Classics and the Western Canon discussion
Stoker, Dracula
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Week 6 - Dracula, Chapters 19-22
CHAPTER XXJONATHAN HARKER’S JOURNAL
Jonathan tracks down the location of all of Dracula's boxes, so far.
Box Count
East London - Carfax 29
SE London - Chicksand St. 6
E London - Jamaica Lane 6
Central Londaon - Piccadilly 9
Total 50
Missing 0
See http://www.literarylondon.org/london-... for insights into these locations.
Jonathan surmises that Dracula's intends of scattering his boxes in hidden locations around London and also notes
. . .the Count could, it was evident, handle the earth-boxes himself. If so. . .he could, by choosing his own time, complete the task unobserved.Anything suspicious going on here?
I took Mina to her room and left her to go to bed. The dear girl was more affectionate with me than ever, and clung to me as though she would detain me; but there was much to be talked of and I came away. Thank God, the ceasing of telling things had made no difference between us.DR SEWARD’S DIARY
Dr. Seward sums up Renfield's state:
Will not mention ‘drinking.’LETTER, MITCHELL, SONS AND CANDY TO LORD GODALMING
Fears the thought of being burdened with the ‘soul’ of anything.
Has no dread of wanting ‘life’ in the future.
Despises the meaner forms of life altogether, though he dreads being haunted by their souls.
Logically all these things point one way! he has assurance of some kind that he will acquire some higher life. He dreads the consequence—the burden of a soul. Then it is a human life he looks to!
And the assurance—?
Merciful God! the Count has been to him, and there is some new scheme of terror afoot!
Dracula is not without a sense of humor. His Alias in purchasing the mansion in Piccadilly is Count De Ville, a play on the word, Devil. True to his evil nature, Count De Ville is described as vulgar in the manner in which he purchases property, over-the counter.
DR SEWARD’S DIARY
Despite an order to be watched, Renfield meets with some sort of accident.
CHAPTER XXIDR SEWARD’S DIARY
Renfield
On the night of the men's survey of Carfax, Renfield is persuaded to invite Dracula into the asylum by the Count's promise of the life's blood of the thousands of rats summoned against the men searching Carfax, Come in, Lord and Master! allowing his first attack on Mina. The next day Renfield realizes Dracula has been taking the life out of Mina and tries to stop him only to be thrown fatally to the floor. Why does Renfield fight Dracula after inviting him in; is it an act of jealousy because he wants Mina for himself, an act of born of a guilty conscience, or a selfless attempt to protect Mina? Just how closely does an aristocratic lunatic who wants to drink the blood of abnormal food sources compare to Dracula; what are their critical differences?
The attack on Mina
Apparently it takes an attack on Mina to reopen the sharing of information.
Van Helsing said gravely:— ‘Go on, friend Arthur. We want here no more concealments. Our hope now is in knowing all. Tell freely!’There is much more to discuss about this attack on Mina. Are there any details of Mina's story and her Vampire baptism that stick out or that you won't be able to unread now?
CHAPTER XXIIJONATHAN HARKER’S JOURNAL
While all now finally agree that Mina is to re-join the group again and participate in the information they are gathering, they realize she is now compromised by being under the control of Dracula and on her way to becoming a vampire by her baptism. Van Helsing makes Mina promise not to kill herself, if she suspects she may do harm to anyone. Committing suicide on top of being cursed to turn into a vampire upon her death must be an unsalvageable worst case condition.
The group decides they need to make destroy, or seal the boxes off from Dracula, simultaneously. They need to figure out how to get around the legalities of getting into the houses without arousing police interference; not a very exciting obstacle, but a very realistic one.
There is a little more thoughtless insensitivity at Mina's expense from Van Helsing
‘Do you forget,’ he said, with actually a smile, ‘that last night he banqueted heavily [ON MINA], and will sleep late?’The excuse confirms some of this groups suspicions of the narrow focus of the professor
He had simply lost sight of her and her part in the affair in his intellectual effort.In describing the contents of the house in Piccadilly, the appeal to the imagination got me again with this line,
There were also a clothes brush, a brush and comb, and a jug and basin—the latter containing dirty water which was reddened as if with blood.Box count
East London - Carfax 29 boxes now destroyed
SE London - Chicksand St. 6 - Art and Quincey leave to destroy these.
