Thesis:
Within
Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” the female vampire / hunter is presented in manner that
would traditionally be viewed in as a seductress or rather the biblical “Lilith/Eve”,
aka the temptation of the first woman as told within the Book of Genesis.” In today’s more modern version of the
classical retelling of vampire stories and movies throughout where we often
encounter the female vampire / hunter swapping roles with the traditional male,
becoming less submissive and more of the dominant lead.
Through
this counter exchange in positions we see less of the seductress within these
roles and more of the savior. It is in my
paper we will discuss how women have come to find themselves changing places
with men from the time of Stoker’s monster to today’s more modern presentations
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Underworld, and how Bram Stoker’s mythological
ideals about women may have helped evolved their roles, becoming more
determined to be less dependent, including the typecast of the traditional
villain now being shown as a heroine of whom uses her sexuality, strength and
intelligence in order to dominate and control her world around her.
The Evolution of Women within the
Vampire Genre
Today’s society is more
familiar, and at ease, when considering the female role within the vampire
genre of entertainment and literature.
Traditionally, these roles would have been considered one of the
villains, whether male or female of gender, especially when one considers
Stoker’s monster and his creations as portrayed within the classical Victorian
based novel “Dracula.” What one should consider is how the role of the female
character has evolved from Stoker’s original characters; such as Dracula’s
daughters, Mina and Lucy and their more submissive, yet manipulative natures to
the more dominant and heroic personality women have evolved into in the 21st
Century. To understand how this begins
one must take a step backwards into Stoker’s own novel, world, and attempt to
understand not only his lifestyle of the Victorian England, but also how he
attempted to portray women within his novel.
While the Victorian woman, as portrayed by Stoker, is
often constrained by rules and regulations of 18th and 19th
century social structures, her sexuality is one that becomes a tool for the
woman. It is within this we first
encounter a familiar retelling of the common Christian biblical story of good
vs evil of which Stoker uses: “The Temptation of Eve” found in the “Book of
Genesis:”
Now the serpent was more crafty
than any of the wild animals the Lord
God had made.
He
said to the woman, “Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the
garden?”(Genesis 3:1)
The woman said to the serpent, “We
may eat fruit from the trees in the garden but God did say, “You must not eat
fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden and you must not touch
it, or you will die.” The serpent said to the woman “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you
will be like god, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4)
So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed
are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and will eat the
dust all the days of your live. And I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”
To the woman he said, “I will
greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to
children. Your desire will be for your
husband, and he will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16)
This is an important analogy to be referenced
as it continues to influence Stoker’s female characters’ development throughout
his novel beginning with the three daughters of Dracula introduced Chapter Three
as they encounter Jonathan Harker, and in retribution are confronted, and
punished for their actions and attempted seduction of Harker by the Count. The entire scene is very similar in portrayal
to, not only the conversation and manipulation by the serpent, often thought in
mythology and legend to be the demon Lilith, (*It is important to make note
that while the Christian Bible notes the first woman as being named Eve within
the King James Version, there is no actual proof other than myths and legends
of Lilith being the first woman spoken of within the story of creation before
Eve.) of the first woman, Eve; but also of the punish of the Serpent, and Eve
by God is similar in both language and meaning as when Dracula confronts his
daughters over the attack on Harker.
“They whispered together, and then
they all three laughed – such a silvery, musical laugh, but as hard as though
the sound never could come through the softness of human lips. It was like the intolerable, tingling
sweetness of water-glasses when played on by a cunning hand. The fair girl shook her head coquettishly,
and the other two urged her on. One said—“Go
on! You are first, and we shall follow;
yours is the right to begin.”
The other added: -- “He is young
and strong; there are kisses for us all.” I lay quiet and looked out under my
eyelashes in an agony of delightful anticipation. The fair girl advanced and bent over me till
I could feel the movement of her breath upon me. Sweet it was in one sense, honey-sweet, and
sent the same tingling through the nerves as her voice, but with a bitter
underlying the sweet, a bitter offensiveness, as one smells in blood.
But at that instant another
sensation swept through me as quick as lightning. I was conscious of the presence of the Count,
and of his being as if lapped in a storm of fury. As my eyes opened involuntarily I saw his
strong hand grasp the slender neck of the fair woman and with giant’s power
draw it back, the blue eyes transformed with fury, the white teeth champing
with rage, and the fair cheeks blazing red with passion. In a voice which, though low and almost in a
whisper, seemed to cut through the air and then ring round the room as he said:
--
“How dare you touch him, any of
you? How dare you cast eyes on him when I had forbidden it. Back, I tell you all. The man belongs to me! Beware how you meddle with him or you’ll have
to deal with me.” (Dracula, pp. 42-43)
This
again comes up when we encounter the subject of both Lucy and Mina and their
individual seductions by the Count, and how not only are they portrayed
independently, but also uniquely situated to be re-solved in such a manner as
to relinquish ties on Victorian society without causing disruption. Author Phyllis Roth discussed both women in
her article “Sexual Women in Dracula.”
