Stampirism In Bram Stoker's Dracula

Vampires, a word everyone at some point in their lives has heard. The famous story Dracula written by Bram Stoker reveals to its readers many characteristics that we today know as vampires. The 1897 novel gained quick acceptance into our hearts, and is still considered a classic in our modern day society. Although many might believe that vampire originated within the 1897 Dracula novel, there were a few predecessors that inspired some of the characteristics within Dracula. Dracula being written in the late 1800’s has a different audience then we would have today in the 20th century. As the years pass by generations will become accustomed to numerous new ideals, then lose those and become accustomed to new ones. People of the late 1800’s were
accustomed to men doing all the hard labor, and women having to follow societies expectations or else possible get called a witch or vampires. We see many examples of this occurring throughout the novel, but at the same time we see these expectations slowly being defied as well. However we first see vampirism defying societies expectations of sexuality within the story called Christabel written in 1800. In this poem we see the first sign of homosexuality. For example when Geraldine holds Christabel in her arms while their both naked attempting to put a spell on her. When Christabel awakens from this spell she is both happy and crying, which displays confused emotions of the position she is currently within. We also have the novel named the vampyre, which contains the character named Lord Ruthven. Lord Ruthven is a character that breaks all the rules of sexuality in the 1800’s. He sleeps with everyone regardless of gender or age. It eventually got so bad where he was eventually kicked out of his own village because people would fight over him. Social expectations of sexuality were often being broken in the vampire world. Authors of these early vampire stories were often known for challenging sexual expectations of society during the late 1800’s. Bram Stoker continues this trend throughout his novel challenging sexual expectations. We can first see sexuality being defied in Dracula and the Vampyre when the men believe that they can be the only saviors of women. There is a scene in Dracula where all the men are searching for the fifty earth boxes, while Mina was asked to stay at home where it was safe from Dracula. Although if it weren’t for Mina’s intelligence, the diaries would have never been summarized together where they eventually found clues on how to kill and find Dracula. This is an example of sexuality being broken within Dracula, and showing the importance of the women figure. Just like in the story “The problem that has no name,” there is something called the feminine mystique. What this means is “women were expected to stay at home, take care of the children, and husband while secretly being frustrated for not being able to fulfill herself”(insert thing here). The women in this novel and Mina both share the same problem of being housewives, and wanting to break out of that where they eventually do in their own distinct way. How this story differs from “The Vampyre” is that women mentioned in this story were not limited to only being a housewife. We have Ianthe for example that was roaming around freely in Greece, and Aubrey’s sister who was of high prestige and could do whatever she wanted with her life. Although they had as much freedom as they pleased they were depicted as the victims that vampires sought out for. In this short story Aubrey would attempt to be the hero of these women because no one else could due to his inability to speak upon Lord Ruthven being a vampire. Women although free lacked the intelligence that for example Mina had. With this lack of intelligence, and Aubrey not being able to be the hero-women were pretty much left for dead upon the attack of a vampire. How this matters is solemnly on the fact that women are starting to gain the respect that is well deserved within the story of Dracula with Mina’s character, and slowly stepping away from old ordeals of women being a housewife. Over history we can see women doing courageous things like Mina for example, and not being helpless like the women in the vampyre. In Dracula and Christabel we can see the vampires seducing their victims prior to any intentional actions.
