In Dr. Steward’s diary entry in chapter 16, he discusses Lucy in her vampire form. This description conflicts with the view of women in the Victorian era. During this era, women were regarded as pure and angelic. When Lucy is a vampire, she is described as having “eyes unclean and full of hell fire, instead of the pure gentle orbs we knew” (Stoker, 302). In readings, eyes are often described as looking into one’s soul and by describing them as ‘unclean’ Dr. Stewards is taking femininity away from Lucy’s character. Within gothic fiction, readers enjoy the idea of the unusual. Stoker uses the stereotypes of women at the time to go beyond what people would normally expect from Lucy. Novels such as Dracula gain this level of popularity because they reach into the impulsivities and unnatural desires that society requires, we hide because judgment will follow. Watching Lucy devolve into ‘hell fire’ allows the reader’s urges of anger and impurity to be validated through reading opposed to acting out and getting judged by society.
While Lucy is primarily seen as a flawed woman during the Victorian Era, she also offers a sex appeal that women want. Within the same paragraph, Dr. Steward comments on her smile, describing it as “voluptuous” (Stoker, 302). In this sense, her evilness has made her more attractive. This comes from another common idea during the Victorian era that women only have power when they are evil or trying to gain something. It’s her power that makes her more sexualized even when she is committing ungodly acts against children. This comparison between purity and sex is a major theme within Dracula that Lucy encapsulates.
The word “impure” being used to describe Lucy’s eyes is really interesting. I agree with your thought that it was a way to describe what they viewed as the change in her soul. In the Victorian Era there was a heavy emphasis on purity culture and when Lucy begins to have any sort of sexuality she is seen as a monster. Essentially, I think that Stoker was trying to depict her change in sexuality as a demonic or unholy change.