the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

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pregnancy necessary? Do foetuses belong to women's bodies?
To what extent are women obliged to be child-bearers? Would
other alternatives undermine the role of women ln soclety
and impede their struggle for liberation or would
reproductive technology be regarded as a means of liberation
from reproductive roles instead?
4.3.1. While Plercy creates an artificial 'brooder' to
enable women to break free from the shackles of thelr
biology, Gilman evolves a natural way out through the
process of parthenogenesis An important difference between
Plercy and Gllman to be noted here 1s that Gilman does not
oppose biological reproduction as much as she does man's
control of woman's blology. Her thinklng antlclpates that
sf Adrlenne Rich who asserts that, if women take control of
childbearing and childrearlng, more mothers can experience
biological motherhood on their own terms. Gilman literally
bestows the power in the mothers of Herland to bear and rear
their children wlth feminist values This she does by
electing men from her utopia and attributing to the women
the power to reproduce parthenogenetically
4.3.1.1. Though parthenogenesis functions symbolically in
Herland, Gilman does not fail to ground it in science and
history and thus make it appear plausible. Zara, one of the
matrons of Herland, recounts to the three men, the history