E London - Jamaica Lane 6 - Art and Quincey leave to destroy these.
Central Londaon - Piccadilly 8 boxes now destroyed
Total 49
Missing boxes 1 <-- uh oh!
David wrote: What is going on when the dogs hesitate going after the rats? I was totally perplexed by that!! I know odd behavior by dogs mentioned before, like when the dog was howling/barking before the grave and then once on the site curled up meekly. I've chalked it all up to dogs more sensitive nature about certain things. We've heard dogs howling periodically through the novel, but this stopping at the portal, had me searching the recesses of my memory of vampire lore and came up blank.
David wrote: Was anyone else concerned at this point by Mina's sleeping in so long the next day?Oh yes!!! I didn't understand why it did not occur to any of them that the same paleness and lethargy was so similar to Lucy's decline. And as it progresses, still no concern or checking her neck or protecting her bedchamber as they did with Lucy as a precautionary measure. I mean, she was staying right next to Carfax!!! Too wrapped up in their own plans?
Did Mina just describe Dracula attacking her while the men were at Carfax? Definitely!! Dogs barking again as the mist develops. I did love this description...very eerie to watch the mist creeping closer, getting thick, seeping in through the doors etc.
David wrote: There is much more to discuss about this attack on Mina. Are there any significance in the details of Mina's story and her Vampire baptism that either stick out or won't be able to unread now?Was the term baptism used? Did I miss that? It certainly is apt. I recall that drinking of the Vampires blood bonds one to the master, the one who "sired" them as a vampire. It usually is depicted as the last thing done when the one who is being bled is at the point of death. I wasn't thinking that she was quite there.
A baptism into one's religion cleanses the soul and symbolizes your rebirth, the bond between you and God and the beginning of the journey you take with God. So, I can see the analogy here being reborn into a new life. The life of the undead.
Chris wrote: "David wrote: ...Vampire baptism... Was the term baptism used?"
My apologies. Vampire's baptism is a bit of spoiler as the term does not appear until Chapter 24. Sometimes my comments get a little ahead of themselves while preparing them a couple weeks ahead. Vampire baptism is the term that describes the act in which Dracula forces Mina to drink his blood from the wound he opens on his own chest, as described in Chapter 21.
Chris wrote: "David wrote: Was anyone else concerned at this point by Mina's sleeping in so long the next day?Oh yes!!! I didn't understand why it did not occur to any of them that the same paleness and lethar..."
We're juuust before the widespread acceptance of the scientific method in medicine, right? So although some scientists are starting to look for patterns, it's not quite common knowledge. Also, only Dr Seward and Van Helsing are actual scientists. Finally, there's still the shock that vampires even exist to contend with.
Chris wrote: "David wrote: What is going on when the dogs hesitate going after the rats? I was totally perplexed by that!! I know odd behavior by dogs mentioned before..."I took the terriers behavior as an another indicator that Dracula was still present in Carfax calling up the rats, but had then left for Renfield's room at the Asylum by the time Arthur turned the dogs around.
The first indicator that the count is home is of course Jonathan's choosing to explain seeing the count's face as a figment of his fear addled imagination.
Jen wrote: "Chris wrote: "David wrote: Was anyone else concerned at this point by Mina's sleeping in so long the next day?Oh yes!!! I didn't understand why it did not occur to any of them that the same palen..."
Exactly. Yet another case of Stoker torturing his readers by letting them know more than his characters seem to be aware of.
Chris wrote: " I did love this description...very eerie to watch the mist creeping closer, getting thick, seeping in through the doors etc."I agree. The whole atmospheric description Mina gives of the coming of the count to the asylum and then into her room is definitely a candidate for best written creepy description of the week. Especially since we know Dracula is in the fog and enters into Mina's room from under the door instead of around the window like one might expect.
