Essay On Sexuality In Bram Stokers Dracula - 2371 Words

Voluptuous Sexuality Although in modern times people are exposed to sexuality from a young age through advertisements, media, and pop culture, during the Victorian era in England, the only acceptable exploration of repressed sexual desire was through a book that upholds the Christian belief of sexuality’s corruptive effects on society. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a gothic, horror novel, Dracula, a vampire from Transylvania, preys on Mina Harker, a devoted Christian and intelligent woman, and Lucy Westenra, an innocent, young woman pursued by three suitors, by luring them and sucking their blood; the women and their suitors form a gang of vampire fighters who track and eventually kill Dracula defeating his devilry with the forces of†¦show more content†¦I closed my eyes in a languorous ecstasy and waited -- waited with beating heart† (Stoker 32). Both repulsed by and attracted to the vampires, Jonathan experiences sexual desires, and while recounting it in his journal, he focus es on sensory images, the mouth, skin, and throat, describing the experience as â€Å"ecstasy† and mirroring the images of sex scenes. The women tempt Jonathan with their sexualized appearance, but giving into their enchantment would lead to the ultimate punishment for sin, being brutally attacked and turned into a vampire. Moreover, the pauses and waiting periods that Jonathan experiences expose the sexual tension prolonging the temptation and sin. Voyeurism further compounds the sinfulness of Jonathan’s interactions with the female vampires. Multiple women who are not his wife entice him while one engages in sexual behavior with him, and the others watch and await their opportunity (Green). A religious man and a serious person, Jonathan falls to the evils of sexuality, lusting for the female vampire. Van Helsing similarly meets the three female vampires in the night, but he steadfastly maintains his righteousness. When he meets the vampires, he says, â€Å"The mere beauty and the fascination of the wanton un-dead have hypnotised him†¦. 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This paper will explore Bram Stoker’s Dracula under the theory of, â€Å"The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference† The rejection of modernity, sexual expression, and the xenophobic threat from Old World Europe are all gates of difference that Stoker touches on. Dracula dwells at the gates of difference