However, we find out later in the book that Terry does not succeed (Gilman). Terry, one of the explorers, decides to force himself on his partner and attempts rape. This state of asexuality evolved over time, and so the romantic relationships among the three men and three of the women is a new experience for everyone in Herland. Second, the women seem to lack sexuality and desire for sexual pleasure. Some women are forbidden to carry a child in order to rid the society of bad characteristics based on the woman’s behavior. First, not every woman in Herland has the option of becoming pregnant.
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However, not every part of Herland is utopic. The ordered life among these skilled and learned women depicts a sense of community and strength, as well as demonstrating female capabilities beyond what the male characters have ever experienced. What makes Herland utopic is its sense of “peace, beauty, order, safety, love, wisdom, justice, patience, and plenty” (Gilman 85). This realization results in relationships forming among the men and women. As we learn more about the perfection of Herland, the male explorers realize just how capable and educated these women are. As they fly their plane over Herland, they assume the presence and dominance of males for a country to be so advanced and sophisticated. With a male narrator, it is easy to gather that the men have definite preconceived and socially constructed views of masculine/feminine roles, viewing women as less capable than men. Three male explorers are overcome with curiosity to discover more about this place.
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In 1916, Charlotte Perkins Gilman published a feminist novel, called Herland, which describes a society in which only women live and reproduce. Thomas More challenged many aspects of life in sixteenth century Europe and opened a door to a new way of thinking and writing. As time evolves and society changes, our idea of a utopic world will focus on new and different characteristics. However, many people today find numerous aspects of More’s new world very dystopic. Hythloday says these things are what makes Utopia so perfect: presence of a monarchy, communal living, freedom of religion, plentiful resources, capital punishment for thieves, and gender binary (More).īecause a utopia criticizes one’s current world, perhaps More was reaching out to sixteenth century problems including: lack of freedom of religion/occupation, disease, property loss, poverty, and feudalism. Hythloday describes Utopia as having a superior system of political and economic customs over the European customs. In his book, More retells the stories of Raphael Hythloday, the explorer of the fictional society, Utopia. He created the word “utopia” which stems from both meanings of “good place” and “no place.” The irony in the translation of the word has led readers to wonder whether More’s book is satiric or meant to be serious (Sommerville). Thomas More, an English lawyer and scholar, published his book Utopia in 1516. Essentially, it is one’s ideal environment. Essentially, it is a writing device used to describe the qualities we want to change in order to make our society more “perfect.” The positive qualities in a utopia reflect the desired qualities of our world and the outcome of our imagined futures. The purpose of a fictional “utopia” is to critique a current world situation. As we read in Angels in America, Harper’s utopia is Antarctica, a barren, lifeless place and Prior’s utopia is on Earth, with all of its craziness and hardships included (Kushner).
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It is important to know the definition of dystopia in order to get a fuller understanding of utopia because one person’s utopia is another person’s dystopia. Dystopia is a place or state of being where everything is unpleasant and corrupt.
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These characteristics, however, change from person to person, and one’s ideal utopia can totally differ from another person’s outlook.ĭystopia is the antonym of utopia. The characteristics of a utopia are admired and desired for their perfection. A “utopia” can be defined as the perfect place or state of being.