Herland

The first three chapters function to introduce the characters, context, setting, and some of the primary themes of the novel, particularly Patriarchal Gender Distinctions and Prioritizing Education and Efficiency. The three male characters serve a different purpose: Van, the protagonist and narrator, represents a scientific perspective on gender difference, which is informed by his specialty in sociology. In 1915, at the time of Herland’s publication, sociologists held that women were inherently intellectually and physically inferior to men. Van feels that his scientific outlook is superior to Terry’s and Jeff’s perspectives, which becomes ironic through Van’s character arc, as he realizes that his opinion on women’s inherent inferiority is incorrect. The text uses a viewpoint narrative in which Van is writing the story years after it took place: The story is impacted both by time and Van. The time difference between the events and the narration results in several instances of foreshadowing, such as Van alluding to the escape attempt in Chapter 2, which increases the tension of the story. Since the events and characters are portrayed through Van’s perspective, there is an element of potentially unreliable narration. However, Van notes his unintentionally unreliable narration in multiple instances, including in the introductory lines: “This is written from memory, unfortunately. If I could have brought with me the material I so carefully prepared, this would be a very different story” (5).

Terry and Jeff become pseudo-foils of each other. Both characters objectify women, but from different perspectives—Jeff sexualizes women by idolizing them, viewing them as pure and worthy of service and protection, while Terry sexualizes women by judging them on their perceived sexual value. He creates conflict between himself and the Herlanders, and he encourages Van and Jeff to fight against the women and attempt an escape. Van’s descriptions of Terry emphasize Terry’s malintent: “Terry’s smile was irreproachable, but I did not like the look in his eyes—it was like a creature about to spring” (16). Terry’s overt sexualization and his aggressive, noncompliant behavior position him as the antagonist.

The characterization of the men and their individual perspectives introduces and develops Patriarchal Gender Distinctions, a primary recurring theme in the novel. The theme of Patriarchal Gender Distinctions embodies the idea that gender expression—both physical and behavioral—is cultural rather than biological. The men hold many sexist assumptions that reflect real-world prejudice against women, including the ideas that women are catty and competitive, that they are intellectually inferior and subservient, and that they are obsessed with their appearances, adornments, and gifts. The women’s short hair becomes a symbol of the concept that gender expression is cultural; while the men all feel the woman would be more feminine with long hair, Van says that hair length is arbitrary to them. Jeff notes that the Herlanders do not sexualize the men: “They don’t seem to notice our being men” (25). This idea, which is later expanded upon, suggests that people should be treated with equal respect regardless of their gender. The theme of Patriarchal Gender Distinctions continues to develop as Van learns more about Herland culture and reduces his prejudice against women, particularly regarding his respected tutor. Jeff also respects his tutor and is curious about Herland; while the men agree to escape with Terry, Terry’s refusal to respectfully explore Herland foreshadows later conflict, and his character portrayal suggests this will take the form of sexual violence.

The context of the novel is developed primarily in the first chapter, which describes the men’s discovery of Herland. Van, Jeff, and Terry hold different expectations of what a woman-led country might look like, and the bulk of the novel is dedicated to countering Van and Terry’s expectations that women could not form a cohesive, functional country. In this way, the novel becomes an allusion for real-world sexism, as it was written during the first wave of feminism (See: Background). The setting is also introduced in the early chapters; however, setting acts as a main component of the novel, and it is developed over the course of the novel. As such, only a vague concept of the setting is presented at this point, but Herland is portrayed as larger than one town, well-developed, and carefully maintained. In the first three chapters, Herland’s focus on education, strategy, and self-sufficiency are explored through the treatment and capture of Van, Jeff, and Terry. The emphasis on strategy also suggests that their attempt at escape will be unsuccessful, as the women already sought the location of the biplane and keep careful track of their land.

The context and setting also contribute to the presentation and development of Prioritizing Education and Efficiency. This theme emerges through Van’s initial impressions of the natural areas and the town: “Everything was beauty, order, perfect cleanness, and the pleasantest sense of home over it all” (17). This description gives the sense that the town is intelligently designed to be as efficient as possible, and it alludes to details that arise later, such as the connection between the waste management and agricultural systems.