The main character of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is a sexually confusing character. Nietzche spoke of a creative being called “berman” or “superman”. Men who overcome their handicaps and identify with God are potential supermen; as models of this concept, Nietzche named Socrates, Jesus, Leonardo da Vinci, Napoleon Bonaparte and Goethe, among others. Adolf Hitler took this idea to a new level during World War II, proclaiming that all Aryans were supermen and fit to control who lived and who died. Hitler not only identified himself with God, but he gave himself a divine title. Dracula is another of these "supermen": he possesses supernatural powers beyond those of any mere mortal, and decides who must die and who must become immortal. There are, however, a number of discrepancies in the text that indicate that Dracula is far from being the all-powerful, masculine character of the true superman. In fact, it embodies several particularly feminine characteristics and is closely associated with several important feminine concepts. The question that arises is whether Stoker intended Dracula to be played as a superman or as a gender-ambiguous character whose feminine aspects undermine his masculinity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The first issue to consider is Dracula's physical appearance. Although Dracula is a man, he has particularly feminine anatomical characteristics. When the reader is introduced to Count Dracula, they are immediately given a few important descriptors. The first is that Dracula has a beard; this is important because this cannot in any way be interpreted as a feminine trait. However, this masculinity is immediately undermined by the fact that Dracula has "very red lips" (10), generally associated with women. This feminine trait is then undermined by a masculine trait: the immense strength of the count. Jonathan Harker writes: “Then I got off the side of the coach, the driver helping me with a hand that caught my arm in a steel grip; his strength must have been prodigious” (10). Later, Harker would say that the Count's hand "seized mine with a force that made me wince" (15), thus reinforcing the Count's physical power. The count's face also lends credibility to his superman persona: a strong aquiline - a very strong one -, with a high bridge of the nose and particularly fine nostrils, with a dome-shaped forehead and hair barely growing around it. temples, but abundantly everywhere. His eyebrows were very massive, meeting almost at the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in profusion... the chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm although thin. (17)This can hardly be called a feminine man's face; it is hard and hardly resembles a woman's face. However, Dracula's masculine countenance is undermined by the fact that the Count is described as shockingly pale: his hands are "white and thin...the general effect was one of extraordinary pallor" (18). . The importance of this fact is determined by the era in which Stoker wrote. Just before the publication of Dracula in 1897, a culture of invalidism was rampant. Women sought to appear thin and infirm, on the verge of death. It was very fashionable to be pale and sickly; the hope was that the appearance of impending death would give someone an angelic quality. Dracula takes on a similar pallor, although the effect is somewhat different; although he is already dead, he looks more like a demon than an angel. Dracula's pale face was a sure signof femininity in the Victorian era. After feeding, the female vampires in the story are flushed and appear more alive; this is not the case with Dracula. Seeing Lucy in her coffin after a night of feeding, Dr. Seward remarks that "she was, if possible, more radiant than ever...and on the cheeks there was a delicate bloom" (200).Dracula , however, is described as having a "waxy complexion" and "pale skin" the very morning after feeding on Mina Harker's blood. In this sense, he is even more feminine than the women of history; although they are able to shed the delicate attitude so popular among women at the time, the Count cannot shed his fashionable pallor. An understanding of Dracula's state of mind is crucial to discussing his femininity. His emotional state, as well as the actions that result from it, enhance his status as superman, unlike his physical description. To begin with, Dracula is extremely educated. He studied everything necessary to achieve his ambitions. Before embarking on his trip to London, the Count learned to speak English "thoroughly" (22), and "he had obviously studied beforehand everything he could know about the neighborhood, because in the end, he knew obviously much more than [Harker] did” (22). Such a high level of education was a trait associated primarily with men in the Victorian era. Additionally, Dracula is a war hero and war itself is the symbol of masculinity. He was a great warrior of his time, conquering entire populations and inspiring fear in the hearts of mortals; he still inspires this same fear in the hearts of the citizens who live in his country. This is demonstrated by the superstitious rituals Harker witnesses as he travels to the Count's dwelling. Dracula says that "we, the Szekelys, have the right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship" (28). In truth, he was the one who fought these wars so long ago, and his centuries of warfare and experience have given him a certain degree of strategic capability. It is this ability that he uses to his advantage when "fighting" Professor Van Helsing and his men. While he is experienced enough to know how to flee when outnumbered, as when Van Helsing and the others close in on him in one of his London houses (306), he also knows the most productive and efficient way to escape. more effective in eliminating an enemy. It goes straight to the weakest point: in this case, the women that men like. He takes Lucy away before the men are even truly aware of the danger. Even once they recognize the threat Dracula poses, they are still unable to stop him from taking Mina. Through Mina, the Count can gain knowledge about the activities and plans of men and hurt their morale. Dracula said to Mina: While they played intelligence against me - against me who commanded the nations, who intrigued and fought for them, hundreds of years before their birth - I thwarted them. And you, their beloved... you will later be my companion and my assistant. (288)This seemingly minor victory is, in fact, significant; this shows that Dracula has the power to defeat five men at once, further cementing his status as superman. We could, however, consider his attack to be feminine: he does not take his victims by force, but lulls them into a state of submission in which there is no need to struggle. Lucy, in fact, does not even remember the seduction, but rather attributes it to a flight of fancy or a dream. When Dracula takes Mina's blood and gives her his own, the situation seems calm and even sweet to Van Helsing