Outside Reading: Herland #1

     Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is different from anything I've read in class so far in many ways. However, from my first reading, I could immediately see connections between the book and other time periods we have studied. Firstly, there was a connection to Rationalism in that the three protagonists all have scientific professions and are making an expedition for the purpose of research. In addition, the protagonists try to explain the peculiar characteristics of the land they discover with scientific reasoning. This can be seen especially before they arrive in the land when they are hypothesizing about how a society filled with only women can exist. In addition, there was a strong connection with Romanticism in the description of the nature of Herland. The numerous descriptions of beautiful gardens, fields, and forests all help to support this. A connection with Puritanism can be made as well, mainly due to the fact that the story is centered around what seems to be a very utopian society.
     There have been several connections with realism so far, which is what seems to be the focus of the book, mainly involving stereotypes of women in society. Throughout the beginning of the story several generalizations of women are made. One example of this is when Gilman writes, "We seemed to think that if there were men we could fight them, and if there were only women--why, they would be no obstacles at all" (18). Here, a clear stereotype of women can be seen. The men are under the assumption that women are always weaker than men, and apparently by a large margin considering how they seem to be infinitely outnumbered by women at this point in the story. They believed going into the country that they could subdue the women, as women at this time generally held roles subordinate to men in the society, when in fact this was not the case. In addition to these generalizations, stereotypes of the ideal woman can also be seen. Terry, for example, calls the women "old" as an insult, not necessarily because they are old (their age at this point seems to be unclear) but because the women don't necessarily fit society's description of an ideal woman. The women have short hair instead of long, removing some distinctly feminine characteristics, and many of the women aren't necessarily beautiful and aren't young-looking as much of American society believes women should be.
     The young girls at the beginning of the story seem to contradict this idea, but even they in their youth and beauty defy some societal norms. They, too, have short hair, and they also seem to hold some boyish characteristics, which is indicated by Gilman when she writes, "Her interest was more that of an intent boy playing a fascinating game than of a girl lured by an ornament" (14). Here, Gilman not only removes some femininity but also defies a stereotype of women's attraction to jewelry. The book seems to be making a statement about women by removing some distinctions between women and men, but at this point it is unclear exactly what the author intends this statement to be.
     One story which we've read in class that this book connects with is the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry. Similar attempts are made by the authors to remove stereotypes of women and minorities in society, such as when Beneatha in "A Raisin in the Sun" strives to become a doctor, which is significant not only due to her race but also due to her gender due to the limitations of both of these characteristics set by society. Similarly, the women in Herland seem to take leading roles in their utopia.
     Connections so far with my definition of American Literature are vague, so I don't feel I can fully comment on that yet, and as for what will happen next in the story (I'm about 1/4 through), I can't say for sure. It's unclear whether the intentions of the women in keeping the men are good or bad for the protagonists, as the society that they discover is cloaked in an air of ambiguity. On one hand the women treat the men like royalty, giving them the highest care and supervision. On the other hand the men were practically imprisoned, and the unnatural strength and intelligence of all of the women seems very threatening. Either way the story is turning out to be quite interesting, and I'm eager to see what happens next.