Subverted 19th Century Traditional Social Mores and Norms in Dracula Essay Essay Example

Subverted 19th Century Traditional Social Mores and Norms in Dracula Essay Paper Bram Stoker’s Dracula remains one of the more recognizable novels of its genre despite being published in 1897. A authoritative horror narrative which has been retold and produced over and over once more since its original publication. Dracula was particularly upseting when it originally was released because of how Stoker attacks Victorian epoch societal mores and norms throughout the full novel. Stoker subverts traditional nineteenth Century societal mores and norms in Dracula through the portraiture of sexually aggressive and self-asserting females. Jonathan and Mina’s relationship. and the opposite of Maternity. One of the first illustrations of Stoker’s subverting of traditional societal mores and norms in his novel is Dracula’s Wives. Our first brush with the â€Å"weird sisters† comes when they approach Jonathan Harker at the Count’s sign of the zodiac. Christopher Craft described the scene in his contemplation as so â€Å"Immobilized by the viing jussive moods of ‘wicked desire’ and ‘deadly fright. ’ Harker awaits an titillating fulfilment that entails both the disintegration of the boundaries of the ego and the thorough corruption of conventional Victorian gender codifications. † ( Stoker. Auerbach. and Skal 444 ) . We will write a custom essay sample on Subverted 19th Century Traditional Social Mores and Norms in Dracula Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Subverted 19th Century Traditional Social Mores and Norms in Dracula Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Subverted 19th Century Traditional Social Mores and Norms in Dracula Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Trade is right that this is a clear corruption of conventional Victorian gender norms. Both Jonathan and the Dracula’s Wives represent a entire reversal of what would hold been considered normal or appropriate in the nineteenth Century. Dracula’s Wives are the attackers in this sexual scene while Jonathan is the inactive or cautious sexual spouse. His expectancy of the bite from one of the eldritch sisters is similar to that of a virgin adult female waiting for her spouse to perforate her for the first clip. The eldritch sisters represent the entire antonym of what a proper Victorian adult female is supposed to resemble. They are sexually aggressive and self-asserting alternatively of inactive and puritan. Another female character that on occasion reveals what would be considered really upseting at the clip of the novel’s publication is Lucy. Lucy at one point references to Mina that she wishes she didn’t have to take merely one adult male to be with and that she wishes she could be with all of them. Such a idea was considered disgraceful during the clip period and even though Lucy is cognizant that what she is stating is inappropriate she is non able to maintain from showing her true desires to Mina. The married womans and Lucy are a few of the cardinal xpressions of subverted nineteenth century norms in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Jonathan and Mina’s relationship is another illustration of Stoker’s subverting of traditional nineteenth century societal mores and norms in his authoritative narrative. Throughout the book we see Jonathan and Mina’s characters switch gender functions from a more traditional representation to an upside-down representation. Mina is no ordinary Victorian age female. She does want to function her hubby and unlike Lucy doesn’t express the desire to be with any other spouses. but Mina is particular in the eyes of the male characters in the narrative. Van Helsing and the other work forces believe Mina’s head to be like that of a adult male. This would be considered a immense compliment at the clip because adult females were non frequently thought of being capable of believing on the same rational degree as work forces. On the other manus. Jonathan begins to fall apart. He suffers from febrilities which cause him to hold tantrums of about insanity. During this clip he surely is non believing on the rational degree that he one time did and it is clear that Mina is the more enlightened of the two lovers. This represents one inversion of traditional gender norms. Peoples didn’t considered that a adult female could be the more capable head in a relationship but that is exactly what Mina is during the bulk of the novel. That is non the lone illustration of gender reversal in Dracula. at one point Jonathan becomes swoon in public and to maintain him from falling Mina supports him. It would hold been considered really uneven to see a adult female in public back uping a adult male like this. Stoker uses Mina and Jonathan’s relationship as another corruption of 19th century traditional societal mores and norms in Dracula. Possibly the most distressing facet of Stoker’s Dracula is the opposite of pregnancy. The opposite of pregnancy represents an about perfect corruption of traditional nineteenth century societal mores and norms. Craft besides wrote is his contemplation. â€Å"Stoker emphasizes the freak implicit in such repeal of gender codifications by inverting a favourite Victorian maternal map. † ( Stoker. Auerbach. and Skal 453 ) . Maternity hasn’t changed much sense the nineteenth century. adult females are expected to care for the kids above all other duties. Acerate leaf to state the eating on defenseless kids by Lucy and Dracula’s Wives is a complete antonym of pregnancy. The banqueting on kids is peculiar upseting and flooring no affair what era one is born in and represents what is a overriding subject in Dracula the opposite of Maternity. Another illustration of the opposite of Maternity is the scene in which Dracula cuts his ain chest and forces Mina to imbibe from his lesion. Craft writes. â€Å"We are at the Count’s chest. encouraged one time once more to replace white for ruddy. as blood becomes milk. † ( Stoker. Auerbach. and Skal 458 ) . This reading is consistent with what I found. Clearly Stoker is making a distressing image that resembles a female parent feeding her babe and wholly turns pregnancy on its caput. Trade goes on to propose that possibly the scene represents more than merely an opposite of pregnancy and that the blood Mina drinks from the Count is really semen. I agree that the scene resembles forced fellatio but the resemblance to a female parent feeding her babe is excessively obvious a connexion non to be made. Inverse of pregnancy is the true symbol of this scene. In many ways Dracula can be viewed as in front of its clip. Many of the story’s developments. which were considered to be dismaying during the Victorian age. don’t cause many to bat an cilium in today’s society. Stoker subverts traditional nineteenth century societal mores and norms in Dracula through the portraiture of sexually aggressive and self-asserting females. Jonathan and Mina’s relationship. and the opposite of Maternity.