and hiscompanions. Mina has her head buried in the Count's chest, enveloped in his embrace (although it's not an extremely loving embrace, it's an embrace nonetheless). When Mina recounts the events of the evening to the men, it is the only time in the novel where the reader sees Dracula feeding. The first impression created by his description is, however, false. In fact, Dracula actually uses the threat of violence to draw Mina's blood. He attacks his weakness: his beloved. When Dracula finds her awake and alert, he points to her husband and says, “Quiet! If you make any noise, I will take him and smash his brains out before your eyes” (287). This is the first time we hear the Count make a violent physical threat. We see how successful this is: he is able to overpower Mina and make her drink his blood by forcefully burying his face in her chest. Dracula's actions throughout the story are particularly masculine and support the idea of ​​Dracula as a superman figure. We can go even further with the idea of ​​Dracula's masculinity: he appears as a father figure in the novel. He is the only male vampire the reader is introduced to; indeed, he appears to be the only male vampire in existence. He represents a perfect father figure to the three female vampires living in his castle. They must respect his rules and follow his orders. When he finds the women about to share Harker's blood, Dracula intervenes and says, "How dare you touch him, any of you?" How dare you lay eyes on him when I had forbidden it? (39) Most importantly, Dracula is a provider for women. It's as if they are helpless children relying on him to bring them food, even though we see that they are far from helpless. When the three vampires discover that they cannot feed on Jonathan, they turn to Dracula, who satiates their hunger with a bag containing a small child. He completely possesses the women, controlling at one time or another every female character in the text. The role of Dracula, however, is more suited to that of a mother than that of a father. It's true that he provides for his "family" and is in charge - even Renfield, a non-vampire who wants to be part of Dracula's retinue, does what he wants. However, there is no escaping the fact that Dracula is the only one capable of reproducing. Female vampires never create offspring: their victims die or recover, but never transform into vampires. It is assumed that the three women disposed of the child in the bag given to them by the count, because we never hear of it again, except when the child's mother comes crying for punishment. Lucy's victims are young children who recover quickly and appear no worse for wear after the incident. Mina never has the opportunity to feed herself. The only one that reproduces is Dracula, and he's a male. Later, once she is cured of her vampirism, Mina is allowed to reproduce. The natural state of her motherhood and the fact that she is a woman only reminds the reader that Dracula, even though he is a man, also had children. Dracula's maternal qualities are reaffirmed when Mina drinks blood from his chest. The parallel with a baby suckling its mother's breast is unavoidable. Dracula and a mother give life to their children. If there is a sort of role reversal at the end, since Mina becomes a mother in her own right, here it is Dracula who is the maternal figure. He represents much more of a mother than a father - yet another detrimental factor to his already questionable masculinity. There is no doubt that Dracula is capable of reproducing and controlling hisoffspring. It is also undeniable that he possesses a variety of other abilities and powers. His powers are so extensive, in fact, that Dracula is described as almost divine in the text. Renfield, Dr. Seward's zoophagous patient and follower of Dracula, often refers to Dracula as the "Master", making comments such as "I don't want to talk to you: you don't matter now; the Master is at hand” (100). Later, in a fuller statement, Renfield said: I am here to carry out Your orders, Master. I am your slave and you will reward me, because I will be faithful. I have loved you for a long time and from afar. Now that you are near, I await your orders, and you will not let me pass, will you, dear Master, in your distribution of good things? (102) Clearly, Dracula is a god-like figure to Renfield, and Dr. Seward is aware of this as well. He takes the liberty of capitalizing words referring to Dracula, although he only heard the words spoken aloud. According to Renfield, the Count will soon be able to "distribute good things", as a god does. Not only does Dracula control men like Renfield, but he also controls other vampires; although readers do not witness this power, he has the ability to control Mina once she is under his influence. He tells Mina that "when my brain says 'Come!' for you, you will cross land or sea to carry out my orders” (288) Dracula’s telepathic ability is no less impressive: he has the ability to control wildlife and command his body to transform into it. a number of forms. He can summon beasts from great distances without having to say a word or lift a finger. Professor Van Helsing says of Dracula: ...by himself, as strong in person as twenty men. ... he can, within certain limits, appear at will when, where and in any of the forms that suit him; he can, within his reach, direct the elements: the storm, the fog, the thunder; can command all the nastiest things: the rat, the owl, the bat, the moth, the fox and the wolf; it can grow and become small and it can sometimes disappear and become unknown; These supernatural abilities are extreme and unprecedented in any mortal; it is not difficult to understand why men like Renfield consider Dracula a god. However, despite this, there are a few moments that make Dracula more of a goddess than a god. The fact that Dracula can only come out at night is significant. Night, empire of the moon, has been commonly associated in literature with the feminine gender. Folklore, mythology, and religious traditions of many ancient cultures personify the moon as a woman. This is partly because women have noticed for centuries that their menstrual periods are often in sync with the cycles of the moon. In ancient Egypt, Isis, the moon goddess, was the mother and giver of all life. In the book of Genesis, Jacob observes that in his son's dream the sun represents himself and his wife is represented by the moon. Geoffrey Chaucer uses the moon in reference to the constant transformation of women in his epic poem "Troilus and Criseyde", written in the 14th century. Everywhere we look, there are countless connections between the feminine and the moon; because of his association with the night, Dracula became feminized. Another issue that calls Dracula's masculinity into question is the fact that he must sleep on earth. The earth, like the moon, is the kingdom of women. In Greek, "Earth" is both mythically and grammatically feminine, and is ruled by goddesses rather than gods. The common expression “Mother Earth”.