In how far does Mina Harker represent the “New Woman” of the Victorian Era in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”? “No one but a woman can help a man when he is in trouble of the heart.” (Stoker 204) As Quincey Morris, one of the figures of Bram Stoker’s Gothic Novel Dracula from 1897, says his quote indirectly characterizes the role of women at the time of Stoker’s writing process: The Victorian Era. During his work-of-art Dracula, Queen Victoria was ruling, which meant a new period for women in England and
Mina Murray Harker is a woman to inspire many. Bram Stoker, author of the classic gothic horror novel Dracula, intentionally creates the character of Mina Murray Harker to do just that - inspire women. Throughout Dracula, Mina goes through a multitude of ups and downs, like any character in a book. However, Mina is not like any other book character. She is a strong, independent, intelligent woman who breaks gender and societal barriers. Stoker’s writing begs the question, how does Mina break
Wilhemina (Mina) Harker (neé) Murray is a central character in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. Mina is initially mentioned in the first chapter of the novel when protagonist Jonathan Harker notes that he needs to ask for a chicken recipe to give to her, since the two will be married soon. Jonathan mentions Mina several other times in the opening chapters of the novel, during his time of imprisonment at Count Dracula’s castle. Mina assumes a narrator role in Chapter 5, beginning with a letter to
The young Jonathan Harker, a wayward lawyer, travels to Castle Dracula of Transylvania in order to conclude a real estate transaction with the Noble Count Dracula. As Mr. Harker travels though the picturesque countryside, the local peasants, quite loving and friendly people, warn him about his destination and are often seen making a strange gesture over their chest as a ward off evil. Many even beg the young man not to go. Frightened but not swayed in his resolve, Harker meets with the count’s
Jonathan Harker, a young London solicitor who is a lawyer travels to Transylvania which is modern-day Romania to help a rich nobleman, Count Dracula, to purchase an estate in England. Dracula is planning to immigrate to England, and wants Harker to help him hammer out all the legal details. Harker is at first impressed by Dracula's suave politeness, but is soon creeped out by the Count's uncanny ability to communicate with wolves and by the lack of servants—or anyone else—in the Count's huge castle
‘An Angel or a Monster?’ The Paradox Surrounding the Mina Harker in Dracula Victorian England valued purity and viewed their women in a state of perpetual childhood. This damages a woman’s sense of self and the ways in which civilisation viewed and treated women who conformed to or broke this stereotype. Bram Stokers’ Dracula, a fictional gothic novel, utilises the gothic genre, its tropes, themes, and motifs to encapsulate heavy themes of the real world, including the infamous concern of the ‘New
portray the Victorian woman to be a helpless victim and to be sexually objectified, but the story “Dracula” continuously uses the character Mina Murray Harker to challenges these gender norms. Mina is one of the several protagonists in the story, and it is important to note that she is the only female in the protagonist group. She is engaged to a man named Jonathan Harker who is also in that group. Initially, she embodies the ideal Victorian woman who is gentle, maternalistic, and loyal to her husband,
in 1897, is one of the greatest stories showing the truth that love conquers all evil. Jonathan Harker, a real estate seller, is going off to Transylvania to visit Count Dracula, a man supposedly interested in buying many estates across London. To Jonathan’s demise, Dracula turns out to be a dark and twisted creature and in the end escapes from the castle. After his hard journey, he and his now wife Mina will head back home to encounter a similar tragedy that has happened to Mina’s friend Lucy. As
London attorney Jonathan Harker journeys to Transylvania to assist wealthy nobleman Count Dracula in buying a property in England. Dracula's suave politeness initially impresses Harker, but his strange ability to communicate with wolves and absence of servants eventually make him uneasy. He tries to run away, but three beautiful vampire women catch him and almost devour him. He contracts a serious case of brain fever and spends weeks resting at a convent in Hungary. Meanwhile Mina and Jonathan get married
the diary entries of a few characters, mainly Johnathon Harker a London solicitor as he travels to Transylvania to meet a rich nobleman, Count Dracula, to aid him in his move to a new estate in London, England. Harker is continually suspicious of his host and one night his suspicions are conformed as he sees Dracula crawl down the walls of his castle. Harker is later attack by three female vampires and fears for his own life. His wife Mina corresponds with Lucy Westenra, a dear friend, and discovers
protester. Jonathan Harker is a “quiet, business-like gentleman” (Stoker ) who is very devoted to his fiancée, Mina. However, when the three daughters of Dracula enter his world, he discovers a new side of himself. Without Harker knowing, the three vampire daughters bring out Harker’s sexual desire. When one of the daughters tries to kiss Harker, he “[waits]—[waits] with a beating heart”(Stoker 39). Even when he knew that his attraction towards the sisters would “cause [MIna] pain’ (Stoker
beginning of the book the innkeeper gives Jonathan Harker a crucifix. The innkeeper said ‘For your mother’s sake.’ (pg.
