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Introduction to Sexuality in “Dracula”
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula a prominent theme is sexuality. I believe that this theme is buried throughout the whole novel with it being symbolised in many different quotes and actions of different characters. In my Dracula essay, I will demonstrate how this theme is intricately threaded into the narrative. The novel represents the sexual desire of a man in an extremely prejudice society, as the novel was written during the Victorian era of the nineteenth century, therefore it follows a Victorian culture in regards to the gender roles that men and women should socially follow. Due to this the different characters in the text are different representations of these roles, for example Mina, is what we would see as the ideal woman. as she is clever and a good partner who pushes boundaries, but always understands her place in society. Therefore she is not overly promiscuous in regards to her best friend Lucy. Lucy we see as a complete juxtaposition to Mina with them being best friends however holding completely different personalities, meaning Lucy openly talks about her sexual desires with many different possible partners throughout the text. Men however were put on a pedestal for the free nature and authority. This is recognised by the women of the novel when Lucy asks Mina My dear Mina, why are men so noble when we women are so little worthy of them? (Stoker. Bram. 96) we see this as a way of Lucy questioning a society and recognising the faults of a society where women were extremely sexually repressed as a woman could only be seen as being worthy of being a wife as long as she repressed her desires. In result of Lucys free will when it came to bein

g a promiscuous victorian woman its almost as if she is later punished for this. When she is bitten and receives a blood transfusion. There are extreme sexual implications when it comes to this part of the novel as Lucy is infused with the blood of the three possible suitors that she peaked interest in during the novel when she questions why cant they let a girl marry three men or as many as want her and save this trouble. (Stoker. Bram. 96). I believe that this quote in particular shows that she does not have any real feelings for these three suitors and therefore her feelings towards them take the stance of being more of a sexual attraction. Not only this, but the transfusion implicates Lucy’s possible desire for a marriage with different men. There is no denying the fact that it is questionable that the three men were white and privileged so this was an act of the men almost purifying her blood as in my opinion they see Lucy as a threat to their society due to her sexual freedom and beauty this may lead to her having certain powers over men, meaning that if they are physically ruined then no men will want them in the future so they were essentially be socially outcasted. There is a quote from Van hesling in the novel where he implies that in result of Lucys transition into a vampire that this allows her to engage in some type of intercourse with the three men in result of the transfusion. But there was a difficulty, friend John. If so, then what about the others? Ho, ho! Then this so sweet maid is a polyandrist, and me, with my poor wife dead to me, but alive by churchs law, though no wits, all gone-even I, who am faithful husband to this now-no-wife, am bigamist. (Stoker. Bram. 76)