Within the novel Dracula, the transformation of Lucy into a vampire gives the reader a lot of insight into how much it looks into the Victorian obsession with forbidden desire and the anxiety associated with the unknown. Therefore, through Lucy’s gory and shocking depiction, “Dracula” reflects the core Victorian ideas of dual morality, the destruction of purity and the sexual lure of the supernatural and women. The passage describes Lucy’s physical transformation, highlighting the drastic change from her previous form. The text states, “The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness,”(Brahms, chapter 16) indicating a significant alteration in her demeanor and physical attributes. This theme of transformation and the exploration of the duality of human nature were recurrent motifs in Victorian literature. Furthermore, the contrast between Lucy’s previous gentle nature and her current state, with her eyes now unclean and full of hell-fire, alludes to the concept of the “fallen woman” prevalent in Victorian society. The characters’ reactions, their horror and Van Helsing’s momentary failure of nerve, highlight the profound impact of witnessing such a transformation, evoking the Victorian fascination with the macabre and the inexplicable like the text states” My own heart grew cold as ice”(Brahms, chapter 16) . There’s also a theme of gore such as “lips were crimson with fresh blood”(Brahms, chapter 16) that may indicate the true of transformation of Mina but it also have some correlation with blood transfusion, the loss of innocence within Mina, and the fascination of bodies and medical things within the Victorian era. This moment within novel truly encapsulate how the Victorian public were interested with themes of corruption within a woman so much that she changed every single aspects about her but also how it taps into the sexual desire of the unknown and the fascination with supernatural beings as a medium to explore their morality and identity.
2 thoughts on “Good girl gone bad: How Lucy’s transformation could be a fascination within the Victorian era.”
Comments are closed.
It is very interesting that you connect morality with Dracula in Victorian society. As we have identified in our other text, Lady Audly’s secret, the only way for a woman to have power is for them to be evil and promiscuous. This also relates to the femme fatale when talking about the vampirized forms of Lucy and Mina. In the loss of their innocence, they become sultry and devious. The loss of innocence occurs in a few different ways, specifically during the blood transfusions. They have the “strong man’s blood” flowing through their veins. This detracts from their femininity and makes them impure.
I think this post represents an interesting idea, that is present but not fully explained to the reader the way others are. I think the idea of the femme fatal is interesting, but is completely different in “Dracula”, because Lucy begins as such a delicate, feminine, somewhat soft character. In her turn, her use of sexuality changes, and I think Stoker shows that women can use men for their own benefit, or can trick men, but use sexuality regardless.