Mina vs Lucy - Angel of the House vs the New Woman

Throughout the novel Dracula women, more specifically Lucy and Mina, are portrayed in contrasting ways in order to represent two extremes in regards to Victorian Women: the “Angel in the House” and the “New Woman”.

Angel in the House	The New Woman
Women are expected to join in a monogamous relationship and have children. Mina demonstrates this ideal by marrying Jonathan Harker and later having his child. As mentioned in the last chapter, “It is an added joy to Mina and to me that our boy’s birthday is the same day as that on which Quincey Morris died,” (326). Mina fulfils her role as a woman not only by having a mutually exclusive relationship with him through marriage, but also by bearing him a child, a son no less.	Lucy never formally gets married before she dies and has trouble choosing a man to marry. She writes to Mina telling her of her three proposals (57) and whines, asking, “why can’t they let a girl marry three men or as many as want her and save all this trouble,” (60). Lucy mentions little about any plans to have children and the only interaction with children that she has in the novel is when she becomes a vampire and feeds off children. As the novel states, “During the past two or three days several cases have occurred of young children straying from home or neglecting to return from their playing on the Heath. In all these cases the children were too young to give any properly intelligible account of themselves, but the consensus of their excuses is that they had been with a ‘bloofer lady’, (159). Instead of having children of her own Lucy begins to prey on children, draining the life of them instead of bringing life to them. In both ways Lucy represents a direct contrast to Mina as not only does she not want to settle down with just one man and have his children, but she wants to marry more than one man and shows no apparent interest in having children. In fact, she hurts children instead of having them.
The Angel of the House of the ideal woman also spends her time exclusively in the domestic sphere. Once she is married Mina is almost always at Jonathan’s side, bound to follow him except when he and the other men go, in which case she is left alone. The one time Mina leaves the home is when she is chasing after Lucy, which she wants to keep quiet, because she writes, “not a soul did I see; I rejoiced that it was so, for I wanted no witness of Lucy’s condition” (88). This could refer to Lucy sleepwalking, or the fact that she is walking around at night in just a nightgown and without any shoes. The shock is not only that Lucy is barely dressed and sleepwalking, but also that she is out of the house and barefoot, likely to get herself into trouble. Mina does as she is supposed to and looks after her friend, only leaving the house in an extreme case, and all the while worried about the virtue and safety of her female friend Lucy.	Lucy is a lot more likely to leave the house than Mina and does so on her own quite often, even if she is sleepwalking. As mentioned in the column to the left, one night Lucy, sleepwalking, leaves the house, the domestic sphere. Although Lucy is unable to control her trips outside, she still leaves the home and in conditions that would have been shocking to any passerby and no doubt shameful, hence why Mina worries that someone will see her friend in such a state.

- Courtney Sellars

The Evolution of Medicine

The Evolution of Medicine

By: Shelby Bagby

Before being able to practice medicine on actual patients, doctors are required to be sworn in under oath – the Hippocratic Oath, which is modified each year. The earliest version I could find is a translation from Greek from the year of 1943, “…I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly, I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy” (Edelstein). Dr. Van Helsing’s ethics, as well as Dr. Seward’s ethics come into question in terms of the standards of the oath to which they were sworn in, assuming that they did indeed swear under oath to uphold these standards.

The night that the Crew of Light searched to find the vampire-version of Lucy, Dr. Seward declares that when he saw Lucy, he knew that “she then had to be killed, [he] could have done it with savage delight” (188). What does that say about the kind of doctor he is, given that he is not only killing a patient, which the oath states is against the standard of practice, but he also does it with a smile!? He even acknowledges that as Lucy lay in her coffin, he notices her “corporeal body as real at the moment as [their] own,” which brings further questioning into Dr. Seward’s ethics. How can he be so content with killing a woman that he loves and that still appears to look so human?

The staking scene of Lucy also makes the reader wonder, ‘What kind of doctors are Dr. Seward and Dr. Helsing?’ Picture this: “operating knives…and last a round wooden stake, some two and a half or three inches thick and about three feet long” (190). Three feet long is as long as my leg! Are all of those tools actually necessary to kill this ‘undead’ Lucy, or are the doctors simply enjoying a devilish surgery, using Lucy’s body as their experimental cadaver in a tomb lab? Dr. Seward even comments, “to me, a doctor’s preparations for work of any kind are stimulating and bracing, but the effect of these things on both Arthur and Quincey was to cause them a sort of consternation” (190). Consternation means “feelings of anxiety or dismay,” according to Google. Therefore, even in Dr. Seward’s eyes, not all of these tools were necessary, but rather a scare tactic for the other men in the group. That goes against the modern medical standard of, “First Do No Harm.” Furthermore, Dr. Van Helsing doesn’t even do the staking himself! He lets a novice, Arthur, complete the task and simply walks him through it. If there are two qualified doctors present, why would you ever let a person with no medical training perform this so-called medical procedure?