By bringing Lucy and Mina together she is able to show not only the
differences, but the similarities of each woman. Where Lucy uses her sexuality in a time
period that does not promote such behavior, Mina is the more submissive of the
two. Lucy is cunning and highly erotic
in her approach thinking only of how she can get what she wants at that
moment. Even when she was human she was
able to use her beauty and charm in order to manipulate the men and even Mina
in order to gain favor. With Mina, she
manipulates by submission, acceptance and intelligence. She thinks quickly concerning current
situations and is often more of a modern “New Woman,” with a façade of a proper
Victorian housewife.
“In accepting the notion of
identification with the aggressor in Dracula, as I believe we must, what we
accept is an understanding of the reader’s identification with the aggressor’s
victimization of women. Dracula’s desire
is for the destruction (submission) of Lucy and Mina and what this means is
obvious when we recall his attacks on these two closest of friends seem
incredibly coincidental on the narrative level.
Dracula is, in fact, the same story told twice with different
outcomes. And the physical descriptions
of Lucy reflect this greater ambivalence: early in the story, when Lucy is not
yet completely vampirized, Dr. Seward describes her hair “in its usual sunny
ripples;” later, when the men watch her return to her tomb, Lucy is described
as “a dark-haired woman” The conventional fairy/dark split, symbolic of
respective moral casts (good vs. evil), seems to be unconscious here,
reflecting the ambivalence aroused by the sexualized female. This section of the book ends with her destruction,
not by Dracula, but by the man she was to marry. The novel could not end here, though; the
story had to be told again to assuage the anxiety threatening and is ultimately
saved. This time, the mother is much
less sexually threatening and is ultimately saved. Moreover Mina is never described physically…”
(Phyllis Roth, pp. 417)
With
Mina, she manipulates by submission, acceptance and intelligence. She thinks quickly concerning current
situations and is often more of a modern “New Woman,” with a façade of a proper
Victorian housewife. For the character of Mina, we do not encounter physical
sexuality, rather intellectual sexuality.
It is her mind that attracts the men of Stoker’s novel and makes them
wish to “save” her from the Monster. It
is also here we once more encounter “the Serpent in the Garden tempting Eve
with her own destruction.” On one hand we have the men showing admiration for
her intelligence and her innocence, until she gives in to Dracula’s
seduction. Once she is no longer “pure”
and has been swayed by the temptation of evil their disdain flows through their
portrayal, especially Van Helsing and his mannerisms:
Breakfast was a strange meal to us
all. We tried to be cheerful and
encouraged each other, and Mina was the brightest and most cheerful of us. When it was over, Van Helsing stood up and
said
“Now, my dear friends, we go forth
to our terrible enterprise. Are we all
armed, as we were on that night when we first visited our enemy’s lair; armed
against ghostly as well as carnal attack?”
We all assured him. “Then it is
well. Now Madam Mina, you are in any
case quite safe here until sunset; and before then we shall return—if—we shall
return. But before we go let me see you
armed against personal attack. I have
myself, since you came down prepared your chamber by the placing of the things
of which we know, so that He may not enter.
Now let me guard yourself. On
your forehead I touch this piece of Sacred Wafer in the name of the Father, the
Son, and –“
There was a fearful scream which
almost froze our hearts to hear. As he
placed the Wafer on Mina’s forehead, it seared it – had burned into the flesh
as though it had been a piece of white-hot metal.
“Unclean! Unclean!
Even the Almighty shuns my polluted flesh! I must bear this mark of shame upon my
forehead until the Judgement Day.” (Dracula, pp. 258-259)
The submission of Mina is completed by Dracula in Chapter
21, though one could almost look at it as a form of revenge not only for the
loss of Lucy, but also for the loss of Jonathan. Author, Hayley E. Tartell, goes into detail
concerning Dracula’s corruption and turning of Mina, and her submission and
eventual corruption by him in her article “Exploring the Corruption of the Soul
in the Works of Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Robert Louis Stevenson.”
“Dracula continues to modify his
appearance, as he can quite adeptly alternate between human and amorphous
vapour form. Dracula specifically demonstrates this ability after Harker walks
in as Dracula forces Mina to feed upon him like “a child forcing a kitten’s
nose into a saucer of milk to compel it to drink” (Stoker Ch. 21). Harker
reacts by lifting his crucifix, thereby frightening Dracula, who proceeds to
escape by transforming into intangible water vapor and disappearing under the
door. Dr. Seward notes in his diary this visible alteration, as he states, “The
moonlight suddenly failed, as a great black cloud sailed across the sky; and
when the gaslight sprang up under Quincey’s match, we saw nothing but a faint
vapour” (Stoker Ch. 21). In this scenario, Dracula uses vapor as a means of
escape. Furthermore, Dracula physically embodies the theme of appearance versus
reality, as his looks and outward behavior contradict his underlying motives
that lurk beneath the surface.
