Who Is Mina Murray?

Peter/WuFeng Ji

English 100a

Diana Lobb

October 19th 2014

Who is Mina Murray?

The character Mina Murray appears in several storylines, including Dracula and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, that take place during and after the Victorian Era.  This era contained debates at the time regarding women’s suffrage. Mina’s character signifies the transition and change in women’s roles in society. She has qualities that can relate to multiple controversial ideas at that time regarding women. Those include women’s intellect, their qualities of thought, and the importance of their roles in their families and the community. Throughout her appearances in the stories, she always has character foils alongside her that emphasize her qualities as a leader and a traditional but also modernized woman. Mina’s character is a depiction of the idealized feminine figure, which is subordinate to all men and maintains the identity of a housewife. Simultaneously, she is a figure that foreshadows the women of the twentieth century, when women are independent and active members of the society. These are supported through the actions she takes and the decisions she makes throughout her journey across multiple stories. Mina Murray’s character contains significant attributes that allow her to be contrasted with other characters in her stories and to stand between the definitions of the idealized Victorian women and women of the modern era.

Mina’s character qualities in Dracula are highlighted by those around her. Mina and Lucy are placed under similar circumstances early in the novel and their actions are displayed and contrasted. Taking Mina’s letter to Lucy to comparison with that of Lucy to Mina, the basic insights to their personalities are revealed. While both in love with their respective fiancés, Mina and Lucy display their affections in manners that differ from each other. Lucy shows a traditional and contrived form of excitement in her letter to Mina bout Arthur. She writes, “I love him. I am blushing as I write … I love him. I love him! … I am afraid to stop, or I should tear up in the letter” (Stoker 52). She showcases her innocent nature and desire for love. She seems to live in a paradise now that she is proposed to. Lucy also comments, “Why are men so noble when we women are so little worthy of them?” (Stoker 54). She becomes overwhelmed with joy when she talks about her love and shows her sexual desire to wish that “they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her” (Stoker 55). Lucy depicts an example of a woman whose actions are driven by her emotions. She represents the nature of traditional Victorian women, who thinks that men are superior beings and that women should devote their lives to them.