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Character Profiles - Coggle Diagram
Character Profiles
Jonathan Harker
He was the first character that the reader is introduced to, Jonathan was used as a construct to depict a Victorian man during the time period. This is shown through his dedication to his work despite the circumstances that he finds himself in.
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It could be argued that Jonathan is one of the characters directly affected by Dracula as he is imprisoned by Dracula and was on the verge of losing his sanity. Furthermore, Harker's time in Dracula's castle affected him so much that his hair turned white from shock.
"The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!
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Harker is portrayed to be incredibly intelligent and resourceful, as well as methodical. However, it could be argued because he possessed these qualities made him lacking in understanding the supernatural as he rationalises everything that he cannot understand - this a direct link to the British audience.
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Harker throughout the novel is used to represent the usual typical British man who tries to do the right thing (due to the influence of religion?) but is confronted by obstacles.
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The depiction of Harker changes drastically in the later chapters, as he is shown to be weak and vulnerable after suffering at the hands of Dracula.
The reader finds it fascinating that Harker was one of the two characters who were responsible in directly killing Dracula, it brought everything 'full circle'.
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Mina Murray
The reader finds the construct of Mina fascinating, as she is presented as vulnerable and needing the protection of men, yet she is is smart and different from other women.
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On one hand Mina is presented as a dutiful wife who wants nothing to be useful to her husband, she is shown to be kind and gentle, which all fit into what was expected of women at the time.
Whilst on the other hand she is presented to be completely differenet to other women, like Lucy and therefore she was able to be saved from being a vampire. Mina is also shown to support the progress of 'New woman', furthermore it could be argued that she is a 'New woman'.
The construct of Mina is used as something that the men could rally behind - protecting her from Dracula. Though the men's intentions were pure, it could be argued that she is also used to depict the male fantasy of being the hero that saves the damsel.
Mina is used to compare to Lucy and has been used to understand why Lucy dies and she lives. It could be argued that Stoker is suggesting that the Victorian women should be modelling the actions and behaviour of Mina as that is the way foward.
John Seward
The construct of John Seward is used to depict the science that was possible in the Victorian period. Seward is used to emphasise the progression of science, he is also used to portray the science faction of the conflict between science and religion.
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It could be argued that Seward and Harker share a similarity of rationalising, they both refuse to believe in the supernatural, Seward specifically rationalises the unexplainable through science and what he knows.
Seward is a very important character due to him being the closest to Renfield who gives clarification on the powers of Dracula - as he influences Renfield
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Seward and his place of work is very important as the reader learns that Dracula was next door to them for a period of time, which further emphasises how he affected Renfield.
Seward was also the closest to van Helsing due to their prior student-teacher relationship. You could argue that this gave Seward a better understanding of Dracula and the supernatural than the other three vampire hunters.
Lucy Westenra
Lucy is quite similar to Mina, as they are both presented as innocent and pure and both soon to be married. However Lucy is sexualised due to her natural physical appearance, as she was able to charm three suitors. This therefore ultimately led to her early death.
""Until it sets to-night, that monster must retain"
Lucy on one hand also does nto fit into the normal expectation of a Victorian woman. In fact, she is the complete antithesis as she is presented to have desires that just cannot be met, this may have a reason why she had to die, perhaps to deter the Victorian female audience from acting in such a way, as it may lead to severe consequences.
This could be supported by the fact that Lucy had transplants from all for men - mix of body fluids and yet she was still not saved, this therefore suggests that the construct of Lucy may have always been too far gone to have been saved.
The fact that Lucy was unable to be saved from turning into a vampire is very interesting, as it allowed her to be further sexualised than she already was. Furthermore, Lucy as a vampire is used to challenge the self-control of the men as she attempts to tempt them to join her.
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Despite everything that the reader learns of Lucy, it is quite fascinating how she is returned to a state of purity when she is killed - this could further reinforce the expectations for women to always remain pure in Victorian era.