mystery and the supernatural. Doom and horror develop the storyline as it portrays how the weather and atmosphere can affect the story. This can be shown at the introduction of the story, Jonathan Harker is on business trip, he’s supposed to meet up with a man by the name of Count Dracula, all is well until Harker recognizes that Dracula isn’t so-called Human, and is placed with 3 undead women who want to suck his blood. By this time, the sun had already set and the moon was shining, this creates a mystifying
Count as a romantic protagonist who tries to riunificate with his Elisabeta, in this case Mina, and with that fact the director calls for the sympathy of the audience. In addition, the Jonathan and Mina 's relationship is less passionate and threatened by Count 's attempts to seduce Mina. Eventually he succeeds and this causes one of the main differences between the novel and the movie: the scene where Mina voluntarily decides to drink blood from his chest in order to turn herself into a vampire
development of female characters. Mina is characterized as an attractive, pure, and intelligent woman that adheres to the societal expectations of women during the Victorian era. Living in the Victorian Era, women did not continue their primary education like men do, instead they performed house duties and took care of children. Mina exhibits a new role of woman. In Dracula, Mina is portrayed as a well educated. Her profound drive to learn from her husband Jonathan Harker exemplifies this. After Jonathan
written in epistolary form, as a collection of letters and journals of the main characters. It begins with a business trip of a young English lawyer Jonathan Harker, who is traveling to Transylvania to meet with Count Dracula. The Count wishes to purchase a real-estate in London and Harker is hired to help him. On the journey to his destination Harker encounters many unusual people and settings but continues his journey regardless, unaware that his trip is a set-up for Count Dracula’s
Bram Stoker Dracula Fictional novel 1951-today 488 pages Written in 1951, this book starts off with an English lawyer named Jonathan Harker who travels to a castle in Transylvania. On his journey there he passes by a non-city environment like area where he is warned about the place he will be going to. Harker, being scared, still continues to travel to the castle of Count Dracula. The problem is that they meet wolves that almost killed them while they were riding in the
In the novel Dracula, Bram Stoker highlights the theme of sexuality that challenge ideas of sex to both the female and male characters. The author objectifies the female characters in the novel to be over sexualized and portrays sex to empower women. Stoker may present the theme of female sexuality; however, he demonstrates gender inequality triumphs at the end leaving women in the shadows again. Women in the eighteenth century hardly had any type of power outside of overseeing the household and
analyze multiple female characters. Bram’s stoker’s Dracula can be seen through a feminist and patriarchal lens, analyzing Lucy Westenra, Mina Harker, and the three brides of Dracula and how
It is not just women in Victorian society who suffered due to complicated sexuality; Johnathan Harker was a victim of the open sexuality displayed by the vampire women. In his journal he writes “The girl went on her knee and bent over me, simply gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck, she actually licked her lips like an animal.” When he says “Bent over me” it makes the girl seem of a higher status than him. In these times