MINA HARKER'S JOURNAL

These will be my last words in my diary....
8 Novemeber,morning - It has been a few days after destroying the count. A great strain has been lifted off my shoulders knowing that he is dead. Everyone seems to be doing fine, for we will miss the loved ones that we have lost. My dear Lucy is well, although her body is dead, her soul is with the angels. It will be soon for when we will have a funeral for our dear friend Quincey Morris, for he was fatually wounded and past a few hours after. He did what he knew he needed to do; sacrificing his life in order to rid the world of Dracula's influence. In remembrence of Quincey I would very much like to name our son after the one who saved us all. I hope all live a happy life. I thought I would make a last entry, for I will be with my dear Jonathan. Good-bye.....

R.I.P Lucy Westenra, my bestfriend
R.I.P Quincey Morris
R.I.P Mrs. Westenra, dearest mother
R.I.P Lord Godalming, dearest father
R.I.P Renfield
R.I.P Count Dracula

Where it all begins!

Immediately catching Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris, and John Seward’s attention upon their meeting, Miss Lucy Westenra’s flirtatious and constant drive of being desirable set the stage for the storyline. This trait is evident in her patterns of continuous marriage proposals. The fact that she is of virtue, innocence and physical beauty, allures each of her suitors. Lucy is engaged to Arthur, when telling the other men that she can not be with them she cries and wants the best of everything, as even the tone of her voice carried the message: “Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?” (Stoker 68). Even though she catches herself to this “heresy,” the statement concludes that her desires cannot be reached (68). This may have made no difference to the men, but the fact that she is sexualized, which was fully stated by the letter between Mina and her, gives readers a feeling that she will somehow cause Arthur pain or cause her to get in trouble; being a victim of the Count. Her flirtatious personality foreshadows Dracula’s first main victim. All of this only adds to the mystery of Dracula. Miss Lucy’s flirtatiousness and being desirable set the stage for the storyline by foreshadowing what will come to her fall to the dark side and adding to the suspense of the novel. It seems that the conflict will revolve around Lucy, making her a significant character.

Mina vs. Dracula

In Dracula, Mina’s goodness and purity make her a foil to the wicked and lustful depravity of Count Dracula. Mina’s goodness sharply contrasts Dracula’s willingness to be wicked to people around him. Mina becomes Dracula’s main target to turn into a vampire to access the men of England. After being a victim of Dracula her virtues are maintained despite her suffering at the vampire’s hands. Through out the novel she never gives voice to anything resembling a sexual desire. But, the evilness of Dracula tries to change this by turning her into a vampire to rid of her virtue and purity. Mina’s brilliance; her suggestions, strategic insight, and her research leads and makes it possible for the men to reach Castle Dracula, track him down to kill him and rid the world of Dracula’s influence. Dracula brings the evil to the novel while Mina brings virtue of the novel by Stoker. The battle of the novel is in part between her purity and the Count’s corrupting evil.

Critical Analysis of the Victorian Women.

Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a horrendous journey of a group of English men who will stop at nothing just to rid the world of an evil, Count Dracula. Stoker puts his characters through ghastly events, most if not all are tragic. Perhaps the most prominent theme Stoker conveys is the role of women in Victorian culture, through the events which he portrays derogatory portrayal of women. Stoker’s use of tone and symbolism come together effectively to help convey the theme of women sexuality.