How would this situation have looked in the present day? First of all, Dr. Van Helsing and Dr. Seward would be carrying loads of malpractice insurance! Luckily for them, the only living relative of Lucy is her husband, Arthur, who has solicited their help. Therefore, only distant cousins or other relatives would be a concern for legal purposes, unless of course a police officer found them. Next, this is essentially medical euthanasia, which is not legal in all of Europe today. If anyone would have found these doctors killing a patient they claim to be “undead,” their medical licenses would be legally scrutinized, and possibly revoked. Lastly, the procedure is being performed in a graveyard, and entering graveyards at night is typically considered trespassing. These doctors, and even the spectators, would all be legally liable for what happened to Lucy. On the other hand, killing Lucy is preventing others from turning into vampires. Do the ends justify the means? 

Works Cited

Translation from Greek by Ludwig Edelstein. From The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretation, by Ludwig Edelstein. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1943.

The Angel in the House vs. New Women

In the novel, Dracula, there are two main types of women. You have the Angel in the House and the New Women. These types of women are both defined by how traditional they are, and can be placed on opposite ends of the spectrum as seen below.  

The Angel’s are the women who are completely devoted to their husbands and the household. They manage the servants, and do whatever they are told with no backtalk. The type of woman everyone wants in the era of Dracula. As previously stated, The New Woman is the complete opposite. These are the women who act on their own will whenever they please, and refuse to be tied down. In addition to this, they often do jobs or fulfill roles that were typically reserved for men. The main question is now- where do the female characters in Dracula fall on this spectrum?

Let's start with the two main female characters, Mina and Lucy. Mina is originally depicted as an Angel in the House. While she is not married at the beginning of the novel, she is completely and utterly devoted to her fiance Jonathan. Even when he is gone, she awaits is letters and waits by the bedside of her best friend. However, when you take a deeper look at Mina, she may not be the traditional woman she is depicted to be. This change is highlighted primarily through her use of a typewriter. Woah, she writes. Even bigger woah, she TYPES. She is not a man, why would she need to type? This is only the first time Mina takes on the role of a man. Later on, she is seen again acted untraditional by having repeated conversations with Renfield, a patient of Dr. Seward’s. The men in the novel have plenty of conversations with him, but it is different when Mina comes forth to talk to him. This is not her role. We then have the character of Lucy, who supposedly lies at the other end of the spectrum. Lucy is the definition of free-spirited. She allows men to chase after her, and even entertains three proposals in one day (what a crime). However, again, we must ask- is Lucy that much of a new woman? After Lucy accepts a proposal by Arthur Holmwood, she becomes fully devoted to him. She falls ill quickly, but spends the reminder of her time hoping to be by his side and dreaming of their marriage. She never writes, reads, and never even really leaves the house except for the sleep-walking. My point is, she never attempts to break any gender norms of the Victorian Era.

So, at this point, this is what the spectrum is supposed to look like.

I don’t think that one is quite right though, and I think it ignores the other women in the novel. Specifically, I am talking about the vampire women who appear at Dracula’s castle during Jonathan's stay. If Lucy is the most radical woman on the spectrum- where do they fall?? They literally seduce Jonathan, although he is already engaged, by using their plump, red lips. The only reason they don’t bite him, a sexual act in the novel, is because Dracula storms in. These are some radical women.

In response to this, I propose we change the spectrum. Both Mina and Lucy are not completely traditional or untraditional, and by ignoring the other women in the novel, the entire spectrum becomes messed up. In my opinion, the spectrum should look more like this.

Women in Dracula

In the Victorian time period, there was an emphasis on the patriarchy as well as the pure and sanctity of the woman. It was frowned upon as well as feared for women to become their “own woman” to speak. Bram Stoker was able to capture this scare of women becoming the “New Woman” rather than being the perfect woman. The different characteristics of the new woman would be embracing education, social changes and sexual changes in the society. Stoker is able to use the female characters of Lucy, Mina, and the three female vampires to represent this.

