A REVIEW OF TEPPER’S
GATE TO WOMEN’S COUNTRY
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by Zenia Aguilera
__There are many people who believe that Sheri Tepper's "The
Gate to Women's Country" is a feminist manifesto against men and the supposed
violence they encompass. I suppose that one could make a strong case from this from
textual evidence. But I believe that Tepper's novel is a warning, not just against
male dominated societies, but female dominated ones as well. At first glance Women's
Country seems very much like a utopia: all are given schooling, food, and clothing.
And yet behind this wonderful façade there is an issue that cannot be ignored,
that it is the women who control society, and in turn subjugate the men. One of the
indications of this domination is the ordinance that does not allow women to give
the warrior men books. I do not know how many times I have heard or read about how
men dominated women by refusing them the knowledge in books. It is an old saying
that "whoever holds the knowledge, hold the power" and in Women's Country,
it is the women who hold all the power. The women in this novel do not even allow
the warrior men to learn medicine, saying that it would not be fair to the other
garrisons. Refusing to give medical care to their wounded and dying sons and lovers
does not seem me to be a favorable trait in anyone.
__No, there is nothing good about this female dominated society. One could mention
that when contrasted with the Holylanders, Women's Country seems much more equal
and kind. But in truth, that is not the case. In Holylander society women and their
bodies are not their own. These women are forced to bear children with no regard
to their health or their youth. This is not much different from what is done to the
citizens of Women's Country, only perhaps, less violent. Women of Women's Country
are no more in control of their reproductive organs than the women of the Holylanders.
Women are, of course, allowed to sleep with any man they wish, but they are artificially
inseminated against their knowledge, and in some instances are sterilized when they
are not "genetically suitable." This sort of eugenics is reminiscent of
Hitler and the Nazis and I think that Tepper wanted her readers to come to this association.
__The Council in Women's Country say that this eugenics is only to breed out violence.
Personally I didn't know that violence was genetic, but then Hitler had his reasons
too. The Council in this novel continually contradict their actions. They say that
they want to end violence and wars and yet these same women give up their sons to
the garrisons. If they would only stop and think, perhaps they'd realize that by
teaching non-violence to their sons, by keeping them away from the war games, they
might reach the same ends. Instead they perpetuate the idea of the warrior male,
keeping them in their place by ignorance, and even more disgusting, trick these men
into believing that they have sired children.
__The men in this novel are much more sympathetic than the women. Despite being warriors
they are forced into their positions by trickery and deceit. The women in power positions
are no better than the Holylanders because of their genetic manipulations and their
lies. Any person who would do these things, who would allow all their warrior men
to be massacred, who would forcibly inseminate or sterilize their women are less
than human. So when someone says that this book is anti-male, I have to disagree,
this is a book which is against the domination of one gender over another.