Character Analysis: Mina in Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Mina is presented as a strong woman of character. Bram uses her figure to create feminism incarnations in his novel, “Dracula.” Mina is renowned as a woman of modernity in the story context and based on the analysis shows how a personality is molded by the social and cultural surrounding. In this essay, Mina Harker not the “New Woman” represents the voice of the underrated female’s classical era and how the social gender roles of men and women change. Although women are known from ancient literature to be suppressed by men, through the use of Lucy’s character Stoker contrasts the ideal model of feminism that society regards to be appropriate. Although The New Woman stands to challenge the patriarchal Victorian society, it is Mina and not the New Woman whose life is not affected negatively. Mina’s character, norms and values safeguards her from the problems that inflicts the New woman. She is steadfast in her endeavours and lives a life of purpose as she enjoys learning, working and making decisions that affect her life independently.

According to Stoker’s idea, the New Woman stands on a controversial position and argues on the feminism of the modern culture in ancient writings. This brings out the feminist theory in its two distinct forms of the Victorian period. Both Mina and The New woman redefines the feminist theory that held women as surbonate being to men. Each of both versions of the Victorian era woman finds her own way of breaking away from traditional gender roles that limited the space and abilities of a woman to domestic chores. In this classical literary work, Bram Stoker examines the changing roles of a woman in the society and follows to how the two distinct categories of women grow. Each of these women hold onto beliefs that although stem out of a common need of changing the social and economic roles of a woman in line with shifts from cottage based economy that was mainly family to a new era of industrial revolution. Mina Murray Hacker, Lucy and the three Dracula daughters collectively help the author to bring to life Modern feminism and radical feminism. On one hand, there is a more moderate way of emancipation where the woman breaks free from the suppression and socially constructed roles by men with loosing her traditional and moral values of a woman in society. The embraces the fact that men play a unique role in society and their position should not be challenged but supported by women using their intellectual and physical skills. This new feminism theory acknowledges that women can engage in work beyond domestic duties, make morally correct decisions for themselves and acquire education just like men while still maintaining their traditional roles of family and supporting their husbands in their work. They don’t seek complete autonomy because even men depend on women to achieve progress in their life, as depicted by the Mina Hackers help to her husband using shorthand skills she acquired, but only pursue a change in their roles in society and be part of the change that characterize the Victorian era. They understand their role in domestic roles and obligation to their husbands is of value and very paramount in their life and the equality of a woman should not include the natural roles of a man. The modern feminist theory using actions of Mina throughout this text outlines the unchangeable roles of a woman in society. She chooses not to give up the roles of a woman in traditional society even as they progress the course of added roles and responsibilities. In contrast the new woman, in the character of Lucy embraces radical feminism of the New Woman whose banishes all the traditional values of a woman. The extremist views held by the new woman not only attack all forms of social order norms set by the men in their positions of authority in society but formulate a new set of ideologies that portray women as equal to men in all aspects of life including marriage. Lucy, is carried away by these ideologies and as she adopts the ways of a new woman but soon her life suffers the consequences of multiple sexual partners and life without values and norms. The new woman although acquires a form of control over her body and decisions about her personal life she seemingly is misguided and emotionally not composed and in deed her actions are without direct and it is Mina Harcker who offers her assistance to the woman when she needs it.Mina Harcker and not the new woman is the who deserves the title of the new woman because she gains her education, an opportunity to work and a voice in matters of society. She is the person who represents the excellent reincarnation of the new woman .Besides achieving the function of demonstrating the prototype of the ideal Victorian Lady, Mina in Stoker’s novel, plays an important function regarding to the male characters. Her new acquired status serves to improve her life and of those around her. Her actions reveals the potential of a woman that had previously been suppressed by men, and although deep within temptation’s attack her the devotion she has for her husband protects her to being subdued by this desire.

The theme of sex based on this classical text has contributed towards female development in the contemporary world. Mina, Lucy and The Dracula daughters provide the varying interpretations and direct reflections of transformations of women during the Victorian reign. The women with simple and pure characters were embraced and celebrated in the Victorian society while those who lacked morally upright character were not tolerated in the society but instead were left conditionally to change their immoral and indecent behaviour acts. The womanhood was guided by social conditions and standards of correct behavior. Their role in building homes extended to nurturing young children in ways that were correct and of value to society. The Victorian woman owned the responsibility of ensuring that the children were bred and brought up in the right way, a view that the radical feminist didn’t embrace. Although the physical setting of this story depicts Mina as an illogical female figure of the Victorian error her character traits still influence many old behaviors in matters of gender.

Mina’s gifts of a great brain likened to that of a man and a big heart like a woman; shows that in fact man and woman are dependent on each other although man had been socially placed above a woman. This combination is believed to be purposely fashioned by God, an implication that these abilities are inborn in women and this only reason man suppresses them is the fear of the power they possess. Throughout the Dracula, Mina is depicted as intelligent and loyal woman and according to the traditions; she is best considered the best wife in the Victorian society, a decrition that the New Woman doesn’t share in. She cared for Jonathan and through her writing; she could not fail to worry about her husband’s safety, “No news from my husband, I feel quite offended about his whereabouts.” Her positive attributes and virtues are credited in the novel as male characteristics and not in the basis of her intelligence, a concept that the modern theory upholds and although may not be necessarily true may be seen as sexist statement by characters of men who have not fully embraced the changes in social gender roles.. On the other hand, Murray’s self-perception and determination are very introspective and builds character of the modern feminist in Stoker’s classical fiction. She does not only take seriously her duties and responsibilities as a loyal and faithful woman to her husband, Jonathan Harker but also , she tries to be loyal to her man and critically started to learn by memorizing “all the characters to and from Exeter, aiming to save or help Jonathan’s unpredictable situations or conditions” (Stoker, ch. 14) when faced with questions on marriage propositions by suitors. She is portrays the ideals of a modest woman when she helped Dr. Van to fill the Dracula plans gaps after handing over her typed transcripts to him.

Mina transcends the new woman with her pure character since she does not ask for any form compensation for her deeds or actions born out of genuine passion to help. She practices traditional values regarded as essential for Victorian woman and refrains from engaging in sex for lust,money or any form gift from men. Stoker’s idea of Mina’s incorrect perception of a woman not as a sexualized-being helped her conserve her purity as an important principle highly respected by the Victorian society. The fascinating character of Mina has been used by Bram Stocker to critically reveal the misguided ideologies that actually contributes towards the impurification of the value of women held in the Victorian time

The Dracula story on the feminism in the classical literature has inspired more than 1000 films on literary authorship or writings of Stocker. In this historical text, using the character of Count Dracula, Stocker suggested that the vast city of London accepted the literature invasion. He called it “the massive giants/monsters attacking the British Empire’’. This symbolism represent his critique to the society of the Victorian era and how the Radical Feminine Theory is