Dr. Seward and Mina both note in their journals the defining scar on Dracula's forehead where Jonathan had struck him with a shovel in a failed attempt to kill him,. . .and the eyes fell full upon me, with all their blaze of basiliskam horror. The sight seemed to paralyse me, and the shovel turned in my hand and glanced from the face, merely making a deep gash above the forehead.Now Mina has a scar on her forhead,
As [Van Helsing] had placed the Wafer on Mina’s forehead, it had seared it—had burned into the flesh as though it had been a piece of white-hot metal. . .Scars have a long history as literary devices; what do these scars in Dracula signify?
. . .‘Unclean ! Unclean! Even the Almighty shuns my polluted flesh! I must bear this mark of shame upon my forehead until the Judgment Day.’
A couple of observations on this section.The three female vampires in Dracula’s home try to go after Jonathan at a time when Jonathan is in a weakened and vulnerable state as D’s prisoner. Dracula goes after Lucy. Lucy goes after children. And now Dracula goes after Mina. I see a pattern developing here. It seems that vampires go after those who are vulnerable, smaller, weaker, and/or hold a lower position in the gender-based social hierarchy.
If Dracula is as strong as Van Helsing claims, why doesn’t he go after beefy, burly men? Why prey on those who are weaker and more vulnerable? If he can put Jonathan in a state of stupor to go after Mina, why not do the same with Renfield?
If we shift the lens and turn it on Dracula’s victims, another pattern emerges. Lucy shows no evidence of struggle against Dracula. Mina tries to struggle, but she is physically overpowered. They are both supine when D goes after them—a bit like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. But instead of the handsome prince galloping to rescue the damsels in distress with a kiss to bring them back to the land of the living, we get Dracula giving them a bite to welcome them to the land of the un-dead. The women are denied agency when it comes to fighting Dracula and rely on men to rescue them.We get an entirely different situation with Renfield. On the one hand, he calls Dracula Master; on the other hand, he pushes back and wants to distance himself. He actively struggles against Dracula and dies trying to protect Mina. I see him as a sympathetic character.
I think it’s interesting his fight with Dracula is manifested externally whereas Mina internalizes the fight by contemplating suicide.
David wrote: ".Scars have a long history as literary devices; what do these scars in Dracula signify?."Scars can signify several things. They can indicate a transition in a person’s life. In some cultures, boys underwent scarring to signify their transition to manhood. Similarly, girls were scarred to signify their transition to womanhood and eligibility for marriage.
Scarring can also be considered a form of claiming ownership or of having power over. We scar/brand animals to claim them as our property.
Scars can also be seen as evidence of survival, a badge of strength. A scar is what is left on a person who has survived pain.
Scars can also be a symbol of "othering"--of setting certain individuals apart from the rest of humanity. I'm reminded of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter.
In the case of Dracula, all these factors can come into play: Mina as transitioning and/or as showing evidence of having survived pain; Dracula claiming ownership over those he has scarred and/or of having survived pain when he was struck by Jonathan; Dracula and Mina as experiencing "othering." They share something that visibly sets them apart from the rest of humanity.
One of the more interesting things is that Dracula on his way out from his failed? baptism of Mina finds not only the location of all their notes and diaries but also finds the time to be able to burn them all. Even crazier to me is that Mina found the time to make copies of all of them! I assume the copies where done by hand on a type writer!
Mike wrote: "Even crazier to me is that Mina found the time to make copies of all of them! I assume the copies where done by hand on a type writer!"Mina wrote earlier,
I used manifold, and so took three copies of the diary, just as I had done with the rest.Manifold paper is a lightweight paper used with carbon paper to produce multiple copies. This is another instance that Dracula's plans are thwarted by technology.
Tamara wrote: "Scars can signify several things."Thanks Tamara, nice list; you got more than I did. Here is my summation, including some of yours, to this point on the scars.
Scar as a mark of change in a person's life:
Dracula's scar might signify his going from the East where he is unopposed by any serious enemies to the West and Jonathan as a more serious threat as an English St. George the Dragon-slayer type and a force of good against his evil.
Mina's scar signifies her changing from human to vampire.
