Monstrosity as a Symbolic Theme
Both Dracula and Frankenstein have advanced the use of monstrosity as a symbolic theme. In Frankenstein, the monster symbolizes man's thirst towards knowledge as well as the value given to it. On the one hand is the beast itself whose character is determined by its experiences and on the other is Dr. Frankenstein who dares to create life. In Dracula, the vampire is a sinister figure who is a representation of evil. The two monsters are conflicting in nature. While Dracula tries to invade London, the monster in Frankenstein wants to escape the human the social order. In both instances, both monsters are representative of the ills in society. The paper seeks to explore the way Dracula and Frankenstein use monstrosity to present political and social critiques.
Monstrosity as a Symbol of Sexual Oppression
Frankenstein is a symbol of sexual oppression (Chung, 2018). Frankenstein uses science to advance this oppression. Mellor said, "a scientist who analyzes, manipulates and attempts to control nature engages in the form of oppressive sexual politics." Gender issues are explored through the creation of the monster which poses critical matters to the social make-up of society. The monster represents the female who is nurturing and sympathetic. The monster role brings out the female gender role in nineteenth-century British culture and is vital in advancing the feminist agenda.
Monstrosity as a Depiction of Political Critique
Frankenstein uses monstrosity to depict political critique. The monster is viewed as the criticizer of society. The monster gets an understanding, through reading and discussion, that human institutions at both political and social establishments have been marred by tyranny and cruelty. The monsters' conversation with Frankenstein echoes its many critical comments on human society and individual behavior. From the discussions, the monster is regarded as a foreigner and weak person with no specific place in society. The monster is denied any sense of individuality thus loses identity. There are no institutions or individuals who stand to support the rights of the monster. The society is represented as one that cannot stand to advocate for the rights of outsiders. Politically, the monster is also a representation of the dangerous force in politics, the mob. The monster depicts the possibility of a revolutionary crowd that is passionate to bring reform to the hatred of the despotic elite even if it means using violence. The large monster size represents a collective crowd. Once this mob actively gathers and individual weaknesses and traits become invisible, there is a high probability that offenses will be committed such that a handful of members would acknowledge them, were they to do the same at an individual level. The mob (now the monster) act together as if with one identity. From this viewpoint, the monster represents the dangerous, unappeasable, and uncontrollable force a discriminatory society would encounter in the face of untamed human rights violations.
Monstrosity as a Tool for Social and Political Critiques in Dracula
Dracula also uses monstrosity to present social and political critiques. It is representative of the fluid gender roles and its depiction of repressed and excessive sexuality, hence subject to many interpretations. Lucy becomes overly sexualized as she turns into a vampire. Her sexuality is repressed and turns into a sexual aggressor. Here we see the change in gender roles as Lucy goes after men instead of having men flock at her in attempts to marry her. The monster Lucy represents the women who take advantage of education and employment opportunities to break free from social restraints imposed upon them by a society mainly dominated by men. The novel also addresses the issue of homosexuality. The male, Dracula is the one who can only bite and transform ordinary men and women into vampires. Dracula says, "this man belongs to me" when the women vampire tries making advances to Jonathan. Dracula makes advances on Jonathan and at some points carries him to his bed and undresses him for which Jonathan is grateful (Stoker & Mowat, 2008). This transformation of other men into vampires arouses the theme of homosexuality, which is viewed as abnormal in the Victorian age. The book evokes the stereotypes of homosexuality.
Dracula as a Representation of Political Oppression
Dracula represents political oppression using vampirism from Transylvania to England. It touches on aspects of racism, immigration anxieties, anti-Semitism, and fear of racial degeneration during the Victorian age in England. The massive influx of immigrants into Britain during this age mainly comprised of Jews from Eastern Europe. The Dracula is descriptive and conforms to the stereotype of the evil Jew as depicted in other literature. This age is also noted to have a rise in anti-Semitism campaigns and a decline in racism. In Das Kapital, Marx repeatedly refers to capital as a blood-sucking vampire that sucks workers and integrates them into a part of itself (Linehan, 2018). Here, the monster Dracula represents the economic exploitation of the nineteenth century.
References
Chung, R. (2018). Sex and Sexual Violence in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1553/sex-and-sexual-violence-in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein
Linehan, H. (2018). Racism, misogyny, sexual anxiety. Retrieved from https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/racism-misogyny-sexual-anxiety-1.503755
M., Nobes, P., & Ward, L. (2008). Frankenstein. Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press.
Stoker, B., & Mowat, D. (2008). Dracula. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
