Suppressing Feminism In 1897, after seven years of writing, Dracula was finally published. Written by Bram Stoker during the Victorian era. There was a lot of sentiment towards the emancipation of women. Although these feelings came mainly from women, there were also opposing feelings, especially from men, who did not feel the same way about women's liberation. The feminist movement was beginning to take hold in society and many would have to get used to the new ideals of women who might be in power. There is a lot of criticism of Dracula. There is so much symbolism depicted in the novel that many debate what exactly Bram Stoker was trying to convey to his audience. Some believe that his repressed feelings of homosexuality were shown in the novel, as well as other things such as fear of the anti-Victorian beliefs of that time. Broker didn't live to see how popular his novel became, so no one will ever truly know what repressed feelings Stoker had as he wrote Dracula. There are some characters in Dracula who embody the views of the society of the time towards women's revolt for the better. rights. On the other hand there are also characters who portray the Victorian ideals that men are stronger than women and how they should remain so. As author Bram Dijkstra mentions in his response essay, “Stoker's work demonstrates how thoroughly the war waged by nineteenth-century male culture against women's dignity and self-respect was fought.” (Dijkstra, p.460). famous characters from Dracula is Mina Murray, a virtuous, kind and good-natured school teacher. Murray is the embodiment of the "New Woman". He empathetically embraces the anti-Victorian sentiments of that time in the face of real...... middle of paper ......n. Throughout the novel these men were presented as very dominant men who seek out Count Dracula to eliminate him and return society to its normality. In the novel the women were overwhelmed by his powers because they were too weak and the men were strong enough to find the count to finish him off. It seems that Bram Dijkstr was against Bram Stoker's possible implications regarding anti-feminist symbolism in Dracula. . In Dracula's Backlash he states, “Stoker was clearly a man of limited intelligence, typical of the fairly educated, fairly well-off middle-aged middle class.”(460). While Dracula did not arouse any criticism in the years following its publication. In fact, its notable fame acquired after the Victorian era. With all its subliminal messages, the audience is left wondering what Bram Stoker's reasons were for writing such a controversial novel...