Scar as a brand of ownership:
Dracula - I am not sure how we could say Dracula is owned, but Van Helsing stresses several times that Dracula is not free.
Mina - Dracula did not create the scar, but the conditions by which she was scared and does imply Dracula owns her. But they are both scarred by the actions of someone good somewhat equally, so who owns who?
Scar as evidence of survival:
Dracula - survived Jonathan's shovel.
Mina - surviving, but for how long? Does having a scar and indicator that one will continue to survive? While they are not scars we see evidence of survival in Lucy's true death as a vampire,
True that there were there, as we had seen them in life, the traces of care and pain and waste; but these were all dear to us, for they marked her truth to what we knew.Aren't we all scarred in this lesser degree?
Scars as a symbol of Identity:
Dracula - Dracula is branded by his scar and it serves as an a mark confirming his identity that he is now recognized by as Odysseus' scar confirms his identity upon his return to Ithaca.
Mina - Mina's scar definitely makes me think of Hester Prynne's scarlet letter. Rather than shun Mina, the men try to protect her. It is Dr. Seward that records her banishment,
she with all her goodness and purity and faith, was outcast from God.I am also noticing that like poor Lucy her identity has changed from Madam Mina to poor Madam Mina.
Tamara wrote: "I see a pattern developing here. It seems that vampires go after those who are vulnerable, smaller, weaker, and/or hold a lower position in the gender-based social hierarchy."Vampires are opportunists looking for low-hanging fruit. Preying on the weak like a pack of lions culling the herd, seducing the opposite sex like the three ladies going after Jonathan or Lucy attempting to bite Arthur, and of course their child victims. Dracula himself has more to say on this in Chapter 23. Also, the fact that Dracula bears the scar from Jonathan's shovel makes me think that while vampires cannot be killed in the normal ways, they can be permanently scarred. One would think a smart vampire like Dracula would want to lower his risk of acquiring such scars for all the centuries he is planning to be around by avoiding stronger victims.
As for Refield, we already know he is unnaturally strong, and he knows it too. Dr. Seward records Renfield saying,
'I saw the mist stealing in, and I grabbed it tight. I had heard that madmen have unnatural strength; and as I knew I was a madman—at times anyhow—I resolved to use my power. Ay, and He felt it too, for He had to come out of the mist to struggle with me.'At one point Renfield thinks he is going to win but then makes the fatal mistake of looking into Dracula eyes. This kind of strong resistance is just the thing Dracula wants to avoid.
I appreciate all the discussion on the symbolism of scars. I hadn't really thought about the scar that had remained on Dracula. But with this discussion, I recall that most vampire lore indicates any wounds they sustain heal completely except for the death blows of a stake through the heart or decapitation of course. Also, to drink of a vampire's blood heals wounds of a mortal. So that part of the myth must have originated elsewhere.David wrote: Dracula - I am not sure how we could say Dracula is owned, but Van Helsing stresses several times that Dracula is not free.
We are not told explicitly how Dracula became a vampire, but as one he is not free to live in the world openly and enjoy all it means of be human. He is chained to an immortal life hiding in the shadows for the most part and feeding on others. The desire to feed is apparently very strong and drives the Vampire in all their actions. I wouldn't call that freedom.
Oh, and Renfield completely redeemed himself in my mind with his apparent attempt to protect Mina. Poor man.
Tamara wrote: "I see a pattern developing here. It seems that vampires go after those who are vulnerable, smaller, weaker, and/or hold a lower position in the gender-based social hierarchy."There was a link posted earlier to an article on homoeroticism in Dracula. It is very thorough. I think these themes are becoming more and more transparent. Dracula literally coming out of the closet (the coffin) to prowl London. But he has become fearful and he "ESCAPES" [that word is all caps in the book], to hide again. The metaphor becomes increasingly difficult for Stoker to control. As Tamara had noted he wants to avoid strong men and to preying on weaker.
The coffin boxes are not just props. The one that is missing becomes crucial for Dracula. I can not help thinking about Queequeg's coffin that becomes Ishmaels salvation, in Moby Dick
though I can't assume Stoker knows it, since by 1897 the book was buried (haha) in obscurity and would not resurface until the 1920's.
