Women In Herland

According to the Oxford dictionary, feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights by the equality of the sexes and belief that one gender should not be raised in power above another. Gilman's feminist novel Herland defies the expectation of female behaviors at the period of men's control and portrays economic freedom of women. In this utopian world, Gilman’s vision for a better social life for women and society is described through the encounter of three males in the all-female society. Long story short, three male college students travel to the mythical world known as Herland. As they lived as the prisoners (guests) of the herland, they slowly learn that Herlanders are very different from the man’s world, in which females are expected to worship the men's muscularity and work. Among the three men, Gilman represents Terry, a most wealthy and sexist, to show that such man cannot adjust himself in the all-female world, where men and women are equal. Eventually, Terry rejects the new difference and insists on his male rights. This representation and distinction highlight how women restriction limits on women’s education, dress, and activities, emphasizing that community flourishes without …show more content…
Van concluded that feminine charms that are so fond of are not feminine at all, but a mere reflection of masculinity developed to please the men (Gilman, 50). Therefore, in Herland, all-female country where women do not have the burdens of men's opinion, citizens have evolved into the economic freedom of women. Just like men, females have order, education, practical clothes, and community, in which they have sufficient space and no conflict, unlike the men's world. Realizing this, Van cannot help but compare that they knew and critiqued that both genders are