In the Victorian era, a new type of woman evolved. This woman defied social norms, as they did not want children or to be married. In the article “Daughters of decadence: the New Woman in the Victorian fin de siècle” Greg Buzwell says that these woman, called New Woman, were increasingly more publically interested in sex. The exploration into sex was another way of redefining themselves and giving them a new type of power in their lives.
Similarly in Dracula, as Lucy is beign turned into a vampire, she is described to be more sexual: “In a sort of sleep-waking, vague, unconscious way she opened her eyes, which were now dull and hard at once, and said in a soft, voluptuous voice, such as I had never heard from her lips:— “Arthur! Oh, my love, I am so glad you have come! Kiss me” (Stoker 172)! Lucy is seen here in a new role, one that has given her power and a new look of being sexual. Arthur is taken aback, but is also overcome with his desire for her.
It is not a conscience that as Lucy is being transformed into a vampire, she is becoming increasingly more sexual. This transformation relates back to the age of New Woman, and the power that they New Woman seem to have with their findings of their desire to be sexual. Stoker seems to play this key transformation in the society into his novel to further explore it, and show the changes in society. With his male characters, Stoker is also showing a slight power shift, as they are helpless around the sexual explicit female vampires, just like how Jonathan was unable to control himself when he met the three female vampires.