Mina's Femininity

Mina’s desire to learn typewriting and her skill with it demonstrate that she is in many ways a traditionally feminine Victorian woman, whose adaptation to new technology does not necessarily lessen her role as such. Whatever ties to the New Woman this modern practice gives her are subdued by the assertion of typewriting as feminine skill “such as needle work or the ability to perform on the piano forte” (Keep).  Despite this, Mina’s typewriting is not only useful but essential in the quest to stop Count Dracula. Much like the division of labor elsewhere, she provides a valuable service which aids the actions of men. This is a theme referred to constantly in the novel, both with Mina’s initial motivation to aid Jonathan in his work and with her later determination to amass and distribute the various documents pertaining to the case, helping Seward, Van Helsing, Quincey, and Jonathan in the process. This combination of compassion and intelligence make up what Van Helsing refers to as “a man’s brain… and a woman’s heart” (207).  

It is also noted in Keep’s article that typewriting provides a means for social advancement. We gather from context that Mina is not wealthy or aristocratic, given her lack of family and her undesirable work as a governess. Not only does typing allow her to be useful to the men in her life, it gives her an opportunity to do skilled work which Keep asserts to be quite popular and romanticized.  It also allows her to use her considerable intelligence in a socially acceptable way—decoding and transcribing information which, once again, helps men perform their roles.