Herland Plot/Summary

          "Herland", by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, has an adventurous plot, that leads to explain the three friends' exploration, and journey through Herland. Terry, Jeff, and Vandyck went on an adventure or a trip to an abandoned area of the world, in which they named Herland. The three friends travel, and as they do, they heard rumors about this deserted island, in which they called "Herland". When they get there, they realize that it's a land that only has women in it. They travelers were thrown off that there weren't any men living in the society and has constant thoughts as to why is was the way it was. 
          Then, they started to explore the land they had come across, and they realize that they are limited on where they can and can not travel. There are women that seem awkward and somewhat scary to be around. It's almost as if these women are hypnotized and under the control of "something else".  The women wanted the men to assimilate to their ways and ideas, rather than bringing forth their own. The men were forced to learn their languages, traditions, and ever day activities, in order to stay. They then feel like they are being too controlled and try to escape, but when they get caught, they meet three girls, named Ellador, Celis, and Alima. Because they were held captive again, they decide to stay and learn about Herland. The men eventually come to learn that Herland is the women's utopia, where it is violence free, and education is very important. Both the men and women end up teaching each other their own ways about culture and life. When the men explain to the women how the "outside" world was corrupted with violence, and poverty they were shocked and disgusted.  Later on, we see the two of the men to enjoy the women's presence, but Terry is stubborn and still believes that men rule over women and that this land of Herland is pointless and not worthy. 
          Eventually, after traveling and learning about one anothers ideas and cultures, the six people, both boys and girls, all lovers, grew onto one another, and formed relationships worth keeping. The rest of the people in Herland were obsessed with the three couples and watched what they did, and eventually came to like what they were doing with Herland, and they could see Herland coming to be a land in which both men and women lived. Now, the couples are married, which is important to notice why Gilman included this, in order to express the intertwining of gender, and the quick and loving way they get to feel around one another. A while after being happily married, things started to go wrong for Tery and Alima, because Terry rapes her. Alima leaves him and in the end, the only people to return back to the outside world are Terry, Vandyck, and Ellador. 

Herland Themes

      Two major themes stick out to me in Charlotte Gilman's book, "Herland". These two themes are Herland as a woman's utopia, and the idea of Motherhood. I find these two themes important because Herland itself, is focusing on the life of the women and they way the three men assimilate and learn from their ways and cultures.

      Herland, a women's Utopia, is the way it is because these women are not open to the outside world. There is no violence, abortion, unemployment, or negativity, while the women are intelligent, athletic, strong, self-confident, and independent. This only seems to be a Utopia because of the corrupted world that we live in. Our world in full of corruption, violence, poverty, stubbornness, greed, vulgar, negativity, filth, and harm. Herland, has never been exposed to this behavior before the men found them, and when the men were explaining to them the corrupt-ness, the women were disgusted, and almost horrified to hear the words come out of their mouth. The utopia is important in this story, to understand the purity of the women, encompassed within the greater, corrupted, outside world. 

       The second theme, of motherhood, is conquering this story hence the overpowering society of women in Herland. "We soon grew to see that mother-love has more than one channel of expression. 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". This quote, from chapter six, is about Van and his discussions with Somel. Gilman's purpose is to show that even though the women have lived their lives without men for so long, the coming of men does not make them any less feminine and they still do not lose their feelings. Not only are these women showing and expressing motherhood with children, but with kindness of heart and loving affection in general.