Motherhood In Herland

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Thanks for meeting with me today, Samantha. Since you are a feminist, I was interested in discussing the novel, Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman with you. As you know, we live in a modern society that is influenced by both our gender roles and the act of sex. In the 21st century, political and social progressivism has allowed men and women to possess an expanded view of themselves and how they conduct themselves, presenting a paradigm shift that starkly differs that of 1916, Herland’s publication date. For example, it has become common, although there still may be a slightly negative connotation, for women to hold occupations, such as engineering, once solely held by men. Similarly, men becoming nurses or even stay-at-home dads have also …show more content…

However, to answer your question, motherhood is both collective and personal. Somel represented this view when she stated, “I think the reason our children are so—so fully loved, by all of us, is that we never—any of us—have enough of our own.” (Gilman, 1916, p. 197). Herlandians believe that motherhood and the child are sacred, even holy (Gilman, 1916, p. 285). Despite the desire to rear and nurse more children, the success of their children takes precedence over motherhood. Recognizing this significance, and under the assumption, it is best for their children and society, Herland mandates specialists to raise their children after one year of nursing (Gilman p. 285). As a result of placing such a high importance on children, women in Herland believe motherhood is too important of a task to do alone- it must be done collectively, with unconditional and personal love for every child from every …show more content…

Herland is a Utopia with no flaws. Those within Herland are pure in every sense of the word; the only impurity came from foreign men. In order to maintain Herland’s harmony and equality, their social order may not be disrupted. Men are instinctively motivated to have sex with many women and produce many children, whereas women of Herland are instinctively motivated to have a very limited number of children, without sex. Within Herland, men are unneeded due to Parthenogenesis; therefore there will be a power struggle between autonomous women and men seeking possession of women and children (Gilman, 1916, p. 128). This power struggle was evidenced when Terry stated, “There never was a woman yet that did not enjoy being MASTERED.” As he proceeded to sexually assault Alima (Gilman, 1916, p. 364). The women of Herland have no need for men and do not welcome their inherent aggressive behavior, as evidenced by the immediate condemnation of Terry’s behavior by Herlandians. Due to these very different ideologies, Herland would fail to maintain their status of a utopia under a bisexual state as well as maintain their peaceful existence.

Patrick:
Interesting, it appears you believe it is impossible for Herland to return to a bisexual state without sacrificing their well-being due to fundamental physiological differences. I also believe Terry’s behavior towards Alima accurately demonstrated this aggressive tendency of men. I will leave

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