Mina And Women In Bram Stoker's Dracula

“Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking, or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; the female sex,” Mahatma Gandhi. In the novel Dracula by Bram Stocker there is an abundance of evidence that suggests that the female characters are treated differently than their male counterparts. In this essay, there will be an investigation into the gender roles of men and women and how it affects the overall outcome of the female character. It will apply the research of the female character Mina and her journey throughout the end of the novel. The following scenes will be analysed to support the thesis. The first scene that will be looked at is when the men leave Mina out of the planning of killing Dracula, against her wishes. This ends up putting mina in more danger than if she was included. The second scene that will be analysed will be when the …show more content…
At the end of the novel Mina discovers that she has the knowledge, when used in the right way can be used to kill Dracula. Mina’s actions are reflective of the modern woman, as compared to traditional women of her period however, she is bound to her gender’s roles by the men. It is only when she shows her knowledge the men see her for her true power. Dr Van Helsing notices this the other notice too, “Madam Mina is once more [the] teacher. Her eyes have seen where [they] were blinded. Now [they] are on the track once again, and this time [they can] succeed” (394). When Mina manages to share her knowledge, and make her own decisions, she is finally taken for much more than just a woman. Mina then receives the opportunity from Dr Van Helsing to go “right into the heart of the enemy’s country” (996). In the journal, Feminism, Sex Role Exchanges, and Other Subliminal Fantasies in Bram Stoker's "Dracula, touches