Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Gender Criticism
It seems that while writing Dracula, Bram Stoker was making a huge statement about the roles of men and women in his society. Throughout the chapters, I noticed how many times Lucy was referred to as "sweet, little, poor, miss, etc", making her seem like a very helpless character. Then, arrives the three brave men to save poor little Lucy from her illness! Often enough, Dr. Helsing refers to Arthur as a man, a real man that will save the day. Stokers portrayal of Lucy enraged me a bit because of how weak she was and how strong these men were claimed to be. Even the women servants who were summoned to help rescue Lucy proved to be of no help because of the drugs they accidently ingested (pg 159). Sos Etis was correct in saying that "The manliness of these men is frequently asserted and emphasized throughout the text" (pg 458). Many times, when the men began to break down and sob, they were viewed in a feminine demeanor. Dr. Seward comments many times about his lack of masculinity at Lucy's ailing side. It's very interesting to read Stokers Dracula as not only a horror story, but as a story that can open your eyes to the male and females struggles of today and yesterday.
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4 comments:
There is definately the idea of breaking down gender roles as taboo when it comes to men behaving as women or vice versa. For instance, in the lines where Seward is describing Van Helsing's demeanor after Lucy's death he says, "and then he cried till he laughed again; and laughed and cried together, just as a woman does."(185) During this time hysteria was believed to be a medical condition that was commonly attributed to women who 'could not handle' the strains of a man's world.
I completely agree. The positioning of the guys, though it is in fact four men who attempt to save Lucy's life, convey perfectly the Victorian concepts of the feeble woman and the chivalrous heroic men looking to save the "fair lady". I think it's obvious that Stoker at the least plays around a lot with the stereotypical gender roles of the time.
I too agree.
It is quite obvious that Stoker’s goal is to cross gender barriers. There is no other obvious reason for the transition form the women of the novel to when they are turned into vampires. Stoker associates the men with extremely masculine qualities most of the time. I mention this earlier, during the blood transfusion, Stoker points out that Lucy is getting her strength from the men. There is only so much that can be said on the topic.
i know.. right, why did Stoker, positioned guys as the brave and saviour. Girl as the needful..but later in the section, when Arthur was crying , it totally changed the positioning, at that time sobbing shows that he was weak from his heart.
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