Herland: Love vs. Sex Power is a drive that everyone around the world seeks. In the aspect of love and sex, power derives from both. The only way to achieve this type of power is to have two parties that are willing to distribute their love or sensual desires to one another. In Herland, these powers are extremely evident. The power for love is different from the power for sex, however distribution of the powers are very different.
The women of Herland knew how to love and did it extremely well. The older women were, to the younger women and even to the men, the mothers of Herland. Everyone of this all women society share the same type of love throughout the land. The love they share is felt by the main characters as well. They feel as though they are being nurtured by their mothers away from home. “Their great Mother Spirit was to them what their own motherhood was – only magnified beyond human limits. That meant that they felt beneath and behind them an upholding, unfailing, serviceable love – perhaps it was really the accumulated mother-love of the race they felt – but it was a Power” (Pg. 95). The mothers of Herland had the most power…show more content… In Vandyke’s case, you cannot achieve love without sex. Sex to Vandyke is a “higher form of love.” It shows trust, belonging, and commitment. However, Ellador cannot see where Vandyke is coming from. She comes from a place where love is given to everyone without any intimacy. This shows that Vandyke, like most men of this society, are driven by sex; can not see how sex can not be relevant. With that in mind, the idea of resistance towards sex that Ellador is putting on Vandyke is attracting him. He sees is as a challenge, so clearly he is turned on by this type of challenge. Even though she doesn’t want it, Vandyke doesn’t see this. He doesn’t realize that in this type of society sex is not necessary because all of their love is given to everyone that steps foot in
