Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote the novel Herland during the times of suffragettes. Unable to embrace life in its full volume, women started to issue the restrictions put on them by society. Being a feminist herself, Charlotte Perkins Gilman displayed many of her beliefs in literary works. In this novel, Charlotte Perkins sheds light on the theme of women’s emancipation. One of the ideas Herland reflects is that women’s domestic duties and societal roles are the main reasons they are perceived as weak and inferior creatures and the main things that restrain women’s true potential. Men, many of whom find an idea of an independent woman unpleasant, have to accept that women obtain the same abilities and intelligence and reject a concept of women’s inferiority.
Women, which conduct the population of Herland, represent the author’s position towards their capability to be independent; Herland’s residents have mastered agriculture, they sustain advanced infrastructure, and they maintain a healthy society without men’s help. “Strong, free, active women, the sturdy, field-working peasant, the burden-bearing savage, are no less good mothers for their human strength” (Gozlet 23). Thus, Charlotte Perkins attempts to object to the concept that was popular among her contemporaries – the assumption that a woman cannot manage without a strong hand of man. In addition, Herland’s society represents a system that is less chaotic than the whole Western civilization of her time. For example, child-rearing has become a public matter and is strictly separated from motherhood. “Gilman believed that fit women had the moral duty to produce more than one child in order to prevent race suicide just as she believed in Herland, unfit mothers should forego their opportunity to do so, even when it was biologically possible” (Gozlet 23). The population of Herlanders constantly grows, providing the country with new residents. Thus, the society of Herland represents a strong, autonomous, patriarchy-free, and prospering environment.
The complete understanding of women’s emancipation requires defining the difference between patriarchal and matriarchal systems, and this is what the author tries to do; these two systems are different in various aspects. First of all, the portrayal of the world, which men built, is strongly connected with an understanding that it cannot be a safe place for women. At the same time, the male heroes regard their world as “safe and civilized enough” (Gilman 14). In the matriarchal society of Herland, the concept of ‘femininity’ is absent; thus, from the author’s point of view, the women are free from being bound to their sex. A well-trained society of hunters and warriors functions as a single organism – everybody understands his duties. Unlike the default Western patriarchal environment, Herland is devoid of such social problems as economic inequality or influential struggle on higher echelons of society (Gozlet 26). On the other hand, the male intruders depict the default patriarchal attitude towards an independent woman: almost everyone finds what he observes unsettling. Moreover, throughout the story, they often refer to Herland as a “national harem” (Gilman 15). Therefore, the matriarchal society of Herland often represents a more just and balanced system of values.
It is the perception, distorted by patriarchal values, which pushes society to overlook women as weak creatures incapable of building their own state, having their own opinion, or protecting their own beliefs. At the beginning of the story, male protagonists question the possibility of matriarchal society’s existence. “They would fight among themselves; women always do,” – says Terry, one of the male explorers (Gilman 10). Although women are often depicted as inferior creatures, they do not intend to harm the intruders directly. However, men in this novel are shown as creatures who are willing to act aggressively towards women. Terry is possibly the worst example of this behavior. He fantasizes “of turning the land into his personal Harem and becoming the king of Herland” (Gozlet 26). When a man avoids the attempt to convert him and introduce him to the new system of values, he rapes his wife and escapes Herland. One negative aspect, which may be noted in the author’s depiction of this problem, is the generalization implemented towards both men and women; feminism criticizes the system, not the gender (Roy 762). In overall, the issue of gender-based bias has always been present in Western society.
However, the author’s viewpoint often raises quite disturbing topics, promoting and supporting ideas of racism, ethnocentrism, and societal hierarchy. Even though the discussed topic, which was raised by Gilman represents an acute problem, which is present even in modern society, the novel often offers wrong answers to the raised questions. For example, the appearance of all residents of Herland is described as manlike; women have short hair and muscular bodies (Roy 763). The environment requires a woman to remain pure; the mothers of this land are “parthenogenetic” (Gilman 74). While each wave of feminist movement promoted the idea that woman has no duties, Gilman states the contrary in her work. Moreover, the whole concept of a segregated women’s society in some sense crosses out the feminist goal to coexist with, and not without, men as equals. In addition, Gilman shares her “controversial views on African-Americans”, since the white-only society of Herland women resembles the concept of heterosexual Aryan women (Gozlet 22). Thus, while trying to depict a patriarchy-free society, Gilman uses old patriarchal concepts, such as a woman’s duty to avoid casual sex and to be a mother, as well as concepts of segregation, both racial and sexual.
As a result, the novel, written by Charlotte Gilman, can be assessed as controversial, to say the least. The theme of emancipation that is the key element of the whole feminist movement, is praised and disregarded at the same time. The image of a strong independent woman, which can take of herself without any help, deserves to be appreciated. The society, which Gilman depicts, is just and equal. Moreover, the women of Herland are not trying to get rid of the intruders but to re-educate them instead. The patriarchal system of values is depicted as intolerable, unable to accept new concepts. The author provides the reader with an understanding that the inferiority of a woman is a myth. At the same time, the environment built by women of Herland looks like it still maintains the traditional patriarchal rules and guidelines. No romantic relations between the residents of this country can exist – only maternal or sister love. The Spartan-like society of strong-bodied white women can be regarded as almost perfectly uniform. Even though this novel supports the fact that women are equal no less than men are, this statement is often distorted by the author’s controversial views.