Sam wrote: "There was a link posted earlier to an article on homoeroticism in Dracula. It is very thorough. I think these themes are becoming more and more transparent. Dracula literally coming out of the closet (the coffin) to prowl London.."Thanks for the reminder about the article on homoeroticism, Sam. I went back to earlier posts to find it. Somehow I had completely missed it before. It certainly sheds a new light on the novel and opens it to some interesting interpretations.
Having been introduced to that view it becomes impossible to ignore. And reading about Stoker. How he had burned everything he could about his close friendship with Oscar Wilde. And both are Irish writers BTW. Not to say Irish writers are all gay, (except for maybe Yeats), but that Stoker and Wilde do have a lot in common.
Just to add that Dracula was based in part on J. S. LeFanu's earlier vampire story, "Carmilla" which was really the first artistic rendering of vampires, especially as contrasted with crude stuff like Prest's Varney the Vampire. The homoerotic psychology of "Carmilla" is hard to miss. And, of course, LeFanu was a Dubliner.
Is it me or are we back at 'let's not share notes anymore'? I felt like that when the 4 men start shutting Mina out, wether or not for sympathetic reasons.In the meanwhile she decides not to mention her 'dreams', although she herself recognises that her dream kind of is the same as Lucy had, when she was bitten.
Marieke wrote: "Is it me or are we back at 'let's not share notes anymore'? I felt like that when the 4 men start shutting Mina out, wether or not for sympathetic reasons.."There is some back and forth on including Mina in their plans which is consistent with the learning new behaviors, i.e., a series of peaks and valleys but ultimately trending upward. There are also some other conditions that come in to play in the decision to keep her in the loop or not.
One point here is that Mina gains the men's confidence much more than Lucy would ever had been able to. I wonder why?
Donnally wrote: The homoerotic psychology of "Carmilla" is hard to miss. And, of course, LeFanu was a Dubliner.David wrote: One point here is that Mina gains the men's confidence much more than Lucy would ever had been able to. I wonder why?
LeFanu another Dubliner, not to say he was gay. ; )
Why Mina but not Lucy? VH has made a long point of Mina having both male and female, Man's brain and Woman's spirit. The men are attracted to her Male brain, protective of her Female heart.
Chris wrote: "Oh, and Renfield completely redeemed himself in my mind with his apparent attempt to protect Mina. Poor man."Reinfield is for me the most interesting character of the novel, he reminds me a lot of the Shakespearean fool. He's a madman but he has some incredibly sane comments and he's the only one who realised that Mina is in great danger.
Marieke wrote: "Is it me or are we back at 'let's not share notes anymore'? I felt like that when the 4 men start shutting Mina out, wether or not for sympathetic reasons.In the meanwhile she decides not to ment..."
Exactly my thoughts. VH told the other musketeers more than once how vital shared knowledge is and yet they decided to keep Mina out just because she's a woman, making her vulnerable. Is Stoker trying to send us a message?
At least Dracula was going to involve Mina in his plans:
"And you, their best beloved one, are now to me, flesh of my flesh; the blood of my blood; kin of my kin; my bountiful wine-press for a while; and shall be later on my companion and my helper"
Emil wrote: "At least Dracula was going to involve Mina in his plans:.."Yes, and that's something he didn't do with Lucy or with Jonathan when he held him captive.
Mina seems to be the focal point. Dracula draws her closer to him both literally and metaphorically. The men dance circles around her. They either draw closer to her by sharing information, or they retreat from her by withholding information.
Dracula seems to embrace her almost as his equal when he says, flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin. It's as if he wants to make her his partner.
Why is a vampire elevating Mina's status almost to that of an equal whereas the men frequently treat her as if she were a child who needs to be sheltered--as someone incapable of handing the harsh reality? She has endured more than any of them have, and yet she is still denied equal status.
Like you, I'm wondering if Stoker is sending us a message. Is he being critical of women's marginalization?
