Table- Of main points highlighted as so... Thesis revolves around- Atavism
Sexual Desires
Seduction
Canibalism

Underlying themes- Lust as a disease
Mina Harker as a counter example.

Braden Crockett
Professor Crockett
FWS 010-5
22 March 2012 Epidemic of Lust

In Dracula by Bram Stoker, atavism is a prevalent theme in the novel. Lust is spreading through the air as if it were a contagious disease. Dracula is the original host who spreads this disease to Women, and with such a sexual appetite it spreads quickly. Women were making decsions were based upon their sexual outcomes instead of logic. These women would flaunt a lascivious side of sex and seduction that had taken over their persona entirely. Women were acting irrationally by corrupting men and their ability to make decisions. This “epidemic of lust” scared Victorians into thinking an age of atavism was upon them. Women were regressing into primitive sex oriented animals. The women in the novel have the power to manipulate and corrupt every man. The symptoms of this disease are sexual desire, seduction and canibalism which clearly imply the regression to atavism.

Something this strange might even be considered a disease by the Victorians. Dracula is the orgin of this contagious disease of sexuality. As the original host Dracula holds self-discipline when it comes to such a devious act as sucking succulently on a persons neck, but the women do not have such self-control. “INSERT QUOTE 3Women” Once Dracula preys on women the disease is transferred and they transform into an uncontrollable sex driven monster. Lucy used to be a civilized, ideal Victorian women until she was transformed. After the transformation she craved sexual appeasement. “The sweetness was turned into adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to a volumptuous wantonness.” (Stoker 187) Mina Harker was the only counter example in the novel. She portrayed strength and hope since she was never overtaken by the disease. Even though Mina was never fully transformed we see how intimately the disease is transferred. “As he had placed the wafer on Mina’s forehead, it had seared it-had burned into flesh as though it had been a piece of white hot metal.” (Stoker 259) “Her white nightdress was smeared with blood, and a thin stream trickled down the mans breast which was shown by his torn open dress. The attitude of the two had a terrible resemblance to a child forcing a kitten’s nose into a saucer of milk to compel it to drink.” (Stoker 247) By stealing a woman’s virtue, it is almost as if this disease changes the chemical imbalance in the female brain. Once fully infected by this disease, women have an increased sexual desire, a new found power to corrupt men, and a thirst for human blood. The strength of this drive for sex and blood is tremendous and the infected women will do anything to obtain more and more. The most tragic fact for Victorians is that Dracula can infect even the most proper women and turns them into sex-crazed monster. Women who are conventional and orthodox are completely transformed. This intensive sexual desire is the first symptom in the regression to atavism.

Not only were women effected they were highly contagious, there newly found instincts allowed them to seduce me with ease. These diseased women were seductively contagious by the means of that they could manipulate men by launching this disease upon them. The men were not effected in the same way the women were. Once infected by the women the men would fall into a trance, as if they were under a spell. “The fair girl went on her knees, and bent over me fairly gloating. There was a deliberate volumptousness... I closed my eyes in a langorous ecstacy and waited—waited with a beating heart.” (CH.4). After these men were affected by the disease radienting from these sick women, they had no way of defending themselves and the women could do as the pleased. John describes this girl to have features of