The first characters that I will focus on are the female vampires that live in Dracula’s castle. They are introduced to us when they attack Jonathan Harker when he is sleeping. They are described by Harker that “All had brilliant white teeth that shone like pearls against the ruby of their voluptuous lips… I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips” (Stoker 69). The red is a symbol of evil and one being not pure such as these vampires. These vampires are sexual, unnatural and acting up emotion in which this was not what the traditional women did in Victorian society. Stoker uses the imagery with the color red very consistently when he is describing the interaction between Harker and the female vampires and also with Lucy. Women who were unchaste and who are sexual, they are evil and this is why the vampires are represented as evil as well as Lucy when she turns into a vampire.
Lucy is one of the characters that are on the end of the evil spectrum because when she was still human there was a chapter that Stoker writes when she is courted by three men and also receive three proposals. This could be considered scandalous or inappropriate because women were to be only with one man and that being her husband. Lucy breaks the barrier of being an angel in the house by sort of bragging about these proposals and not really caring about what anyone thinks of what she says. In addition to this, when she turns into a vampire, she is seen carrying a child to kill when the men are going to kill her after her death. Women were to be good mothers during this time period and this description in the book shows that she is the opposite of what was wanted in the house and not being a proper mother because she is endangering a child. 

This brings me to my next character, Mina.  She shows the traits of the ideal woman of the Victorian Era but also she is showing the development of the New Woman. She shows this through showing intelligence in helping the men, working outside of the home and even leaving the home without the accompany of a man. The representation of Mina shows the ideal of the Victorian woman that was wanted during this time period, but we slowly see how she is evolving to fighting the boundaries that were put on women in the household.

The different aspects of Dracula's monstrosity

Count Dracula is a monster in Stoker’s novel Dracula that incorporates many different aspects of his monstrosity. He is described as a monster that is nothing more than an evil entity. Evil is often represented as an “individual” with inhuman capabilities and sinister objective; these qualities are strongly associated to being a monster that brings out central conflict in the story. He is a vampire in England who sucks the blood out of his female victims who eventually become vampires themselves, ‘passing on’ his monstrosity to other people. The vampire does possess a lot of human-like characteristics in terms of looks, and feelings, when Count Dracula admits his loneliness by saying “loneliness will sit over out roofs with brooding wings” (pg. 200). Despite that, he is a well-defined instance of a monster due to his inhuman abilities, and malicious acts toward people.

              However, a monster does not have to resemble a beastly-related figure. A monster can also be a man, corrupted by greed or ill intentions, which take over their lives. The acts of causing death and destruction to many people can be achievable by people in this world today, and that makes them no less of a monster. The disregard for human survival is a factor that adds horrific elements to their monstrosity.

Another instance of Count Dracula’s monstrous behavior is when he presents alluring, seducing vampires to John Harker. He appears to lose all control, and willpower as he submits to the sexual intentions of the vampires. At that point, Harker is vulnerable to any ill-intentions Count Dracula wishes, but not through his violent acts, but by using the body of other female vampires. This unique aspect of monstrosity is similar to Zemeckis 2007 film Beowulf and how Grendel's mother was sexualized herself to seduce the male character and get what she wanted. Not only does Count Dracula use sexualized female vampires as his weapon, but also turns female victims into the anti-mother in that society – by eating children. This possibly shows Count Dracula’s most repulsive acts as not even children are spared. Claiming that Dracula is not a monster at this point after committing such despicable acts would be absurd.

              A more terrifying aspect is his ability to possess other humans as they submit to his powers. He uses is mind-controlling capabilities are used for showing his supremacy over others. A good example is Renfield, the madman from the asylum, showing his allegiance by saying "I am here to do Your bidding, Master. I am Your slave, and You will reward me." (pg. 95) However, later in the novel it is shown that Dracula in fact possessed him this whole time, and admits to him being controlled by the vampire. He also has Harker’s wife, Mina, under a trance and ultimately makes her drink his blood. Both instances show his manipulative intentions for power and malice.

              It becomes very evident of Dracula’s cruel intentions deeper into the novel. What I feel is the most scariest form of monstrosity is turning people who were sane to the "dark side" as he did with Lucy. This comparison reminded me of the movie Narnia where the evil witch-queen tempted Edmund to eat turkish delight only if he did what she wanted, not to mention her mind-controlling powers. Moreover, along with Count Dracula's inhuman abilities of animal shape-shifting, his contempt for the human race, and his gruesome behavior toward humanity support his many different aspects of his monstrosity.

Does the Dragon in Grendel Represent Greed and Narcissism?