Prior to Bram Stokers’ the Dracula novel we would very often see women being the prime victims of vampirism. For example in the story named Christabel, we have a girl named Christabel who would be taken advantage of by the vampire Geraldine solemnly because of Christabels innocents. There is a scene like previously mentioned where Geraldine lies down naked with Christabel in her arms while putting her under a spell. This is where we start to see the vampires intentions that not only is she homosexual but has plans with Christabel. Although the author never reveals to the reader what happened, or if Geraldine kills Christabel or her father-you can sort of foreshadow that Geraldine sought Christabel as more then just a meal. How this differs in Dracula is that vampires here attempt to seduce their victims for brutal blood sucking intentions. We can first see this happen when Lucy is lying down in her bed attempting to recover from her blood loss through blood transfusions done by multiple men. Specifically the part where Lucy uses Arthurs’ strong feelings for Lucy in order to receive one last kiss from him, but in reality wanted to snatch the chance of the possibility in biting Arthur by the neck. Another example in Dracula would be when the three female vampires sexually approached Jonathon with complete intentions to bite him. Jonathon’s sexual desire was described as
“I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips”(pg55 insert thing here). The main difference between both stories is that in Christabel the vampire plays the long-term game when seducing their victims. While in Dracula they play the short-term game where they use already established feelings, or sexually established mind-set preferences when attempting to suck their victims blood. This matters because by taking into consideration the ninety-seven year gap in between both stories we can see the difference in how vampires acted in the beginning of the 1800’s vs. the end of the 1800’s when it came to their actions intentions behind their seduction acts. Like in the early 1800’s we can see that Vampires were a little smarter, played the long-term, and safer when it came to their true intentions. As in Dracula although they seduced their victims closely the same as in Christabel, they played the short-term game when it came to their true intentions, which eventually lead to their downfall toward the end vs. Geraldine surviving. In Dracula and The Vampyre, we can see vampires having sexual preferences when choosing their victims. In The Vampyre, Lord Ruthven would prefer targeting women of high prestige when looking for his next victim. He liked the challenge of obtaining women/victims that he knows he would never have a chance with. While in Dracula we break out of the common predecessor thoughts of women being the common victim. We can see this when Lucy targets only children when converted into a vampire, or how Dracula would only feed upon adults, and also only turn women into his personal vampire slaves. These actions occur multiple times throughout the novel, which in fact breaks past sexual expectations of vampirism when it comes to their prey. This is important because this is where we start to see vampires breaking out of their comfortable habitat of only attacking women who were deemed to be helpless housewives during this time of era. It becomes a type of foreshadowing of what future vampires stories are to become. Taking into consideration that each new vampire story told takes pieces or ideals of older vampire stories, and puts it into the new story with their ideas of what the possibility of future vampirism could become. In the 1800’s sexual behaviors were often dictated by society, and their beliefs of how things should be. In Dracula and Christabel we can see female sexual behaviors often being challenged. We first see this in Christabel when she wakes up from Geraldine’s spell, and finds herself in both a happy and sad mood. The reason for her mood swing is that she is confused whether to be happy or ashamed to be naked in Geraldine’s arms because in 1800’s societies ideas is that a women should only feel sexually aroused to a man, and not another female. To further explain, women in this society were expected to be a virgin or wife and mother. These expectations also further break within Dracula. For example when Dracula converts both Lucy, and partially Mina into a vampire they start to break away from the tradition female role of that time. Lucy begins to abduct little children, and suck their blood to feed upon. While Mina is slowly being converted into a vampire, we begin to see her role as a modern woman of the 20th century grown upon her as she and the other men desperately attempt to save Mina’s life.
What we can see Mina do is be the brains behind the operations of eventually bringing down Dracula, and being able to have a teaching job.
Although both stories begin to break societies expectations of the female figure of the 1800’s, they differ mainly on the fact that Dracula completely breaks the barriers of the female figure of that century by creating the character of Mina. While in Christabel we only just begin to break a crack into societies expectation by having two females nude in the same bed. This is important because it shows the reader that people’s thoughts are beginning to migrate toward a different direction with their thoughts vs. societies thoughts about women. Little did people know this would become an actual foreshadowment of what the future women is become and much
more.
Social expectations of sexuality were often being broken in the vampire world. Authors of early vampire stories were often known for challenging sexual expectations of society during the late 1800’s. Bram Stoker continues this trend throughout his novel challenging sexual expectations. We see these expectations being broken multiple times for example when women like Mina started to show the men that they cannot always be the hero, and needed the help of a women to resolve many of their problems. We also start to see a break away from women being victimized as the vampire primary target, and move onto people of all ages and gender. Lastly we see a migration away from the social scorn of women’s sexual behavior set by society. These early vampire stories seem to challenge social expectations of sexuality in early literature. While all the characters knowingly know their role in society, they still continue to break what society expects from them. Could breaking societies expectations of sexuality be some sort of foreshadowing of what the future is to become?