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Repressed Desires We live in a society that promotes freedom, yet oppresses our innate desires and inclinations. Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, depicts this contradiction by contrasting Lucy Westenra as a mortal to her character as a vampire. Although these two characters appear to be opposites, vamped Lucy is actually the expression of the true feelings and desires that Lucy fights to repress as a mortal. An analysis of the dual nature of Lucy’s character, as well as the reactions Lucy elicits from the other characters in the novel, suggests that in a civilized society people are taught to seek traditional outlets for their sexually aggressive urges and to consider open expressions of sexuality culturally taboo. As a mortal, Lucy constantly fights to repress her inner desires in order to adhere to societal ideals of proper behavior. She is forced to channel her innate sexual tendencies in a manner that follows social behavioral rules. Accordingly, Lucy has “an old habit of walking in her sleep,” which she uses as an outlet to act in a manner that would, under normal circumstances, be discouraged by the general public (Stoker, 93). For example, during one of Lucy’s sleepwalking episodes, she leaves her home and wanders