The title character in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is a sexually disconcerting figure. Nietzche wrote of a creative being called the “berman,” or “superman.” Men who overcome their handicaps and identify with God are potential supermen; as models of this concept, Nietzche called 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 took for himself a divine title. Dracula is another of these "supermen": he has supernatural powers that surpass those of any mere mortal and decides who dies and who becomes immortal. There are, however, a number of discrepancies within the text that indicate that Dracula is far from the masculine, omnipotent personality of the true superman. Indeed, it embodies several typically feminine characteristics and is closely associated with several important feminine concepts. The question at hand is whether Stoker intended Dracula to be portrayed 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first issue to consider is Dracula's physical appearance. Although Dracula is a man, he has some particularly feminine anatomical features. When the reader is introduced to Count Dracula, he or she is immediately given some important descriptors. The first is that Dracula has a beard; this is important because it 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), which are generally associated with women. This feminine trait is then undermined by the masculine one: the immense strength of the count. Jonathan Harker writes: "Then I stepped down from the side of the carriage, the driver helping me with a hand that grasped my arm in a steel grip; his strength must have been prodigious" (10). Later, Harker says that the earl's hand "grasped mine with a force that made me gasp" (15), thus reinforcing the earl's physical might. The count's face also lends credibility to his superman persona: a strong - very strong - aquiline, with a high thin bridge of the nose and particularly thin nostrils, with a high domed forehead and hair growing sparsely around the temples, but abundantly everywhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting above his nose, and with thick hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion... his chin was broad and strong, and his cheeks firm though thin. (17)This can hardly be called the face of a feminine man; it is hard and bears little resemblance to a woman's face. However, Dracula's masculine face is undermined by the fact that the count is described as incredibly pale: his hands are "white and fine... the general effect was one of extraordinary pallor" (18). The importance of this fact is determined by the era in which Stoker was writing. Shortly before the publication of Dracula in 1897, a culture of invalidism was rampant. The women tried to appear thin and infirm, on the verge of death. It was considered very fashionable to be pale and sickly-looking; the hope was that the near-death appearance would confer an angelic quality. Dracula takes on a similar paleness, although the effect is slightly different; although he is already dead, he resembles a demon more than an angel. Dracula's pale face was a sure sign of femininity during the Victorian era. After youfed, the female vampires in the story become flushed and appear more alive; this is not the case with Dracula. Upon seeing Lucy in her coffin after a night of feeding, Dr. Seward observes that "she was, if possible, more radiantly beautiful than ever...and on her cheeks was a delicate flower" (200).Dracula, however , is described as having a "waxy color" and "pale skin" the very morning after feeding on Mina Harker's blood. In this sense she is even more feminine than the women in history; while they manage to shed the delicate behavior so popular among women of the time, the count cannot shed his fashionable pallor. Understanding Dracula's mentality is crucial to a discussion of his femininity. His emotional state, as well as his resulting actions, enhance his status as a superman, in contrast to his physical description. For starters, Dracula is extremely educated. He studied everything necessary to be able to realize his ambitions. Before embarking on his journey to London, the Earl learns to speak English "thoroughly" (22), and "had evidently studied beforehand all he could get on the subject of the neighborhood, for he evidently knew in the end much more than [ Harker] did" (22). Such a high level of education was a characteristic associated primarily with men during the Victorian era. Furthermore, Dracula is a war hero and war itself is the symbol of masculinity. He was a great warrior of his time, conquering entire peoples and striking fear into the hearts of mortals; still inspires the same fear in the hearts of citizens living in his country. This is demonstrated by the superstitious rituals Harker witnesses on his way to the earl's mansion. Dracula says that "we Szekelys have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who have fought as the lion fights, for lordship" (28). It was he, in truth, who fought those wars long ago, and his centuries of warfare and experience granted him a certain degree of strategic ability. 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 escape when outnumbered, such as when Van Helsing and the others accost him in one of his London homes (306), he is also aware of the most productive and efficient way to take down an enemy. It goes straight for the weakest point: in this case, the women that men love. He takes Lucy 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 manages to learn about the men's activities and plans and hurt their morale. Dracula tells Mina: While they played with their wits against me - against me who commanded the nations, schemed for them and fought for them, hundreds of years before they were born - I was opposing them. And you, their most beloved... will later be my companion and my help. (288)This seemingly minor victory is, in fact, significant; shows that Dracula has the power to defeat five men at once, reinforcing his status as superman. One could, however, consider his actual attack as feminine: he does not take his victims by force, but rather lulls them into a state of submission in which there is no need to struggle. In fact, Lucy doesn't even remember the seduction, but rather attributes it to a flight of imagination or a dream. When Dracula takes Mina's blood and gives her his own, the situation appears calm and even gentle to Van Helsing and his companions. Mina has her head buried in the count's chest, wrapped in his embrace (even if it's not a hugextremely affectionate, it's still a hug). When Mina recounts the evening's events to the men, it is the only time