As
the novel progresses, Stoker continues to expose Dracula’s sinister nature, as
the Count behaves brutally towards characters such as Mina Harker. Stoker
reveals the underbelly of Dracula’s character, as Dracula is depicted as not
only feeding upon Mina, but also forcing her to drink his blood. Dr. Seward
recounts the interaction in his diary, stating that Dracula’s “right hand
gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom” (Stoker
Ch. 21). This act of physical aggression illustrates Dracula’s brutality and
his simultaneous desire to corrupt her by turning her into a vampire and, in so
doing, make her less human.” (Dracula, pp. 247)
Today, in society,
women are less likely to be agreeable to the concept of submission, wishing
instead to step forward and play the role of heroin and dominant. They look at roles such as the traditional
villains, as Stoker created within his novel and instead see a way to “save the
day.” You see this in the popular movie franchise Underworld produced by
Lakeshore Entertainment and Sony Pictures.
The female lead of the franchise, Selene, played by actress Kate
Beckinsale portrays vivid “new woman” role in which the traditional woman is
aware of her sexuality and intellect, both becoming a tool, while portraying a
character that takes on the role of “savior,” much in the similar role of the
Biblical Christ, when he sacrificed himself in order to “save” the people, from
the romans. Selene does the similar action through the movies in order to save
the races of Humanity, Vampires and Lycans, at the cost of her own life.
“Selene: [voiceover] Though I cannot
predict the future, the consequences of this night will reverberate through the
halls of both great covens for many years to come. Two vampire elders have been
slain, one by my own hand. Soon, Marcus will take the throne, and a tide of
anger and retribution will spill out into the night. Differences will be set
aside. Allegiances will be made. And soon, I will become the hunted.” (Underworld,
2003)
This
new age role allows the traditional “vampire” genre to become a hero, while
also allowing the female to step out of the submissive role and gaining the
characteristics Stoker’s male leads portrayed.
We
also see this type of character development in typecasting for popular shows
and icons with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with the main character being a female
Vampire Hunter, similar to that of Van Helsing, of whom a team of hunters
including vampires, witches and humans work together in order to support Buffy
as she attempts to rid the world of evil beings. Again we have that role of savior of the
weak, in the form of a woman with men and women both looking to her for
guidance and help.
In
conclusion, though Stoker began his with attempts minimize the role of women by
making clear the dominant nature of the men in the novel, he could not hide the
strength and influence women had over the men.
Stoker also showed from his earliest chapters the influence of
Christianity upon his writings. This was
not simply a story of a monster and good vs. evil, but rather the evolution of
moral conduct and through Stoker’s imagination would help create a genre for
women, in literary and entertain form. Here
we have women swapping the roles of savior, without losing what essentially are
their strongest benefits; both sexuality and intellect, allowing them to
manipulate and control their natural world around them. What this holds for our
future in this genre only time can tell, but the pattern and cobble stones have
been laid. Now it is up to the next
generation of writers.
Bibliography:
1.
Tartell, Hayley E. “Exploring the
Corruption of the Soul in the Works of Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Robert
Louis Stevenson.” Inquiries Journal, Williams College, 2015, www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1026/2/exploring-the-corruption-of-the-soul-in-the-works-of-oscar-wilde-bram-stoker-and-robert-louis-Stevenson.
2. Humphery, Robert. “Ideals of the
Victorian Woman as Depicted in ‘Dracula.’” The Artifice, 11 Mar. 2014,
the-artifice.com/dracula-victorian-woman/.
3. DIFILIPPANTONIO, ANNELISE.
"BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA: A PSYCHOANALYTIC WINDOW INTO FEMALE
SEXUALITY." PSU Dept. of English. Pennsylvania State University
Schreyers Honors College, Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
4. Underworld. Prod. Richard Wright. Perf. Scott
Speedman, Michael Sheen, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Nighy. Sony Pictures
Entertainment, 2003. Film.
5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season One.
Perf. Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Marsters, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon.
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1997-2003. Television Series.
6. Stoker, Bram, Nina Auerbach, and
David J. Skal. Dracula: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Reviews and Reactions,
Dramatic and Film Variations, Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.
7. Roth, Phyllis A. Suddenly Sexual
Women in Bram Stoker's Dracula. 1977. Dracula - Norton Critical Editions. New
York: W. W. Norton, 1997. 411-21. Print.
8. "Book of Genesis: The Fall of
Man." Holy Bible New International Version. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
3:1-:16. Print.
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