During Stoker’s time in the 19th century, there was a large feminist movement and women’s traditional roles were starting to change. Women had restrictions placed on them; during the time women were not expected to do any worker other than being a wife and mother, and being keeper of the household. This novel shows two distinct roles of women in the Victorian society: the mother-wife and the whore. Toward the end of the 19th century, the time when Dracula was written, women were benefiting a little more. Basically, “women are such cowards that [we] think a man will save us from fears, and we marry him” (Stoker 67). Stoker felt strongly about this issue. His very pessimistic view of women is shown throughout this book in many forms. He used Dracula as a median to express his opinions towards the subject. One of which is through the characters of Lucy and Mina.
Mina, the schoolmistress who is brilliant, is used by Stoker to represent women with a “man’s brain” who is pure and innocent, while Lucy represents the women who is sexualized unlike Mina herself (241). Both Mina and Lucy wish to marry and become respectable wives and mothers. Lucy writes to Mina, “You and I, Mina dear, who are engaged and are going to settle down soon soberly into old married women, can despise vanity” (65). Hence, Lucy writes what most women felt in Victorian times. Their only goal was to remain pure to one man, raise children, and be seen but rarely heard. Stoker, like many other males of his day accepted this role of women, and was not open to the idea of women sexual expression. An example of this was when Dracula threatens to turn the two women into their opposites. Dracula succeeds in transforming Lucy into a vampire where there is no other choice than to destroy her in order for her to be in a purer state. Stoker portrays Lucy like the three ‘weird sisters’ to symbolize what the Victorian women should not be. Thus, for this plane and simple reason the sexually aggressive women in the novel must be destroyed. But for Stoker, this was just the beginning of ridiculous circumstances and tragedies. Mina would soon try to be pulled to the dark side to further prove his point. Stoker’s use of tone and symbolism seamlessly mixes into the story which not only effectively shows the reader his point but also makes the book more engaging.
Another example of Stokers sexist beliefs can be seen through the male characters. All of the male characters in the novel: Quincey, Van Helsing, Dr. Seward, and even Dracula, are all seen as very manly men. All of three characters fit squarely in the traditional male stereotype in place at the time. They all fill roles which women were not seen as competent to fulfill. These male characters are to further establish that it would be impossible for women to a job of the same magnitude, and to show that women are only able to be trusted with small, petty tasks. But, Stoker shows Mina as an intelligent lady, which Stoker believes is not what a women should be. While Mina is giving her suggestions, Professor Van Helsing interrupts: “Ah, that wonderful Madam Mina! She has man’s brain-a brain that a man should have were he much gifted-and a woman’s heart” (241). Mina’s brilliance and research lead s Van Helsing’s men to Castle Dracula where they can kill him, she is still in the end a dutiful wife and mother and her successes are always in the service of men. Regardless, if women are smart, Stoker states throughout the novel that women are weak, need men, and are incompetent. He shows this where the men ask Mina to stay behind when they are to go kill Dracula.
In the novel, the readers followed Stoker’s main female character, Mina through her journey of being a woman. The underlying message Stoker conveyed was the role of women during the 19th century, and the threat of their sexual expression. Through the use of tone and symbolism, Stoker keeps the reader interested and engaged. Ultimately, it was Stoker’s characters such as Mina that helped with the theme portrayed in Dracula. Stoker showed his view of women by showing the reality of women by use of tone and his characters.

Quotes

Lenient-“That poor soul who has wrought all this misery is the saddest case of all. Just think what will be his joy when he, too, is destroyed in his worser part that his better part may have spiritual immortality. You must be pitiful to him, too, though it may not hold your hands form his destruction.” (314)

Perseverance -“I promise you, my dear friend, that if God will let me live, I shall strive to do so.” (297)

Brave – “There may be solemn duty; and if it come we must not shrink from it…. I shall be prepared.” (186)

Mother spirit - “I felt an infinite pity for him, and opened my arms unthinkingly.” (236)

Loving – “I want you to see now, and with the eyes of a very happy wife, whither duty has led me; so that in your own married life you too may be all happy as I am.” (115)

Romantic – “It is of Jonathan, and must be next my heart, for he is in my heart.” (109)

Devoted – “I was the happiest woman in all the wide world, and that I had nothing to give him except myself, my life, and my trust, and that with these went my love and duty for all the days of my life.” (115)

“I loved him and honoured him more than I can say, and that my latest and truest thought will be always for him.” (364)

Intelligent-“She has man’s brain—a brain that a man should have were he much gifted—and a woman’s heart.” (241)

Sensitive – “Some sort of shadowy pall seems to be coming over our happiness.”(106)

New woman – “I think that some day the bishops must get together and see about breeding up a new class of curates, who don’t take supper, no matter how thy may be pressed to, and who will know when girls are tired.” (99)

“But I suppose the New Woman won’t condescend in future to accept; she will do the proposing herself. And a nice job she will make of it, too!” (100)

Good friend-“I should never forgive myself if any act of mine, were it even a negative one, brought harm on poor dear Lucy.”(187)

How she lead the men to Count Dracula

MINA HARKER'S MEMORANDUM-
(Entered in her journal.)

Ground of inquiry.-Count Dracula's problem is to get back to his own place.
(a) He must be brought back by some one. This is evident; for had he power to move himself as he wished he could go either as man, or wolf, or bat, or in some other way. He evidently fears discovery or interference, in the state of helplessness in which he must be-confined as he is between dawn and sunset in his wooden box.
(b) How is he to be taken? Here a process of exclusions may help us. By road, by rail, by water?
1. By Road.- There are endless difficulties, especially in leaving the city.
(x) There are people; and people are curious, and investigate. A hing, a surmise, a doubt as to what might be in the box, would destroy him.
(y) There are, or there may be, customs and octroi officers to pass.
(z) His pursuers might follow. This is his highest fear; and in order to prevent his being betrayed he has repelled, so far as he can, even his victim-me!
2. By Rail.- There is no one inc harge of the box. It would have to take its chance of being delayed; and delay would be fatal, with enemies on the track. True, he mgiht escape at night; but what would he be, if left in a strange place with no refuge that we could fly to? This is not what he intends; and he does not mean to risk it.
3. By Water.- Here is the safest way, in one respect, but with most danger in another. On the water he is powerless except at night; even then he can only summon fog and storm and snow and his wolves.But were he wrecked, teh living water would engulf him, helpless; and he would indeed be lost. He could have the vessel drive to land; but if it were unfriendly land, wherein he was not free to move, his position would still be desperate.

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