A Common Concern Throughout The Victorian Era - 2100 Words

A common concern throughout the Victorian era was the role women maintained and their position in society. It was expected that both males and females conformed to these roles and followed the gender expectations of their society. Bram Stoker s Dracula describes a post dated European setting in which most women are subject to explicit gender roles and stereotypes. The norm in this society is for women to be modest, prim and proper. However, the novel narrates the possibilities of a situation in which women don t conform and thus are scrutinized. Bram Stoker s purpose in Dracula is to express the threat faced by men when encountering women who are in control of their sexuality and the power that is accompanied with that control. This is†¦show more content†¦When the men are reflecting on the woman Lucy used to be, Jack Seward comments that [they] recognized the features of Lucy Westenra. Lucy Westenra, but yet how changed. The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cr uelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness (Stoker, 195). Seward uses very different extreme words to contrast Lucy s character before and after her transition. The words sweetness and purity are associated with the once pure, modest Lucy and the terms adamantine, heartless cruelty and voluptuous wantonness are associated with the new, profoundly sexual Lucy. Seward s descriptions of Lucy indicate that the men are concerned because she too was sexually expressive and that poses a threat to the patriarchal beliefs and values that were set in stone in this era. The author also uses repetition of Lucy s name, Lucy Westenra emphasizing that while the name is still the same, everything else about her is completely different. It is evident that Seward, along with other men are more inclined to perceive modest women more positively than women who are not. As a result of adversely characterized women, Stoker is able to use juxtaposition to convey how men feel about women and their sexu alities. Bram Stoker uses this element of form when Jonathan comes across the beautiful women in the forbidden section of the castle. Jonathan says I am alone in the castle