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Civilization In Herland

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In Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, men were introduced into a society of all women that had been just women for thousands of years. When men were introduced into the society they changed many things about the women and themselves. They brought out the civilized parts of themselves and the women and also the savage attitudes of both themselves and the women. Civilized meaning that they have social, cultural, and moral developments. Savage meaning, they are animalistic and lacking social, cultural, and moral development. Terry thinks he is civilized because of the things that he has like money, gadgets, boats, and planes. It doesn’t really make him civilized, having those items just makes him privileged. Terry acts like he is entitled …show more content…
111-112). He implies that race leads to being privileged and he can sleep with whoever he may want to. For Terry being a privileged person means that he is civilized. He has technology, a yacht, gadgets, a plane, and a boat. “But T.O. Nicholson could fix up his big steam yacht, load his specially-made big motorboat aboard, and truck in a “dissembled” biplane without anymore notice than a snip in the society column” (Pg. 5). Terry is also popular in America because of his wealth “Measured among women-our women at home, I mean- he had always stood high. He was visibly popular” (Pg. 63). “No man would work unless they had to,” Terry declared” This implies that he is lazy and has no ethic to work or do anything because he has enough money (Pg. …show more content…
He did not like it at some points. “Terry did not like it because he found nothing to oppose, to struggle with, to conquer” this says that Terry needs to be able to control something or someone to be happy in life. He needs to be able to conquer things and have competition. He sees the women as a prize and not as equal. Terry sees himself as a normal man as is shown by what he says about Alima after she kicks him. “She kicked me… And of course a man’s helpless when you hit him like that. No woman with a shade of decency” (Pg. 122). Terry doesn’t know when to stop, he becomes an animal when he wants something. At this point he knows what he is doing is wrong, and that he sees how indecent it is. He acts as if he doesn’t care anymore and will do as he pleases. “I had to grin at that, and even Terry did, sourly” (Pg. 122). As for Terry and his views on the way being civilized is, his views were not supported by his actions and the women portrayed a more civilized

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