Individualism In Herland

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a novel that describes a secluded civilization composed only by women. These women reproduce by Ehenogenesis, which means to reproduce without the fertilization. Herland was being reissued because it is believed that the 21st century may learn something about the themes of this novel. For instance, it describes how women were in the highest position in politics and were the only contributors to this successful civilization. Therefore, without them their society would be ruined. This novel is a utopian fiction because where the women live, Herland is perfect; free from poverty, war, jealously, and suffering. It is described by one of the three man who take us through their journey at Herland; Terry O.

In this socialist economy, the government controls the business, industry, and economic activity on behalf of the people. Socialism attracts the proposes to replace a social structure based on competitions and individualism with one that is based on community and cooperation. Because Herland was so isolated and was extremely depended on the women to thrive, the community members would put the community’s needs before their own. Herland unlike the United States, where the three men were from, was more like a family rather than a state. The women were happy to sacrifice things for the greater good. They had shared farming in the forest and common education of the young therefore you can see that the women of Herland are organized around the principle that work and reward are to be shared by all to be able to benefit the most number of women. Herland society is consequently highly efficient. The community confronts internal problems without favoritism, individual ambition, or family feeling to interfere with reaching the most coherent solution. A perfect example of the rational society was the way the women calmly fixed and controlled the population. One of the women explains, that “…Often our young women, those to whom motherhood had not yet come, would voluntarily defer it… by the direct care and service of the babies we already had” (59). Although women would have wanted to have more than one child they were limited and some forbidden to reproduce due to their bad qualities. Van sees his own society as a combination of competitions with one another and the oppression of the female. As we can see here, Herland had a splendid way of dealing this its issues and its structure was tremendously thought out. It can be seen why this would be important to see since our country is going through so many changes with the new president we have and qualities from the socialism structure might