Tamara wrote: "Like you, I'm wondering if Stoker is sending us a message. Is he being critical of women's marginalization? ..."Personally, I think you give him too much credit, Tamara, although I do think he was exploring his perceptions of the world, tinged/driven by his own self identity and the conditions of the (Victorian) world in which he lived.
Tamara wrote: "Like you, I'm wondering if Stoker is sending us a message. Is he being critical of women's marginalization?"Yes, within limits.
Mina and Lucy represent different aspects of the New Woman. Mina exemplifies the emerging professional woman characteristics while Lucy exemplifies the sexually liberated characteristics. Guess which characteristics are sanctioned and which are condemned. Stoker saw the New Woman as a good thing, within limits.
With Mina, the men go through a bit of a learning curve, two steps forward, one step back, more steps forward in accepting Mina into their working circle as an equal. She has helpful, man-brain skills, remember secretaries were still male at this time, and the men are eventually forced to acknowledge Mina by her insightful contributions.
Lucy on the other hand, with her desire for more than one husband, represents the sexually liberated New Woman. She destroys the family, turns love into lust, and becomes an anti-mother preying upon children instead of a proper mother worthy of all of those Hallmark Mother's Day cards. Female sexual aggressiveness is seen as a threat because the men, in a male dominated society just can't control themselves around it. Therefore sexually liberated and aggressive women, like Lucy, must be destroyed.
Donnally wrote: "Just to add that Dracula was based in part on J. S. LeFanu's earlier vampire story, "Carmilla" which was really the first artistic rendering of vampires, especially as contrasted with crude stuff l..."It is on my list to read after we finish Dracula.
David wrote: "Lucy on the other hand, with her desire for more than one husband, represents the sexually liberated New Woman...."That's interesting, I thought Lucy was the traditional Victorian woman while Mina was her "modern" counterpart. What's sexually liberated about Lucy (the alive Lucy) except that jest regarding marrying three men? I found her quite whiny and mundane, her transformation into a vampire was actually an improvement. Maybe precisely this transformation is the sexual liberation?
At the beginning of the 20th century, people started to use the word "vamp".
According to the Cambridge dictionary, a vamp is "a woman who is confident that she is attractive to men and makes use of it in order to get what she wants".
Emil wrote: "What's sexually liberated about Lucy (the alive Lucy) except that jest regarding marrying three men?"I do not think we can take it all in jest, but as an honest confession told to a confidant. She also says,
You and I, Mina dear, who are engaged and are going to settle down soon soberly into old married women, can despise vanity.This indicates she has relied heavily on vanity and that it is at least some consolation of being married she will no longer need to. Even Dracula, our resident expert on evil, knows the evils of vanity when he declares mirrors are a foul bauble of man’s vanity.
David wrote: "Emil wrote: "What's sexually liberated about Lucy (the alive Lucy) except that jest regarding marrying three men?"I do not think we can take it all in jest, but as an honest confession told to a ..."
I don't see Lucy as being sexually liberated, either. I see her as being a very traditional Victorian female.
David wrote: "She also says,
You and I, Mina dear, who are engaged and are going to settle down soon soberly into old married women, can despise vanity.
I read that as a critique of society that puts a lot of stress on a woman's physical appearance. Women were under a lot of pressure to enhance their appearance in order to catch a mate. They were encouraged to be vain and frivolous.
Lucy has internalized that message. She has been socialized to think that once she is married, she no longer needs to worry about her appearance since she has achieved her goal of becoming a wife. That doesn't make her sexually liberated. That makes her a typical Victorian female who relies on her beauty to compete with other single women to catch a mate.
David wrote: "One point here is that Mina gains the men's confidence much more than Lucy would ever had been able to. I wonder why?"Three of them were never in love with Mina at the same time. They hardly mention the pain of being rejected by Lucy, but it couldn't have felt nice. They also only have positive things to say about working with their former rivals, but it's hard to believe there's no competition now to succeed against the others in at least one field.
Mina is also a respectable married woman and therefore has slightly more freedom in how she can interact with them without a scandal.
