Sexism Exposed In Bram Stoker's Dracula

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is widely recognized as a staple in Gothic literature and has stood the test of time as several of the concepts and themes explored in the book, such as vampirism, gender, industrialization and modernization among others are still relevant today. Stoker’s epistolary novel makes use of several literary devices, including symbolism and imagery along with clever word choice and a melodramatic tone to heighten the suspense.

Typically, novels are either written as a narrative from the perspective of a third-person narrator or are a first-person reflection of the story. However, in Stoker’s case, he illustrates the plot to exterminate Dracula and avenge his victims in the form of diary entries, newspaper articles, letters and telegrams to and from other characters which collectively form one big journal. It is also more enjoyable this way because had the story been told in first-person, we would already know the outcome as the protagonist would most definitely be alive as he is telling the story. The journal entries by several different characters provides contrasting points of view of the story and makes it impossible for us to predict the direction of the story, thus making it increasingly suspenseful.

For instance, the story begins with Jonathan Harker’s journal entries from his viewpoint in Castle Dracula and he …show more content…
This is highly evident when the men decide to exclude Mina from discussions about their quest to defeat Dracula in the latter part of the novel because according to Dr. Seward, “Things are quite bad enough for us, all men of the world, and who have been in many tight places in our time, but it is no place for a woman, and if she had remained in touch with the affair, it would in time infallibly have wrecked her.” (Stoker