I need help writing a thesis statement and outline on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

1 Answer | Add Yours

thanatassa's profile pic

thanatassa | College Teacher | (Level 3) Educator Emeritus

Posted on

Dracula was a late nineteenth century horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. It has had considerable traction in popular culture, having been made into multiple films and spawning an entire genre of vampire stories, films, and televisions shows. The main difficulty in developing a thesis and outline is deciding which aspect of the novel you wish to cover.

One possible theme is the role of women in the novel. Women who are not vampires are presented mainly as potential victims who are viewed by Dracula as potential sources of life force and by men in the novel as potential mates. When women become vampires (the "sisters," Lucy, Mina) they gain various physical powers, and themselves become capable of draining life from others, but do not entirely escape the power of Dracula, who says:

And you, their best beloved one, are now to me, flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin; my bountiful wine-press for awhile; and shall later on be my companion and my helper. You shall be avenged in turn; for not one of them but shall minister to your needs. You have aided in thwarting me; now you shall come to my call. 

Cured, Mina returns to being a normal woman, meaning getting married and becoming in many ways subordinate to a husband. Thus you could write this essay as follows:

Thesis: Women in the vampiric state are immeasurably more powerful than ordinary human women in Dracula, but nonetheless still subordinate.


1. Expand your thesis by summarizing the role of women in the novel.

2. Discuss the three sisters.

3. Discuss Lucy as human and vampire.

4. Discuss Mina as human and vampire.

5. Conclude by summarizing what your body paragraphs have shown us about the role of women in the late nineteenth century.


We’ve answered 319,639 questions. We can answer yours, too.

Ask a question