At the end of the 22th chapter Jonathan is writing:"To one thing I have made up my mind. If we find out that Mina must be
a vampire in the end, then she shall not go into that unknown and
terrible land alone. I suppose it is thus that in old times one
vampire meant many. Just as their hideous bodies could only rest in
sacred earth, so the holiest love was the recruiting sergeant for
their ghastly ranks."
Is Jonathan saying that he made up his mind to become a vampire if Mina cannot be saved?
That's a very romantic "I will follow you in hell" kind of statement. Unlike Orpheus and Eurydice, he won't have any chance to save Mina by following her, he will do it just to be with her.
Tamara wrote: "That doesn't make her sexually liberated. That makes her a typical Victorian female who relies on her beauty to compete with other single women to catch a mate."I agree the demands of society set Lucy up for this, but why not Mina? I also agree with Emil's suggestion that Lucy's transformation is the sexual liberation.
Human Lucy is attractive to men, three marriage proposals in one day and is flirtatious in her desire to marry all three, or more. However, she remains pure, usually seen dressed in white, and is continually referred to as sweet but child-like, as Mina notes when she begins to escort her back home after her attack,blockquote>when I told her to come at once with me home she rose without a word, with the obedience of a child..The contrast here is between Mina the woman and Lucy the girl on the wrong Victorian path to becoming a woman.
Lucy's wish is granted, she "marries" three or more men symbolically through her multiple transfusions. Note, Mina has been bitten on more than one occasion but does not require transfusions. As she become Vampire Lucy her childlike sweetness is transformed into a ruthless tool to attract male and child victims, Van Helsing has to physically restrain Arthur from kissing her, and her purity is turned into voluptuous uninhibited sexuality. As Dr. Seward notes just before they kill the vampire Lucy,
She seemed like a nightmare of Lucy as she lay there; the pointed teeth, the bloodstained, voluptuous mouth—which it made one shudder to see—the whole carnal and unspiritual appearance, seeming like a devilish mockery of Lucy’s sweet purity.
David wrote: "Tamara wrote: "That doesn't make her sexually liberated. That makes her a typical Victorian female who relies on her beauty to compete with other single women to catch a mate."I agree the demands of society set Lucy up for this, but why not Mina?"
Don't forget that when we meet Jonathan, he's already engaged to Mina, so she's off the market. We don't know what she was like when they met.
It may also be that Mina has some actual marketable skills - she's a teacher, she knows shorthand and how to type - so she'll be fine even if she never marries. So she doesn't have to play up her looks alone.
Emil wrote: Is Jonathan saying that he made up his mind to become a vampire if Mina cannot be saved?That's a very romantic "I will follow you in hell" kind of statement.
Romantic? Perhaps. Naive is more like it. After all that he has seen, he thinks becoming a vampire is the way to be together? Together as those with no souls can be, who are driven by a blood thirst, hiding in the shadows, preying on the unsuspecting, killing them. Feasting together, blood dripping from their mouths, what a romantic picture!
Jen wrote: "It may also be that Mina has some actual marketable skills - she's a teacher, she knows shorthand and how to type - so she'll be fine even if she never marries. So she doesn't have to play up her looks alone.."Good point.
It's also interesting that Dracula values Mina more than Lucy. He turns Lucy into a vampire and then pretty much abandons her to her fate. But he has higher aspirations for Mina. He wants her to be his companion and helper.
Sam wrote: "The men are attracted to her Male brain, protective of her Female heart." .."What is this language being used here? "Male brain"?
"Female heart"?
(view spoiler)
Tamara wrote: "It's also interesting that Dracula values Mina more than Lucy. He turns Lucy into a vampire and then pretty much abandons her to her fate. But he has higher aspirations for Mina. He wants her to be his companion and helper."I do think Dracula recognizes Mina as a significant contributor of of the enemies arrayed against him, but I do not think he is drawn to her for her personal qualities, her particular set of skills, or her man’s brain—a brain that a man should have were he much gifted—and woman’s heart. If that were so, then one of the men might be even more useful to him. Besides, since Dracula seems to be a very special case, I don't think the others, including Mina, would be very helpful to him as vampires, more on this in next week's discussion.
