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Women: Object/Men: Protectors Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, exhibits many characteristics of nineteenth century Gothic novels. In fact, this novel may be the best representation of the time period. It includes the elements typical of the novel: morbid melancholy, figures of the supernatural, dark romance, mysterious setting, and many twists and turns. It also incorporates the differences in the roles of gender, which are obvious in the story. One example is that the men …

…an important role in determining the behavior of the characters in Dracula. There are two types of women in flux here: the traditional nineteenth century proper women and the promiscuous sexual predator. What separates the two is the symbolic vampire bite, which represents sexuality. The men, who take it upon themselves to guard their women from “the bite of lust,” may be unaware of their other purpose: to protect the role of the proper woman.