Journal Entry Quarter 3:4

             As the many reform movements of the early twentieth century took hold a nation that had been through a series of "ups and downs," women were caught up in the frenzy to modernize. Women took up the cry for suffrage again. They recommitted to temperance movements. Most importantly however, they began to see themselves as closer to equal counterparts of men. Herland reflects this feminism, as the overall message of the novel is that women are just as capable as men.
          Among the oscillating features of the turn of the century American life was the economy. It swung down in the late nineteenth century, then up in the 20s, before crashing back again in the 30s. This economy was run almost solely by men. On the other hand, the women of Herland have specialized, doing the traditional jobs of men and women in farming, teaching, being scientists, building, governing, and archiving. Their economy is stable, strong, and shows no real weakens. Each woman is able to rely on the next, creating a community of trust. This ease reveals a contrast between the "real world" and the fantasy of Herland. Perhaps the message is not so much that women are better, but equal, but the novel points out the flaws of a society run solely by men.
         According to the novel, not only are women as "money smart" as men, the are also as willing (if not more so) to learn. When the three male scientists from the outside world enter their domain, they are full of questions. They do not only teach their language, they learn English. They do not only report their history, they investigate that of the larger world. The women are described as eager and inquisitive but not judgmental. One of the male characters, Terry, provides the perfect contrast to the open-mindedness of the women. He snorts and mumbles and rejects the ideas that the women could possibly be any different from the girls he viewed, rather disgracefully, as little more than play-dolls. Slowly however, the women seem to break through his shrouded vision, the perfect metaphor for the United States acknowledging the rights of women.