Lucy Westenra must have been quite the catch in her pre-undead times. After all, not only did she receive proposals from three strapping young men: John Seward (the doctor), Quincey Morris (the cowboy), and Arthur Holmwood (the construction worker), they remain dedicated to her, and, by the glue of her awesomeness, each other well past her expiration date.
What I want to know is, is the devotion the three men show to Lucy and to each other more fantastical than the vampires? There are a few things I am willing to accept as a historical fact in terms of romance being different during the writing of this book than it is today: getting engaged was a different situation a hundred years ago, for instance. You didn’t wait as long to get engaged, it wasn’t quite as formal and so it wasn’t that weird to get multiple proposals. That’s fine. I do wonder whether Stoker envisioned why Lucy was indeed so popular, or whether he just had it as a fact: Lucy is beautiful and popular with the mens. If I were to write Dracula fan fic I might start with Lucy and explore just what makes her so great, since we barely know her before Drac gets to her. Is she a good listener? A hilarious joke-teller? An amazing lover? Or is she kinda stupid and bitchy but just really, really hot? I wonder about these things.
But fine, she is proposed to three times. But what are the odds that the three men who proposed to her would be good friends? A.) As friends, do you think they consulted each other about proposing and just decided to go for it, or did they not mention it to each other and it was just awk-ward! B.) Stoker imbued all three of these men with a remarkable sense of honor that they would respond to each others’ cry for help in Lucy’s time of need. Part of me wants to envision a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” version of Dracula where one of them pulls a Larry and says “You know, I’m OK, you go on to the bloodletting without me.” C.) Not only are they so eager to help each other out but they’re still willing to help Lucy too. Again, it’s nice that they are so true to their devotion to her, but it would be funny if one of them said “I’ve moved on and my new fiancee really doesn’t want me donating my blood to the lover who spurned me.” Even Van Helsing finds this weird: he jokes to John that if Arthur felt that he was married to Lucy via his blood donation, that meant she was also married then to John, Quincey and Van Helsing. John didn’t find this so funny, however. Killjoy.
Am I just way too cynical? Is Stoker describing a type of man that really was prevalent in 1897 or are these brave, strong sensitive men just chivalrous superheroes that he’s created for Dracula?
It’s just amusing to me how the guys’ heroism, honor and selflessness (dare I utter the term “bromance?”) is the most unbelievable part of the book thus far. I guess their near-blind obedience to Van Helsing is another matter but of course I envision Van Helsing as Hugh Jackman so who wouldn’t want to do what he says?
Hugh Jackman is waaaay to young to be Van Helsing. I imagine him as Sean Connery (circa The Rock) but with a Netherlander accent!
That may be the case, but it happened…
2004’s Van Helsing staring Hugh Jackman…and it had ALL the horror standards in it, Drac, Frankenstien, wearwolves…
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338526/
The strangest part to me was that Arthur was the least helpful of any of the dudes. He spent most of Lucy’s convalescence somewhere offstage, but even Quincey prowls around the house at night, protecting Lucy from whatever. I think they are all secretly hoping to win her back. Except Van Helsing, who has always had a thing for Seward, but until now their love dared not speak its name on account of the teacher-student relationship, which in Victorian times was just beginning to be frowned upon.
Clearly you have forgotten your Horatio Alger. The men are typical heroic stereotypes in the pulp lit of the time.
Also, remember, Lucy was probably still a virgin at the time of her death / undeath. So the sense of jealousy and betrayal that often accompanies break-ups today was not so intense. It was a platonic relationship that Lucy ended with Quincy and Seward – she wasn’t sleeping around. Also this fact shows Dracula to be a kind of rapist, stealing the innocence of a young woman in her prime, making her commit unspeakable acts. See my forum posts for more…
also: Lucy is RICH, a catch in that era, even if she had been ugly. The fact that she is beautiful and charming just makes her that much more appealing. None of the men are necessarily monied; she gets her pick. Notice that Mina worries at the beginning about Harker worrying that he doesn’t have enough money to marry her. Lucy, no worries.
This is my take: Lucy is beautiful, patently wealthy, and cultured (for the time, anyway–she’s been to school, and she exhibits some ditziness–perhaps only in contrast to clever Mina, who comes from a low station (she’s an orphan) but is resourceful and ambitious–but no signs of “lowness”.) She’s the catch of the century. And regardless of her own wishes, Arthur should be the only appropriate choice.
I’m not clear as to whether the text makes it explicit that Lucy is highborn as opposed to nouveau riche. Would the fact that her family home is in London proper, rather than on some country manor, indicate the latter? If she’s highborn and rich, then it’s surprising that she wasn’t betrothed in childhood. And it speaks well of her nature that she didn’t laugh Dr Seward (doctoring being a “trade”) and the uncivilised American right out of her frilly bedroom.
I think the scenario that makes the most sense is that the Westenra family is nouveau riche and Arthur is penniless aristocrat–genteel poverty was common. For an impoverished aristocrat, Lucy, even if she was a parvenue, is a dream come true–beautiful and mannered enough to pass in society, and crucially, complete with expectations (her dying mother’s only other relations are a distant branch of the family). The parents, for their part, should have been deliriously happy about the match–the Westenras had money but dreamt of status, and the Holmwoods had status but needed cash.
“Or is she kinda stupid and bitchy but just really, really hot?”
Yes. But you forgot rich. Never, ever forget rich.