I came tiptoe into our own room, and found Mina asleep, breathing so softly that I had to put my ear down to hear it. She looked paler than usual. I hope the meeting tonight has not upset her. I am truly thankful that she is to be left out of our future work, and even of our deliberations. It is too great a strain for a woman to bear.”
Stoker, pp 223
Comments:
Literally in the same paragraph Harker is expressing his relief that they won’t be keeping Mina in the loop, he also overlooks obvious signs of Dracula attacking his fiancé. This follows a pattern in this book where the men will remain oblivious to things that are happening directly in front of them until Mina or Helsing acknowledges it. Except this time, because of the mens’ decision to leave Mina in the dark about what they know about Dracula, she is unable to recognize or prevent the attack when it happens.
In this story, Mina is acting as the ‘proper Victorian woman’ archetype in contrast to Lucy’s multiple romantic prospects. This means, implicitly based on Victorian tropes, that Mina gets a second chance to live because she was virtuous (similar to the ‘final girl’ trope in modern horror).
Questions:
Is Vampirism reversible or inevitable?
What is the exact connection between vampirism, impurity, and gender roles?
