Victorian Women And Feminism In Bram Stokers Dracula

â€Å"Monstrous women do not adhere to standards† (Swartz-Levine). The late Victorian era demonstrates the unfamiliar social shift in society. Depictions of traditional Victorian woman’s standards can be seen as sexist, as the new crowd of feminist emerges. Feminism explores the double standard of projecting sexual desires to society, however, the women who accompanied these uncommon ideas, were often seen as some sort of monster. From this, anxiety was displaced around women who seeked sexuality as it gave them a sense of freedom while breaking the traditional modesty. While these fearful thoughts were not abnormal, discussions surrounding the subject, especially in novels or films were prohibited. Since discussions of sexual desires were not†¦show more content†¦Yet, in spite of this viewpoint, it can be seen only as a joke. Evidence of this simply being playful banter is when she early on says to Mina, â€Å"it isnt at all a happy thing when you have to see a poor fellow, whom you know loves you honestly, going away and looking all broken hearted† (60). Certainly, this displays the pure side she acquires about the situation that readers chose to ignore with her reputation that she does not have. It is clearly evident that her statement is a joke as she expresses sincerely how she feels deep sorrow for the men she rejects. It is also crucial to note that three men proposing to her in one day is as stressful as it is for her. If she was not the perfect Victorian, a man wouldn’t purpose to her let alone three. Not only does she display her pure and sensitive side in the letter to Mina but in addition, she also proves her nobility towards men. What a man looked for in a perfect Victorian woman was nobility to demonstrate that a man has all dominance in the relationship. Lucy says later on in the letter, â€Å"Why are men so noble when we women are so little worthy of them† (63). Overall, this statement disapproves of h er feminist reputation as here she refers to men being worthier than women. If she is a feminist, she would never see a man higher on the social status than a woman. This is what the perfect Victorian Represents. Furthermore, the claim of Lucy actually being the perfect woman, is supported by Tanya Pikula, In theShow MoreRelatedInverted Gender Roles: Dracula by Bram Stoker1465 Words   |  6 PagesEveryone In Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, Stoker’s use of inverted gender roles allows readers to grasp the sense of obscureness throughout, eventually leading to the reader’s realization that these characters are rather similar to the â€Å"monster† which they call Dracula. Despite being in the Victorian era, Stoker’s use of sexuality in the novel contributes to the reasoning of obscureness going against the Victorian morals and values. 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