Comparison Dracul Lucy And Mina Similarities And...

CPT Formal Essay Dracula: Lucy and Mina Similarities and Differences Bram Stoker s novel, Dracula, written during the late nineteenth century and commonly classified as a horror novel. Further analysis of it, however, has brought to light the buried many symbols and themes of sexuality that the novel holds within it. Due to its female sexual symbolism, the novel often draws the attention of most men, as exploring these female forbidden themes are more of a fantasy for them than reality. Also, Dracula was set in the Victorian culture and therefore it is shown to encompass all the beliefs and prejudices of the society, especially in regards to social gender roles of men and women. Women at the time were known to be suppressed and put down†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, Mina is shown to be an intelligent and educated woman who uses her attained skills solely to better, support and help her husband, Jonathan Harker. Stoker uses Mina s speech in the novel to emphasize her dedication to her husband: I have been working very hard lately because I want to keep up with Jonathan s studies, and I have been practicing shorthand very assiduously (Stoker 86). Although she works full time, she tirelessly takes on other commitments such as perfecting her shorthand so that she would be useful to Jonathan (Stoker 86). She is also seen thinking very highly of men in general and their independence from women: a brave man s hand can speak for itself; it does not even need a woman s love to hear its music (Stoker 386). Mina Murray is the ultimate Victorian woman in the novel. Van Helsing himself praises Mina when she testifies to the fact that she is indeed the embodiment of the virtues of the age. He says she is â€Å"one of God’s women, fashioned by His own hand to show us, men and other women, that there is a heaven where we can enter, and that its light can be