Sex in Woman on the Edge of Time

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Sex in Woman on the Edge of Time

In Marge Piercy's book, Woman on the Edge of Time, sex plays a major role in both the utopia and the dystopia. The portrayal of sex in the novel comes from a feminist point of view. The main character, Connie, is caught between a utopian world and a dystopian world where the takes on sex are on different levels. By using a feminist approach, the two worlds of sex can be examined and contrasted.

In the dystopia that is Connie's present life, sex is a painful and often a violent experience. Rape, prostitution, and other sexual abuse are a dominant part of the characters lives. In the opening scene of the book, the reader is immediately introduced to this issue. Connie has to open her door to her only close relative, Dolly, only to see that she has been beaten by her fiancé who is also her pimp. Connie has had to live her entire life with the thought that sex is violent rather than an act of love. Piercy uses the feminist ideals that men are the cause of the pain for women in a very explicit manner. For example, Geraldo, Dolly's fiancé, sho...

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