Essay on Paternalism in Bram Stokers Dracula - 920 Words

Paternalism in Bram Stokers Dracula Paternalism is the domination of a society by a male or parental figure that leads or governs much like the way a father would direct his family. In Victorian society, the idea of paternalism was prevalent. The idea was also frequently used as a motif in western literature. Bram Stokers novel Dracula, published in 1897, depicts a paternalistic society through a repression of the female sex and a continuous exaltation of the domineering male sex. Stoker communicates this idea through an abundant use of prominent male characters, the presence of merely two women, who are each extremely suppressed, either sexually or intellectually, and the constant exaltation of the male sex over†¦show more content†¦Each holds a high position in the society; Seward and Van Helsing are acclaimed doctors, Lord Godalming comes from an affluent family, and Harker is a solicitor. Van Helsing however, is seen as the chief paternal figure. He acts as the leader of the men and the architect of the plot to root out and remove the threat Count Dracula brings. He also cares for those who are weak in the novel, as a father would care for his frail child. When Mina and Lucy are seen as infected, frail, and vulnerable, he is there to console and to try to strengthen them. Mina and Lucy, once victimized by Dracula, develop wounds that symbolize their infection and vulnerability, but Van Helsing stays by their side to protect them. He even refers to Mina as my child (Stoker 309). When Lucy is extremely ill, he speaks to her as a father would, seen in the quote, Now, little miss, here is your medicine. Drink it off, like a good child (Stoker 131). Van Helsing is constantly concerned with those who are below him and he acts consistently as a sturdy and rational male. Paternalism also has a great influence on the behavior of females. Dracula is an excellent illustration of a paternalistic society because of its general absence of female characters and the almost total dominance of the male characters. This dominance leads to