in the novel that the reader gets to see Dracula actually feed himself. The first impression raised by his description, however, is false. In fact, Dracula actually uses the threat of violence to take Mina's blood. He preys on his weakness: his beloved. When Dracula finds her awake and alert, he points to her husband and says, "Silence! If you make a sound I will take him and blow his brains out before your eyes" (287). This is the first time we hear the Count make a violent, physical threat. Let's see how successful he is: he manages to subdue Mina and make her drink his blood by forcibly pushing her face into his chest. Dracula's actions throughout the story are particularly masculine and support the idea of ​​Dracula as a superman figure. You can go even further with the idea of ​​Dracula's masculinity: he seems to be a father figure in the novel. He is the only male vampire the reader is introduced to; in fact, he appears to be the only male vampire in existence. He represents a perfect father figure to the three female vampires who live in his castle. They must respect his rules and follow his commands. When he finds the women about to take Harker's blood, Dracula intervenes and says, "how dare you touch him, any of you? How dare you cast your eyes upon him when I forbade you?" (39) More importantly, Dracula is a provider for women. It's as if they are helpless children who are counting on him to bring them food, even though we see that they are anything but helpless. When the three vampires find they cannot feed on Jonathan, they turn to Dracula, who satiates their hunger with a bag containing a small child. He totally owns the women, at one point or another controlling 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 is true that he provides for his "family" and that he is in charge: even Renfield, a non-vampire who wishes to be part of Dracula's retinue, does his bidding. 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 they never turn into vampires. It is assumed that the three women got rid of the child in the sack given to them by the count, because they are never heard from again, except when the child's mother arrives crying for revenge. Lucy's victims are young children who soon recover and appear not to suffer from the accident. Mina is never given the chance to feed herself. The only one who breeds is Dracula, and he's a male. Later, once cured of vampirism, Mina can reproduce. The natural state of her motherhood and the fact that she is a woman only serve to remind the reader that Dracula, although a man, also had children. Dracula's maternal qualities are reaffirmed when Mina drinks blood from his chest. The parallel cannot be missed with the child breastfeeding at the mother's breast. Both Dracula and a mother give birth to their children. Although there is a sort of role reversal at the end, when Mina becomes a mother in her own right, Dracula is the maternal figure here. He represents a mother much more than a father: another detrimental factor to his already questionable masculinity. There is no doubt that Dracula is capable of reproducing and controlling his offspring. It is also indisputable that it houses a variety of other abilities and powers. His powers are so vast, in fact, that Dracula is described as almost godlike in the text. Dr. Seward's zoophagous patient and Dracula follower, Renfield, often refers to Dracula as "Master", making comments such as "I don't want to talk to you: you don't count now; the Master is at hand" (100). Later, in onefuller statement, Renfield says: 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 adored you long and far. Now that you are near, I await your commands, and you do not leave me any longer, do you, dear Master, in the distribution of goods? (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 the words referring to Dracula, even if he only heard them aloud. According to Renfield, the Count will soon be able to "distribute good things", as a god does. Dracula not only has control over 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 thrall. He tells Mina that "when my brain says 'Come!' to you, you will cross land or sea to carry out my orders" (288). No less impressive is Dracula's telepathic ability: he has the ability to control wildlife and command his body to transform into any number of forms. He can call upon animals from great distances without having to say a word or lift a finger. Professor Van Helsing says of Dracula: ...of himself as strong in person as twenty men...he can, within certain limits, appear at will when, and where, and in any form to him; it can, within its range of action, direct the elements: the storm, the fog, the thunder; he can command all the meanest things: the mouse, the owl and the bat, the moth, the fox and the wolf; it can grow and become small; and sometimes it can fade away and become unknown. (237)These supernatural abilities are extreme and unparalleled in any mortal; it is not difficult to ascertain why men like Renfield consider Dracula a god. However, despite this, there are some moments that see Dracula as more of a goddess than a god. The fact that Dracula can only come out at night is significant. The night, the empire of the moon, has been commonly associated in literature with the female gender. The folklore, mythology, and religious traditions of numerous ancient cultures personify the moon as a woman. This is partly because women have noticed for centuries that their menstrual periods often are in sync with lunar cycles. 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 you look, there are countless connections between the feminine and the moon; due to his association with the night, Dracula feminized himself. Another issue that questions Dracula's masculinity is the fact that he has to sleep on the ground. The earth, like the moon, is the kingdom of the female. In Greek, "Earth" is both mythically and grammatically feminine and is ruled by goddesses, rather than gods. The common phrase “Mother Earth” also reinforces this idea. The character of Dracula is imbued with feminine symbolism: the moon and the earth both rule him and are his most devastating weaknesses. It is this knowledge that Van Helsing and his companions use to their advantage when they attack Dracula: they work diligently during the day, when Dracula has no power. They plan to sabotage his sleeping accommodations, placing sacred hosts on the ground where the count is to sleep. Without the land he is lost. While Dracula may have superpowers that compare him to a god, he is still controlled by feminine elements: his kryptonite. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get an essay.