstein, Dr. Victor Frankenstein in the attempt to find a way to reanimate
dead bodies to ‘cure death’, creates a sentient and sapient being using bizarre scientific
experiments involving executed prisoner and electricity. Based on the early researches that
show the impact of electricity on dead animals, Dr. Frankenstein experimented with dead
human subjects, perfecting the science, until he created what he considered to be his greatest
creation. However, after his creation gains sentience, Dr. Frankenstein gets repulsed by the
‘monster’ he created (Shelley p 35-52). The novel depicts this creature as a giant being,
capable of immense physical strength. The portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster therefore can

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be seen to fit the characteristics of being an apex predator, who keen sense of strengths places
him above the capabilities of ordinary human beings. His terrifying features not only scares
its creator, Dr. Frankenstein, but also causes terror among the villagers, who chases him away
and leaves him alienated. However, the creature is shown to be compassionate and gentle
being, completely harmless to people unless provoked. After being driven away from his
home, he took shelter in a farm, helping a peasant family and bringing firewood from the
forest (McDermott p 1-18). The creature still faced rejection from every people he faced, and
with time started to get lonely, devoid of any company. After learning about his origins, and
about his creator, Dr. Frankenstein, he locates the Doctor, and demands a female counterpart
to be created for him for his company. As the doctor refuses to do so, the creature converts
into his apex predator character, killing people in his path, including the lover of Dr.
Frankenstein. The creature is shows to spread terror in the hearts of the people by his brute
might. Thus even though the creature had been shown as a timid being at first, his ability to
turn into an apex predator soon became evident from the being’s ability to kill people without
any feeling of guilt. The character’s apex predatory instincts cam be seen in its ability to
overpower any of his adversaries, giving him an upper hand in every fight. His unique
resilience to pain and physical exhaustion allows him to be of greater strength than any
human being, thereby making him physically superior in every way (Abbott p157-17.). It can
also be added that the ability of the creature to teach himself how to read and survive on its
own, shows his credible intelligence and intellect, placing him beyond that of just a monster.
Moreover, the ability of the creature to survive the harsh environment of the North Pole,
where he intended to live and die in isolation shows his physical strength and stamina,
making him completely competent of being an apex predator (Wijdicks 149-150).
In the novel, Dracula, Bram stoker presents the main protagonist Count Dracula as an ancient
creature of mystic strengths and inhuman capabilities. Count Dracula is not a living human

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being but an ancient undead creature known as Vampires, and has control over wild animals
like wolves and commands a legion of undead vampires. His personality is shown to be
charming, and has a charisma to him making him a perfect host and a gentleman, when he
wants to. His capability can be seen by the extent he controls other vampires and how to
instill fear among them. His fables are known far and wide, and his castle lies in isolation
where no person dares to visit. His abilities makes him easily capable to ending human life,
drinking on their blood and slowly converting them into vampires (Azzarello p 165-186). His
psychic powers allow him to control and communicate with other vampires he controls
making him the ultimate apex predator in the story. Count Dracula, as an ancient being which
is almost invulnerable to any weapon and having the capacity to overpower any mortal being
crates the sense of Dracula as the ultimate monster of Horror Novel genre. However, the true
predatory capabilities of Count Dracula comes from his ability to manipulate his victims
psychologically, playing mind games and using his immense influence to play his victims as
pawns in a chessboard (Skal). His ability to manipulate and influence others according to his
will makes him the ultimate predator. Count Dracula has been able to defeat Jonathan Harker
who took shelter in the Castle on Count Dracula, and accidentally uncovered his identity
before being killed by Dracula. The count also made a long journey across the sea on a ship
full for dead sailors. The depiction of the ship arriving the shores accompanied by a thick
mist and howling of wolves moreover impressed upon the sheer supernatural abilities of the
character. The association of the character with the ominous holing of the wolves serves to
create a sense of doom at the presence of count Dracula (Stoker). Such features only shows
the predatory ability of the character. Count Dracula’s character was not only showed to be
an inhuman but to be much stronger both in terms of physically abilities and intellect.
Dracula was not only strong, but his age made him incredibly wise. It can be assumed that
Count Dracula could be anywhere from hundreds to thousands of year old, and he created the

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vampires that he controls. The folk legends that revolve around count Dracula shows how
much terror he posed to the villagers and how much they try to avoid the castle and the count.
The predatory instincts of the count can be shown by the persistent way by which he stalks
and kills his victims, and the ease with which he can manipulate them to his wish. These
qualities can be said to befit only the apex predators, which the count is shown as in the
Novel. Even formidable foes such as Van Helsing found it extremely difficult to challenge
the power and might of Count Dracula, resorting to attack the count when he is at his weakest
to ensure best chances. Even then, count Dracula proved to be a difficult enemy to overcome
by Van Helsing and his associates. Such aspects clearly shows that count Dracula was the
apex predator I the novel by Bram Stoker, a character that still influences popular media in its
portrayal as the apex predator (Light p139-156).
Conclusion:
From the above discussion it can be summarized that both the creature created by Dry Victor
Frankenstein in the novel Frankenstein, and Count Dracula from the novel Dracula, are
depicted as beings of inhuman strength and capacity. These beings have the ability to kill
humans and predate them with ease, overpower, manipulate or stalk them like a predator does
to its prey. Both these characters therefore fits the profile of apex predators and therefore
suggests that the novels ensure that they are portrayed as nothing other than apex predators.
For Frankenstein however, a gentler side have been shown which completely lacks in case of
Dracula, making the character even more of an apex predator in its truest meaning.

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References:
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club–Frankenstein’s daughters." Science Fiction Film & Television 11.2 (2018): 157-176.
Azzarello, Robert. "Unnatural predators: Queer theory meets environmental studies in Bram
Stoker’s Dracula." Queering the non/human. Routledge, 2016. 165-186.
Light, Duncan. "Tourism and Travel in Bram Stoker’s Dracula." Dracula. Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham, 2017. 139-156.
McDermott, Lydia. "Birthing rhetorical monsters: How Mary Shelley infuses mêtis with the
maternal in her 1831 introduction to Frankenstein." Rhetoric Review 34.1 (2015): 1-18.
Shelley, Mary. "frankenstein." Medicine and Literature, Volume Two. CRC Press, 2018. 35-
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