Women In Bram Stoker's Dracula

Vampires have been used in literature and theater to invoke fear in an audience. They have been portrayed in a wide variety of ways, such as cunning, beautiful creatures that can tempt even the most pious person or a mutant, animalistic creature that has no thoughts beyond its next meal. Bram Stoker’s Dracula was written in 1897, London during a time where fear of societal progression, feminism, and scientific expansion were common themes in British culture (Stoker). Count Dracula is a savage and smart predator that takes calculated measures to get his prey and enact revenge. Half a decade later in 1954, the novel I am Legend by Richard Matheson was published during a time of civil rights tensions and brought a whole new take to vampires (Matheson).

In Dracula, the key progression being highlighted is that of women’s rights along with the role of how science and western culture will be affected by the new ‘progressive’ woman. The death of Count Dracula (the obvious villain throughout the novel) due to Mina’s key information, is representative of the resilience of the new progressive woman to the old ways that try to influence London. The Count attacking Mina is representative of the new type of woman in London that is resilient, brave, and does not give into infidelity. Even as the men around her, who represent all ways of life, almost give into temptation with Lucy. Once she is turned, she is described as, “more radiantly beautiful than ever, and I could not believe that she was dead” (Stoker 286). In death, Lucy’s beauty still tempted her suitors and even more so when she called out to them. These virtuous men while tempted, were able to kill Lucy and avenge her death by hunting Dracula. The ability for these men to beat Dracula thanks to Mina’s information symbolizes the prevail of progression over the old and how this will herald in a new era that includes nobility, science, and Western culture working in tandem. However, the survivors who dispatched Count Dracula represent an immerging progression based on what was already established. While Mina

The vampires viewed Neville as a murder, even saying, “we may decide to kill you and those like you” (Matheson 87). Neville threatened the vampires and made them fear for their safety as they tried to establish this new society. The views of the vampires toward Neville, are like how those of African Americans viewed white people during the late 1950s Civil Rights movement. Neville fully believed that he was in the right for killing vampires because they were against what society stood for. Nevilles behavior toward vampires with attacking them when they were sleeping or without provocation, is synonymous with the police brutality displayed toward African Americans during the Civil Rights movement. By the end of the novel when vampires were in the majority, Neville became the villain. This is attributed by his last words, “I am legend” (Matheson 96). Here, Neville realizes that to the vampires he is the villain in their story. For years to come the vampires will tell future generations about the human who hunted them without cause. Neville became a monster that had to be killed to allow progression and realizes that “he did not belong to them; he knew that, like the vampires, he was anathema and black terror to be destroyed” (Matheson 96). Like Dracula, Neville is killed by the group that represents progression. The vampires were able to create a