Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland as a Feminist Utopia - Essay Example

Charlotte Perkins Gilmans Herland has been read as a feminist utopia. Do you agree? Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote the novel in “Herland” in 1915. Itis a first person narrative of Vandyck Jenning, who also happens to be the protagonist in the story. It is a tale of an unexplored plateau which is inhabited by females only. Vandyck Jenning is a sociologist and an amateur explorer, who lands in this unusual place along with his two friends Terry Nicholson and Jeff Margrave. The three men find Herland quiet unusual because of the law and order that is maintained by women in the land. They are surprised by the efficiency of the working of the state, moreover, the land is peaceful that its existence is no less than utopic. The book revolves around the relationships that that these men develop with the inhabitants of this land. The major conflict in the novel deals with the preoccupied notion of these men regarding relationship between sexes and identity versus the ideology of Herland, which is obviously strange for any man belonging to the real world. Even in the twenty first century, the novel “Herland” maintains its status as utopian, because what Gilman portrayed in 1915 is still not feasible today. Novels that are written in utopian tone are regarded as fantasies, but one must not overlook the message that the creators of such works want to deliver to the masses. Utopia is an ideal state, and everyone understands that it is impossible to achieve, however, the purpose of these books is not to paint pretty pink pictures, rather they are created to offer alternates for the improvement. Gilman though was a feminist, and all her writings are prove of t, but she did not write this novel to create a new society, but she wanted the world to understand that women are capable of managing business by themselves, and they can survive independently. Gender equality is a myth that has been transferred along the modern ages like a folk tale, with almost no practical implementation. A world that maintains an equivocal status for all the members of society irrespective of gender and sexual orientation is far away from the real social structure. Equality and justice are the two main pillars of a utopian community, where everyone is treated as equal, without any discrimination on the basis of worldly classification. Feminists have been very clear in their approach, and they have never tried to make any adjustments or compromises with the existing societal paradigms, this one of the main reasons that feministic approach is often criticized. The critics of feministic approach often argue over the stubborn attitude of the feminist standard bearer (Weinbaum, 2001). Feminism is an ideology which used various channels to deliver its message to the masses, especially women. Feminism is not strictly restricted to winning the rights of women, it is also about establishing a new social order, where women share same status like men, and moreover, it is an anti-sexist approach. Women are treated as the fragile gender; they are considered as objects rather than humans with feelings and will. One might hear them speaking, but no one cares to listen that what they are saying. Men do not like women who interfere in matters beyond their jurisdictions i.e. household or child rearing. Isolation is another tool that is used by man to domesticate his wife, daughter or sister; the isolation from active lifestyle weakens the will and strength of a woman that she possesses naturally by the virtue of being a member of human race. The assigning of roles play a crucial role in the development of society, psychologists blames society for inducing human perception by propagating illogical and false beliefs. Even at a very early age, an individual cannot overlook the social implications (Seitler, 2003). As society offers its own paradigm for people belonging to a particular gender, girls are made to play with dolls; while boys are appreciated when they play they participate in sports, like wrestling, basketball etc. Women can survive by themselves, and they can manage their affairs all by themselves, this is the simplistic interpretation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel the Herland. Motherhood is perhaps one of the defining characteristics of womanhood, and Gilman did not overlook this element in propagating a hard core feminist agenda, rather she went on with more scientific approach. Generally speaking the mode of reproduction in human beings is via sexual means, where male and female gametes unite to form a human zygote. The inhabitants of the Herland reproduce by parthenogenesis, which is an asexual mode of reproduction. So, every woman gives birth to its identical copy, and each woman is allowed to have only one child in her life. This process of expansion seems controlled, as the population growth is controlled, and it is quiet similar to one child policy. Further. The state takes the charge of raising the children, and mothers are not bound to take care of their children, because it is the duty of state. The element of asexual reproduction may be considered as supernatural, back in the times of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, but the advancement in biotechnology and genetic engineering show that it is possible that humans could have offspring without copulation (Meyering, 1989). “We do not allow our women to work. Women are loved—idolized—honored—kept in the home to care for the children.” Terry (Gilman, Ch. 5, p. 48). Terry is a character that clearly represents the typical mentality of men, who consider home making as no big deal. Managing a house requires patience and diligence (Lane and Gilman, 1998). Moreover, the upbringing of children is a crucial task and it is the duty of mother to take care of her children, but men like Terry do not consider it a job, because mothers are expected by the society to take care of their children without any external obligation. Moreover, women need to have children to secure their place in the house of their husband; otherwise their stay in that house may become unsecured. In Herland it is the duty of the state to look after the children, while mothers are occupied with duties other than child’s nourishment. Women are neither safe outside their homes nor inside. They have to face a certain degree of oppression from the world outside, and at home she is subjected to domestic violence (Hausman, 1998). Further, her docility becomes her enemy, the more she tries to mold herself according to the standards of others or according to society, she loses her own will, individuality, and above all her own identity. Women are like sandbags that are used for channelizing frustration, failure and anger. Even when they want to facilitate their male counterparts by offering their professional assistance, most of the time they are snub, or they are asked to mind their own business. Society wants to see women as subjects to men (Hausman, 1998). They must mold themselves in a way that pleases their male counterparts. They must be sincere to their men, they must look after his family by managing home, and they should always remain available to men for fulfilling their sexual desires. I found that much, very much, of what I had honestly supposed to be a physiological necessity was a psychological necessity—or so believed. I found, after my ideas of what was essential had changed, that my feelings changed also.