Nov. 7th, 2020 07:53 am
Progress on Dracula, Part 5
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnybooBeen thinking about gender roles in Dracula.
Something that's come up for both Lucy and Dracula's female companions is the eating of children. Considering contemporary gender roles, could this be considered a corruption of maternal instincts? (Maybe a better way to say this is that becoming a vampire forces you to act against your nature.)
This is paralleled in Dracula. He is the masculine "master," meant to be a father to his peasants and a steward of his lands, but he exploits them and abuses them - corrupting this "natural" relationship. His assault, corruption, and "seduction" of Lucy defies gender roles as well - man is meant to protect women and innocence, to guide them and take care of them. Instead he masculinizes her, turning her into a creature that is neither male or female in its actions and demeanor.
Something that's come up for both Lucy and Dracula's female companions is the eating of children. Considering contemporary gender roles, could this be considered a corruption of maternal instincts? (Maybe a better way to say this is that becoming a vampire forces you to act against your nature.)
This is paralleled in Dracula. He is the masculine "master," meant to be a father to his peasants and a steward of his lands, but he exploits them and abuses them - corrupting this "natural" relationship. His assault, corruption, and "seduction" of Lucy defies gender roles as well - man is meant to protect women and innocence, to guide them and take care of them. Instead he masculinizes her, turning her into a creature that is neither male or female in its actions and demeanor.
Tags: