Lucy serves as a catalyst for the events that unfold. In contrast to Mina, Lucy embraces her sexual independence as a woman. She voices desires that would be deemed highly inappropriate for a woman in the era, repudiating the ideological Victorian gender roles. Stoker emphasises her insatiable hunger by transforming her into a ravenous vampire who is no longer innocent, or even human. She is an allegory that mimics the fears about the emerging ideal of the ‘New Woman,’ whose embracing of sexuality and liberation would tempt men into committing sinful behaviour. To engage in intimate acts before marriage was seen as a direct defiance against the Church and was not to be tolerated. Families of the ‘sinner’ would be condemned to a life of shame and embarrassment, their status in society permanently lowered. Women like Lucy were considered to be a threat to the fabric of society – a contagion. Her desires render her no longer pure, and thus she is devalued in the eyes of men.