-Vandyck (Gilman, Ch. 6, p. 67) For a man, his wife should always be available for fulfilling his sexual desires. Husband and wife cannot remain as friends after their marriage, they need to make love, and get involved in procreative process. However, Ellador who is Vandyck’s wife is offended by the idea of love making, for her it is a useless act, and for her husband it is very hard to accept these details and arguments, but he is ready to learn the norms of the Herland. The adventurers from the normal society find it really amusing to see that how peacefully a society is run and managed by women. They are flabbergasted to see how dynamic and prosperous this society is. For the visitors, these women are a lot different from the ones they find back home, and their work is outstanding, perhaps more efficient than the management offered by men in their own society. Women are always underestimated by the world around them. People often overlook the intellectual capacity of individuals belonging to minor gender of society; they are rated as objects that serve no purpose to humanity. Neither they are allowed to raise arms, nor can they participate in politics. Even those women who try to participate in politics actively, they are treated very badly by male politicians (Donaldson, 1989). Moreover, the upbringing of females in society is often neglected. Parents prefer to spend more on their male offspring than females. The mindset of the masses towards females’ intellectual development has always been towards the negative side. There is a simple reason for this attitude, society wants to see men on the top, but when women are empowered with information, they speak up, they demand their rights, and moreover they do not remain as docile as they are without education (Carter-Sanborn, 2000). The government of the Herland is designed on the principles of socialist governance, where the state is responsible for looking after its subjects. All the industries or the production houses are managed by the state and the inhabitants of the Herland are employed by the government, no matter what job they have. Moreover, no one is useless in this society; everyone is assigned with a task to perform. This task may be major or minor; the state appreciates the services of everyone towards the running of the Herland. Male chauvinism is dominant in all the cultures, even when one takes the example of socialist setups; women are still deprived of their rights as humans. Marriage is an institution that ties up two people into a bond, where both the individuals have to act as counterparts for each other. In majority of the cases man takes the role of bread winner, while women are bound to serve as home makers. Further, in certain cultures men are allowed to keep more than one wife, but women are restricted to remain sincere to a single person. Moreover, in conventional setup women do not have the right to choose a soul mate for themselves; they have to live with the choices made by their parents. The Herland is a society that only inhabits the female gender. This society is a product of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s imagination. Women in this society are different from the ones that one usually comes across; these women are different from the usual human perception (Allen, 1988). These women are the rulers, and the subjects themselves. Men are not welcome by them, they are strong, they have their own identity, and they are skilled. Conformity with society is one thing that gives birth to many wrongs, these wrongs are not to be considered as mistakes rather they are either intentional wrongs or forced. In both the cases, the main threat is to the individuality or to the identity of a being. Society applies a severe pressure on the minds of the individuals, who are forced to make certain decisions that do not bring them the peace of mind; however, they are still enough to make one feel safe from the onslaught of society, and people living in it. Most of the people when subjected to societal pressure tend to mold themselves in conformity to the beliefs and perception prevalent in the masses. However, there are cases where individual fail to cope with the existing paradigm, and they either become outcastes or laughing stock. Women are an essential part of human society, and men no matter how masculine they are cannot survive without women. However, women are not offered the same respect, freedom and power, which are enjoyed by men. Following the course of nature, the disappearance of women from the face of earth would ultimately lead to the death of humanity. On the other hand if at one time, all men are dead, and its only women who survive, there are more chances for the survival of humanity. Therefore, men are less useful than women. References Allen, P. (1988). Building domestic liberty. Amherst: Univ. of Massachusetts Press. Carter-Sanborn, K. (2000). Restraining Order: The Imperialist Anti-Violence of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Arizona Quarterly: A Journal of American Literature, Culture, and Theory, 56(2), pp.1-36. Donaldson,, L. (1989). The eve of de‐struction: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the feminist recreation of paradise. Womens Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal,, 16(3-4), pp.373-387. Gilman, C. and Lane, A. (1979). Herland. New York: Pantheon Books. Hausman, B. (1998). Sex before Gender: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Evolutionary Paradigm of Utopia. Feminist Studies, 24(3), p.488. Lane, A. and Gilman, C. (1998). With Her in Ourland. Contemporary Sociology, 27(6), p.663. Meyering, S. (1989). Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press. Seitler, D. (2003). Unnatural Selection: Mothers, Eugenic Feminism, and Charlotte Perkins Gilmans Regeneration Narratives. American Quarterly, 55(1), pp.61-88. Weinbaum, A. (2001). Writing Feminist Genealogy: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Racial Nationalism, and the Reproduction of Maternalist Feminism. Feminist Studies, 27(2), p.271. Read More