The Legend of "Herland"

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"'Only women there — and children,' Jeff urged excitedly.

'But they look — why, this is a CIVILIZED country!' I protested. 'There must be men.'"

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We live in a patriarchal society. This fact contributes to the ideal that women need and rely on men to a degree. The excerpt above is from chapter 1 in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel Herland. Three gentlemen travel to a civilization that supposedly only consist of women. This would mean that the land would be matriarchal. Looking at the line above, it is evident that the men have it in their heads that men are necessary for civility, meaning that women are not so.

The political elements of the piece stick out to me. As the gentlemen are traveling to the land of women they are tossing ideas of what the land may be like back and forth amongst themselves. The three men each represent a view of women. Terry sees women as property. He boasts about how he will become king of their land by the end of their visit. The narrative is from the perspective of Vandyck. Vandyck sees the women in a more scientific and logic based light. He describes Terry “fingering” his mustache as he thinks about the women. The word choice alludes to Terry’s sexual hunger for the land of women. The other man, Jeff, sees the women through rose-colored lenses. He sees the women as kind, beautiful, delicate, and peaceful. Jeff and Terry are both at the opposite ends of the spectrum and Vandyck is more in the middle.

The idea of a matriarchal society boggles the minds of the gentleman as well as the native men that it has become a legend, almost a myth. The three men hardly believe it could be possible. This is a reflection on how tight the patriarchal grip is on the society. Even as a woman reading this piece I find something fantastical about the idea of a land of women. I think of Amazons present in mythology and later in the Wonderwoman franchise. It is a fetisized concept, and the character Terry really brings this fact to light. The idea of a land of women is seen as a great discovery, something to dominate, and a fantasy, which is evident by the attitudes of the three men.