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Dear Journal,
Today I have written the second part of my essay and will share it with you. Now keep in mind that it is still only a rough draft.
Mina is a character in the novel that is not known for her beauty like Lucy. Mina unlike Lucy was not proposed to by three separate men and does not have men constantly fawning over. There is only one time that Mina is noted to be beautiful and that is by Dr. Seward “She looked so appealing and so pretty that I could not refuse her” (Stoker, pg.205). Stoker allows Dr. Seward to give it Mina because of her beauty. When Mina is displaying her beauty Dr. Seward seemed overwhelmed and allow for Mina to visit a patient in an asylum. The men treat the women as children and dolls when they are beautiful. However when Mina showcases her intelligence in the novel she is never described as beautiful, it is as if a woman cannot be beautiful and intelligent at the same time. For example when Mina finds out how Dracula is going to get back to his castle. “My surmise is, this: that in London the Count decided to get back to his Castle by water, as the most safe and secret way” (Stoker, pg. 306). “Our dear Madam Mina is once more our teacher. Her eyes have seen where we were blinded” (Stoker, pg. 306). In these two quoted Stoker allows for the audience to see Mina’s intellect and he also shows how the men react to Mina’s intellect. The men consider Mina to be their teacher but they never note her beauty. In the novel when a woman is on equal terms with a man or is displaying her brains she is not noted for her beauty. However the men do not need to show beauty in order to be intelligent.
Each of the men in the novel are noted for their strength and intelligence, and contribute things only “men” can; for example when Lucy was “ill” it was up to the men in to save her life. “A brave man’s blood is the best thing on this earth when a woman is in trouble. You’re a man, and no mistake. Well, the devil may work against us for all he’s worth, but God sends us men when we want them” (Stoker, pg.136). In this quote Stoker makes men seem as if they are a gift from God. Stoker does this in order to display the dominance and the importance of men in the novel. It can also be relative to the time period that this novel was written in; it was written when men were the more dominant sex. Also there is the glorification of men done by women in the novel. For example Mina says about Jonathan “A brave man’s hand can speak for itself; it does not even need a woman’s love to hear its music” (Stoker pg. 210). Stoker has the women describe the men as brave. He does this to show the importance of men and how they are brave and intelligent; also how women are second to them because they are not necessarily needed in order for a man to be brave.
In the story Dracula by Bram Stoker, Stoker uses beauty in order to portray the intelligence and strength of the characters. He uses the beauty of Lucy to show her weak and fragile, however when she becomes ugly she is the strongest that we see her in the novel. This is different for Mina who is intelligent throughout the novel but is not described as gorgeous, like her best friend Lucy. The women are in comparison not as intelligent as the men who do not need looks to be strong or lose looks in order to gain smarts, and wit. This is important because it shows the contrast between men and women during the time period that the novel was written. It also shows the importance of gender roles which played an important part in the everyday life of a Victorian man or woman.
Tell me what you think
Today I have written the second part of my essay and will share it with you. Now keep in mind that it is still only a rough draft.
Mina is a character in the novel that is not known for her beauty like Lucy. Mina unlike Lucy was not proposed to by three separate men and does not have men constantly fawning over. There is only one time that Mina is noted to be beautiful and that is by Dr. Seward “She looked so appealing and so pretty that I could not refuse her” (Stoker, pg.205). Stoker allows Dr. Seward to give it Mina because of her beauty. When Mina is displaying her beauty Dr. Seward seemed overwhelmed and allow for Mina to visit a patient in an asylum. The men treat the women as children and dolls when they are beautiful. However when Mina showcases her intelligence in the novel she is never described as beautiful, it is as if a woman cannot be beautiful and intelligent at the same time. For example when Mina finds out how Dracula is going to get back to his castle. “My surmise is, this: that in London the Count decided to get back to his Castle by water, as the most safe and secret way” (Stoker, pg. 306). “Our dear Madam Mina is once more our teacher. Her eyes have seen where we were blinded” (Stoker, pg. 306). In these two quoted Stoker allows for the audience to see Mina’s intellect and he also shows how the men react to Mina’s intellect. The men consider Mina to be their teacher but they never note her beauty. In the novel when a woman is on equal terms with a man or is displaying her brains she is not noted for her beauty. However the men do not need to show beauty in order to be intelligent.
Each of the men in the novel are noted for their strength and intelligence, and contribute things only “men” can; for example when Lucy was “ill” it was up to the men in to save her life. “A brave man’s blood is the best thing on this earth when a woman is in trouble. You’re a man, and no mistake. Well, the devil may work against us for all he’s worth, but God sends us men when we want them” (Stoker, pg.136). In this quote Stoker makes men seem as if they are a gift from God. Stoker does this in order to display the dominance and the importance of men in the novel. It can also be relative to the time period that this novel was written in; it was written when men were the more dominant sex. Also there is the glorification of men done by women in the novel. For example Mina says about Jonathan “A brave man’s hand can speak for itself; it does not even need a woman’s love to hear its music” (Stoker pg. 210). Stoker has the women describe the men as brave. He does this to show the importance of men and how they are brave and intelligent; also how women are second to them because they are not necessarily needed in order for a man to be brave.
In the story Dracula by Bram Stoker, Stoker uses beauty in order to portray the intelligence and strength of the characters. He uses the beauty of Lucy to show her weak and fragile, however when she becomes ugly she is the strongest that we see her in the novel. This is different for Mina who is intelligent throughout the novel but is not described as gorgeous, like her best friend Lucy. The women are in comparison not as intelligent as the men who do not need looks to be strong or lose looks in order to gain smarts, and wit. This is important because it shows the contrast between men and women during the time period that the novel was written. It also shows the importance of gender roles which played an important part in the everyday life of a Victorian man or woman.
Tell me what you think
