Option 5

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel, Herland, depicts the exploration of three scientists to an unknown land that is populated with only females. The men are excited to embark to such place but little do they know what is in store for them on Herland: an island where females are dominant, there are no men, and everyone is seen as an equal. The men find this land strange- a place with no men? BLASHPHAMEY!  When they first arrive, the explorers are convinced that men helped create this place. They do not believe that woman could survive in a forest like this but low and behold, from their female mentors, the explorers learn about the history of the island and how it came to be. They also learn about the women on Herland who “had earnest temper and good nature” (Gilman, 47). Everything on this land is perfect. No war, no sadness, no problems, a place where woman are superior. I believe Gilman is trying to prove that woman can do just as much as a man can do and that woman can survive without men (and have happiness).  A reoccurring theme that Gilman stresses is that society is unjust to women and does not allow woman to achieve their full potential because they are distracted by “women’s work” such as childbearing and domestic labor. Because women are limited to the domestic work, they never reach their “full-human” potential. So, Gilman has the women reach their full potential in Herland because they all get to what they want, not what they are forced to do. All the male characters start with the assumption that women are inferior but by the end Gilman has them alter their world views on women by watching the woman in their natural habitat.

After reading this novel, I felt empowered to prove that women are equal to men. I would recommend this to my female friends to show that girl power is necessary and that we deserve the same respect that men receive. This novel would be perfect for a woman who sees the importance of being a woman and who enjoys a good story of women dominance. 

I would rate this novel a 4. While I enjoyed the novel, I found myself not agreeing with some of Gilman’s points. While I do believe that woman should be equal with men, I do not believe men should be gone in general. While yes, we deserve to be equal with them, God made men different from woman so we could benefit from their differences and vice versa. Overall, the novel was well written and kept me intrigued the whole time. There were just a few things I didn’t completely agree with making it a 4 in my book.