Is the dragon really superior to Grendel and the townspeople? The dragon in Grendel regards himself as superior to Grendel and the humans. He has no trouble stealing from people, killing them, or destroying their buildings. When he gives Grendel advice about dealing with the humans, it is very narcissistic and reveals how highly he thinks of himself. Is the dragon a representation of a wealthy entrepreneur who lives a lonely life in a large house and only visits a town to separate people from their money?

This claim would be supported by the dragon’s living condition. The dragon lives in a large cave where he guards his stolen treasures. Another important detail is the dragon lives alone, and does not have contact with any other dragons. The only time the dragon leaves his dwelling is to add more to his collection of stolen valuables. Each of these behaviors are reflected by someone who only lives for money. This would also explain why the dragon thinks so highly of himself. If he believes money and valuable items are what is most important, and you have more of those than anyone, why wouldn’t you think you are the best? For that same reason, it is only be natural for him to devote his life to protecting what he has earned.

What about the dragon’s attitude? When Grendel meets the dragon in Grendel, he takes pleasure in confusing and frightening Grendel. He enjoys the fact that Grendel reacts to him in the way humans react to Grendel. This is an example of the dragon’s cynical views on existence. The dragon doesn’t empathize with Grendel’s or the humans’ feelings because he believes they are insignificant. The dragon makes it clear that he believes life is meaningless, so why would he mind if Grendel was scared by his presence? In this way, his character represents the belief that people who do not believe in God believe they are mentally superior and look down on those who do.

The dragon is obviously very wealthy compared to the people in Grendel, but does that make him superior? From the perspective of the Grendel the dragon is very wise, but it is clear the dragon is very selfish and lonely because of his skewed priorities. From his behavior towards the humans, and his advice to Grendel make it obvious that he is a symbol of greed and narcissism.

A Wyf (A Woman)

A Wyf 
by: Crystalle Fry

Studying Beowulf provides a valuable insight into the culture and values of the ancient Anglo-Saxon people. It introduces how the poem treats and develops universal ideas—these ideas (heroes and heroism, virtue, honor, glory, sacrifice, good/bad kings) transcend in all aspects of life, regardless of time and place. But more specifically sets the stage for addressing gender norms and the duties shared between them—especially women.

Upon further research of the Anglo-Saxon culture, I came upon an interesting role that women play in this time period. “Memory-Keepers” carried the burden of mourning and burying dead husbands, fathers, and brothers after wars. They kept with them the spoils of the war and the destruction that led to the death of their loved ones. An example of this is seen in the text on lines 3148-3155, “With heavy spirits they mourned their despair; the death of their lord and a sorrowful song sang the Geatish woman, with a hair bound up, for Beowulf the King, with sad cares earnestly said that she dreaded the hard days ahead, the times of slaughter, the host’s terror, harm and captivity.” Here we see that her role is to mourn the loss of her King, but is also responsible for the memories of his death. In addition, she predicts the outcome of her people as it reminds her that one their protector has gone, the kingdom will become a target for invaders who seek to destroy it. Further, we see that the tale and history of Beowulf is held in the memory of the Geatish woman.  

Although mainly a patriarchal society, women assumed the roles of “Peace Weavers” and motivators that arguably kept clans alive and influenced peace-keeping strategies today in times of war. Wealhtheow assumes her role as peace weaver (a woman who is married off to make peace between warring tribes), and a cupbearer (a woman who passed cups of mead or beer around to men). An example of this is seen in Beowulf when Wealththeow enters the mead hall for the first time and passes around a cup full of mead, “Wealhtheow went forth, Hrothgar’s Queen, mindful of customs; adorned with the guardian of the East Danes’ kingdom, bid him be merry at his beer drinking beloved by his people, with pleasure he received the feast and cup, victorious King. The lady of the Helming’s then went about to young and old, gave each his portion of the precious cup (Beowulf 611-621).

The heroic poetry of this time period is too often defined as a genre dealing exclusively with the means of one or two supremely heroic male protagonists. The glorification of the male, occasionally at the expense of the female, is a defining element in this genre of poetry. However, women did exist in the warband culture, and they did hold power. Even more interestingly, the power that they held during the time of Beowulf was going through a transition due to the aforesaid introduction of Christianity. These transitions needs to be highlighted, to show that these women (particularly the characters of Wealhtheow, Grendel’s Mother, Hygd, and Modthryth) are not simply static figures from one moment in time, but highly dynamic characters that reflect both Pagan and Christian influences.