Compare and contrast essay on “Dracula” by Bram Stoker and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde
In the Victorian era, Christian faith dictated that only the purest and untainted individuals would be permitted to enter heaven and so the emphasis on following religious beliefs was of keen importance to people. A definition of the soul is the principle of life, feeling, thought and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity, separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body.
Writing at this time, both Bram Stoker in his novel Dracula (1897) and Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) present characters whose body and souls become corrupted by evil. Stoker and Wilde suggest a similar moral message for society; how humanity should accept the changes in society, specifically the movement of immigration, sexuality, and feminism, otherwise individuals become susceptible to evil and their body and souls become corrupted.Both novels contain an eponymous antagonist; focusing on the individuals who are the cause of evil within society.
In Dracula, Stoker presents the antagonist (Dracula) as a disease who infects the characters surrounding him and influencing them with his corrupted intentions. An example being Lucy Westenra who Stoker presented her as pure and innocent from the start but then becomes an enchantress due to Dracula corrupting both her body and soul. He does this by doing an inhumane act of drinking her blood leaving her in a state of voluptuousness. As the Novel progresses, we begin to see the impure side of Lucy and the ideal Victorian women being thrown out. The pure and innocent Lucy is sexualised more than Mina and her beauty is emphasised greatly compared to Mina. This possibly could foreshadow what will happen to Lucy when she is a fallen victim to Dracula just like the three female vampires. Lucy ends up being described as “the sweetness was turned to…heartless cruelty and the purity to voluptuous wantonness”. This suggests that she is no longer the sweet, innocent she once was but now a manipulative seductress who desires nothing more than blood. Blood can connote that in a sense that Lucy virginity is lost to Dracula as he uses Lucy’s body to feed on her blood maybe giving her sexual liberation as he turns her into a vampire, this also implies that Dracula has the control and power just like in a patriarchy society where women were inferior to men. In the Victorian Era, you were expected to be faithful to your husband but this clearly shows that Lucy doesn’t have any respect for Arthur and goes against society’s expectation as she succumbs to Dracula. This influence of evil leads to Lucy soul being corrupted because now she has consumed a different persona. Stoker uses the repetition of “voluptuous” to suggest that Lucy is appealing in a sexual way and very erotic. In the nineteenth century, slender women were seen as chastity, whilst curvy and fleshy women were seen as the demonic children of Eve. This implies that the supernatural of being a vampire could be a symbol of the desire for the women to break out of their Victorian role and break loose from their conformity which causes social stigma. A feminist reader would argue that women are subjected to the root of evil caused by men. They are only inferior beings that can be easily corrupted.
In contrast to Dracula, Dorian is influenced by his surroundings and the people, especially Lord Henry who causes the beginning of Dorian evilness to surface from within and his character to slowly deteriorate.In contrast to Dracula, Dorian is influenced by his surroundings and the people, especially Lord Henry who causes the beginning of Dorian evilness to surface from within and his character to slowly deteriorate. When Dorian first met Lord Henry, he is captivated by his speech of hedonism and greed that he abandons the advice that Basil told him.T he painting that Basil drew captured Dorian’s interest as he made a pledge wishing to stay young forever. The juxtaposition of Dorian and the picture of his canvas reflect the way society views individuals; only if you are from a prestigious background with wealth and power, you are able to live comfortably. Dorian trades his soul for the luxury of eternal youth, “if it were only the other way! if it were I who was always to be young and the picture to grow old!”. Dorian’s evil thoughts lead him to the starting of the corruption of his heart and soul, in which he was blinded by the influence. Lord Henry said “There is no such thing as a good influence, Mr Gray. All influence is immoral — immoral from the scientific point of view.” Oscar Wilde quoted “Because to influence a person is to give him one’s own soul”. This may relate to Lord Henry influencing Dorian as he sees Dorian is a beautiful man that is still young so he wants to direct Dorian the way that he sees himself as a young man who has many potentials to get what he wants.