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Professor Casey-Wright
Expository Writing
8 April 2015
Ryan Wilson
Professor Casey-Wright
Expository Writing
8 April 2015
The love was intensified when the first child was born without the presence of a man, a miracle.
This gave the women hope and a purpose to live, creating a sisterhood bound by the love for
each other that was seemingly pure. The women were, One family, all descended from one
mother. (Pg.49) This new love of sisters had a profound effect on the men who visit Herland
shocking them.
Being from America where people have sex for pleasure is common, the men couldnt figure
out why the women have no sexual desires whatsoever. Van states, There was no sex-feeling to
appeal to, or practically none.(Pg.78) This love the women created existed without any sexual
influence. Van sees this style of love as simple and more genuine then the love associated with
traditional gender roles. The men also expect the women to conform to their normal traditions.
One tradition in particular that the men expect the women to accommodate them with is
marriage. Although the women do not fully understand the process of being married they agree
to it to appease the men. Terry viewed marriage as a way to possess and conquer a woman
which is his version of love. When the topic of changing the females last names they do not fully
understand. After explaining it to the women Alima says, Then she just loses hers and takes a
new one- how unpleasant! We wont do that! (Pg.101) The woman feel as if the men are
claiming them as something to be owned like a car. Marriage in the eyes of the women is a
business transaction.
Women are practically expected to give up their identity to men passively, seemingly treating
them as property. Terry demonstrates this traditional kind of love on page 79-80 making,
Dashing attacks to attract Alima. After attempting in numerous situations to barbarically
persuade Alima into having sex with him, Terry goes on an all-out attack. He attempts to rape
Ryan Wilson
Professor Casey-Wright
Expository Writing
8 April 2015
Alima while she was sleeping in her room to make love to his wife. Van describes the incident
as best he can, To hear him youd not believe he loved Alima at all-youd have thought that she
was some quarry he was pursuing, something to catch and conquer. Although Terry may have
been caught up in the ways of the mens home country (America), Van experiences a more
genuine love for Ellador. He explains that he, at first, thought of her as a good friend. But as time
passed he began to see their relationship as a loving one based off a, pleasant
friendship.(Pg.77) This love is considerably more pure as they view sex as a way to reproduce
rather than for pleasure.
It seems as if the only way for a positive loving relationship to work, there must be an
absence of sexual desire. But then again is that the best we as humans can do? Is there possibly a
way we, the human race, can do better and figure out a way to incorporate sex into such a pure
affectionate love? Traditional love is slowly becoming more barbaric in comparison to the
revolutionary love produced in Herland. Hopefully one day more people will learn to love from
the heart rather than the head, whichever head that may be