Instead Dracula sees Mina as food and as his enemies best beloved one, turning her into a so-called companion and helper against the men is his most malicious move. Here I think he means companion in the same way he likes to address people as friend. Recall the letter to Jonathan, My Friend, Welcome to the Carpathians. . .Your Friend, DRACULA
Whilst they played wits against me. . .I was countermining them. And you, their best beloved one, are now to me, flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin; my bountiful wine-press for a while; and shall be later on my companion and my helper. You shall be avenged in turn; for not one of them but shall minister to your needs. But as yet you are to be punished for what you have done. You have aided in thwarting me; now you shall come to my call. When my brain says ‘Come!’ to you, you shall cross land or sea to do my bidding;Tamara wrote: "Is Dracula lonely?"
I am tempted to say no; he is just evil. Does evil need a friend? My response here may be in part due to my negative reaction of some movies trying to turn Dracula into a love story. I suppose though by simply being prompted to ask the question there is enough cause for speculation.
Certainly not my language. I believe the characters themselves live in a Victorian world, whilst Stoker seems to be dipping his toe into a gene pool of stereotypes that are problematic for the "young people" in the story. It is Van Helsing who propounds the theory that Mina has divided gender qualities. We would now more likely say left-brain and right-brain, for interpreting the complicated mind of Mina. But here I have crisscrossed mind and gender in a post-Victorian fashion.The story swirls around her. She's the pivot. VH does recognize the gender differences but the language he uses to express it only scratches the surface. Stoker's homosexuality is barely hidden in his writing, but Mina's two-sided nature is more permissible for him to present in Van Helding's interpretation.
Well, I have mixed up divisions of the brain and differences of gender and am trying to put that mix up into Victorian Minds very unclearly. Perhaps someone who is more familiar with the late-Victorian could clarify?
Obviously, there is no such a thing as a "male brain" or a "female heart." This has everything to do with gender socialization and the socially constructed limitations imposed on men and women at the time. Up to and including the Victorian era, certain qualities and spheres were designated as masculine: the public sphere; intellect; the ability to think logically and systematically; individualism; valuing reason over emotion; strength; etc. etc. Certain qualities and spheres were designated as feminine: the private sphere; emotion; weakness; fragility; empathy; nurture; community; care-giving; etc. etc. The underlying assumption was that the brain ("masculine") and temperament/heart ("feminine") meant that the sexes had different aptitudes, were suited to different spheres of influence, and should be restricted accordingly.
Such patently absurd dichotomies were used to deny women their rights. While men's education was designed to prepare them for their public role, women's education was designed to prepare them for their role as wives and mothers (the cult of domesticity).
When Van Helsing says of Mina she has a "male" brain and a "female" heart, he is parroting the socially constructed identities assigned to men and women at the time. Fortunately, society has sufficiently progressed in this area so we longer embrace such sexist notions.
JONATHAN HARKER’S JOURNAL
The men go to Carfax armed with crucifixes, garlic wreaths, revolvers, knives, small electric lamps, sacred wafers, and Lord Goldaming's little silver whistle for rats.
When is Jonathan going to learn?Twenty nine (29) boxes are accounted for out of the original fifty (50). It will take some detective work to track down the other twenty-one (21).
Box Count
East London - Carfax: 29
Total: 50
Missing: 21
What is going on when the dogs hesitate going after the rats?Since Dr. Seward said that Renfield was mixed up with the Count in an indexy kind of way, why are they not more concerned with the low, moaning sounds coming from Renfield's room? Was anyone else concerned at this point by Mina's sleeping in so long the next day?
DR SEWARD’S DIARY
Mina's notes on Renfield come in handy; Van Helsing instead praises Dr. Sewards memory. After visiting Renfield, Van Helsing admits he will miss her help, but says it better if she stays out of it.
MINA HARKER’S JOURNAL
Did Mina just describe Dracula attacking her while the men were at Carfax? Renfield asks to see Mina, was gentle and kissed her hand after their meeting. Why, even though he stated before that he never hoped to see her again?