This post summarizes and analyses, hopefully in some depth, perhaps one of the earliest Feminist Utopia based stories in the science fiction genre: Herland. It has been an engrossing read, and though there is a summary below, I would still recommend that you guys do read the actual story. And on we go.
Not-so-Quick Summary
Three friends - Vandyk (also known as Van, the narrator), Terry and Jeff - go as part of a scientific expedition to one of the last uncharted territories of the world, though the actual location is never revealed to the reader. During their travels, they hear of this civilization of only women, and decide to find it, when they find evidence of dye colour in the water surrounding the area. They realise the land is inaccessible from land, and decide to fly via their airplane, determined to prove that an all-female civilisation could not exist, and if exist, be successful. The three are driven by their notions of how a female-only civilization would function, and also by fantasies of a land full of women, and no men.
From the air, they can see an organized civilization, and so land the airplane to investigate further, convinced that there would definitely be men. They see the deliberate growth of a forest in the most organised manner, and the roads with developed drainage systems, and Terry takes it to be evidence that men must be around in this civilization.
While in the forest, they discover three women stalking them from high perches in the trees. They climb and pursue, and successfully introduce themselves, and in return learn their names - Celis, Alima, and Ellador. Terry tries to entice them with jewellery, but fails, and the women flee. The men chase, but are left behind, amazed at their athleticism. They reach a village, where they are surrounded by a large gathering of women - mature, strong, self-possessed, intelligent and calm - completely unafraid of the intruders. They try to direct the men to one of the buildings, and the men refuse, with Terry going so far as to shoot his gun at the sky to frighten them. Instead, the three are overpowered and carried into the building by the women and sedated.
The men wake up to find themselves unharmed yet captive. They are treated well, and taught the language of what they have dubbed 'Herland', but they are not allowed freedom. The men get restless, and attempt an escape. They reach as far as their airplane, but find the three young women there as well. Distracted by the women, the men are recaptured, only to find out that their escape was anticipated and observed, and accounted for.
Resigned to captivity, the men learn the history of Herland: without men since 2000 years, when war, strife and natural disasters forcibly left a small populace of women deserted atop this plateau. Under strenuous circumstances the original inhabitants realised they couldn't live without perfect cooperation and designed their society along purely rational lines. Soon after, a young girl got pregnant (through parthenogenesis, presumably). Her descendants, all girls, inherited the ability, and from there it all started. Through the years, Herland refined and perfected its ordered and efficient society where there are no such things as crime or competition. Childbearing is considered to be the greatest honour, and teaching is considered to be the highest calling. There is no concept of property or structured power - authority is based on experience and wisdom.
Van and Jeff come to appreciate Herland as a civilization, and realise it has left behind the societies of the outside world, including Europe and the United States. They tell the women about their worlds, and the women are shocked to learn about poverty, exploitation, violence and disease in the world. The men try to hide the full truth out of shame, but the women can fill the blanks: women are subservient sex, especially because of their maternal function. They see abortion as the cardinal crime of the outside world, against their principle of motherhood. The men begin to see the fundamental sickness of their own society, as opposed to the paradise that is Herland; everyone except Terry of course, who doesn't think too much of Herland except to appreciate the physical beauty of its inhabitants. Terry believes that women are naturally subservient to men and that they secretly desire to be dominated by men. The evidence provided to the contrary by Herland, he resents as 'unnatural'
The women see the men as an opportunity for Herland to return to a sexual form of reproduction, and encourage Celis, Alima and Ellador to court the men. Jeff, full of Southern chivalry, is overly romantic, and often puts Celis on a pedestal, while she wants to be an equal partner, leading to conflict in their relationship. Terry is dominating and aggressive, in line with his belief that women want to be dominated, which Alima finds fascinating and makes her wary as well - they end up fighting and making up a lot. Van and Ellador end up having the most equal relationship and become very close friends and lovers.
The men insist on marriage ceremonies and talk about 'private life', which the women who have always lived communally find odd. They also do not understand the notion of a sexual existence outside of procreative duties. Jefff, by now an ardent fan of Herland, acquiescences to their notion. Van prefers to find a way to combine romantic and sexual intimacy with the socially inclusive traditions of Herland. Terry is frustrated with Alima's talk of autonomy, feeling he owns her by marriage. He gets more agressive and brutal in his sexual advances, forcing her to defend herself physically.
The leaders of Herland are shocked by Terry's attempted rape, and exile the men. Celis is pregnant with Jeff's child, much to the joy of Herland, and he is allowed to stay with her forever. Terry is happy to leave Herland behind, and reluctantly promises to keep the location of Herland a secret from the outside world. Ellador decides to accompany Van to see the outside world with him, and report back to Herland. Terry, Van, and Ellador leave Herland on the airplane, and Van worries what Ellador will think of his world, which he realises is hell in comparison to Herland.
Analysis
One of the biggest themes explored by Gilman in Herland is the Her of this land. She presents a world where women are seen as human beings, and equals of men, rather than subservient creatures whose only role is to rear children and look after housework, as was expected in the real world when Gilman wrote the tale, and to an extent, even today. Gilman not only shows that women can be equals and have their own successful civilisation in the absence of men, she portrays them as physically strong, and mentally capable of progressive thoughts - even in activities considered reserved only for men in the post Victorian society. Perhaps Gilman's biggest achievement is the way she studies the different conflicts that might rise if her fictional world were to clash with the real world, i.e. if a man is confronted by the fact that a woman is a person and not just a subservient baby machine.
She shows three contrasting ways such a clash of ideologies might go through the different reactions of the men to their prospective mates. Jeff, who believes in Southern chivalry, ends up putting Celis on a pedestal, but never truly understands her for who she is as a person. Celis cannot understand Jeff for the same reason, because she cannot understand why he cannot see her for an equal human partner. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Terry, for whom, women are to be dominated. He cannot reconcile with Alima's claim of autonomy and ends up hurting her in the most personal sense because he feels he 'owns' her - a perfect example of when men resist the idea of equality among the sexes because they do not want to relinquish their imagined authority. Van and Ellador's marriage is shown to be of the equals, where he can see her as a person, and not just a woman to satisfy his carnal needs. Gilman shows how this is the most successful relationship of the three.
Another theme explored by Gilman in this tale is the rejection of tradition, and the adoption of pure rationality. When one looks at this world, and the community one lives in, we see the myriad of different traditions that affect the way they do things - because they were always done this way. Even today, we fight to change laws standing for over 200 years, and often fail. The women of Herland start their society from scratch, and understand that laws they create are in need of scrutiny and of constant change - and they have no laws that have been around for 100 years, perhaps none more than 20 years. The understanding that laws and customs are human creations and bound to change as the situation in the society changes over time is something that Gilman believes we need to adopt at a personal level to make sure we can also progress as a society. Rationality in all things extends to the decision of communal living, where no mother raises her own child, and thus all children have hundreds of mothers to love them. No woman is allowed to rear more than a single child, and some with bad qualities are forbidden to rear children to ensure bad qualities are bred out of the race.
The one theme that is central to the tale is the sanctity of motherhood as held by the residents of Herland. Given that they reproduce through parthenogenesis, the women hold motherhood to be the ideal and strive towards it. This means they view any act against motherhood as the cardinal sin. For example, when they learn of abortion, they cannot believe such a crime can exist or even be condoned by any civilised society. This may indicate Gilman's support for right of life, but more likely is shown as a peculiar belief system stemming from their religious obsession with motherhood, to make the world more realistic.
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