Herland: Chapter 2: Rash Advances Summary & Analysis

Jeff, Van, and Terry note that they are about 15 miles from the nearest city and proceed carefully through the Herlandian forest. The men still believe that there must be other men—the biggest threat to their safety—somewhere. As proof, Terry reminds the men that there were babies in the group of people they saw from the air. Jeff and Terry observe that the trees around them have been carefully maintained—there are no dead branches, they’ve all been trained, and every tree grows either fruit or nuts. Terry also points out that there are numerous birds everywhere, but no cats. He believes this is because the men there kill the cats and let the birds live. 

Suddenly, Jeff, Van, and Terry hear giggling coming from somewhere nearby. Terry suggests that the sound came from a large tree and runs over to check it out. Van warns Terry to be careful of poisoned arrows, but Terry excitedly calls the men over and points out three figures hiding up in the branches of the tree. Van notices that the figures are beautiful young women and rather than showing fear, they seem curious about the men as Jeff, Van, and Terry climb the tree. The women (who have short hair and wear breeches with tunics) stare at the men before erupting in giggles. Terry, growing more and more excited by the sight of such gorgeous women, introduces himself, Van, and Jeff by pointing to each in turn. One of the women points to herself and says “Ellador” and then points to the other two and says “Alima” and “Celis.”

Terry tries to beckon the women over, but they refuse to come closer to the men. In fact, Ellador uses hand gestures to insinuate that Terry, Van, and Jeff should leave the place altogether, which Terry refuses to do. Terry tells the two men he brought “bait” and pulls out a shiny necklace, which he holds out to the woman closest to him. The woman (Alima) is clearly interested in the necklace and seems to ask her companions what to do—one of them encourages her to take it while the other warns her not to—before reaching out for it. Watching this, Van realizes that Terry is laying a trap for Alima and doesn’t like it, but his fears are alleviated when Alima is able to grab the necklace out of Terry’s hand before he can grab her. The three women drop out of the tree and the men follow.

At first, Jeff, Terry, and Van try to chase the women, but soon realize they can’t keep up. Terry notes that the men in the country must be great runners while Van declares that the people there are clearly still “arboreal.” Jeff chastises Terry for scaring the women away—an accusation Terry rejects on the grounds that women like being chased. The men pull out their binoculars and see that the women are entering the city about four miles away, which amazes Van. Terry asserts that he already loves the country as the three men start walking towards the town. On the way there, the men marvel at how well paved the roads are, which Terry claims is further proof that men must live there.

Once inside the city, Terry and Jeff point out that the entire city is in a perfect state of order and cleanliness; there is no smoke, dirt, or garbage to be seen. Suddenly, as the men turn onto a new street, they find themselves surrounded on all sides by a group of stern-looking middle-aged women. Van and Jeff feel like children who have been caught breaking the rules, but Terry quickly counts the women and looks for a good escape route.

Terry tells Van that every woman must be over 40, but the men also notice that every woman still appears young and healthy. Terry, wondering what the women want, shoots them his signature grin and begins pulling out beautiful scarves and jewelry from his pack. The women take the trinkets without comment. Terry wonders what he and the other men are supposed to say or do with a “regiment of old Colonels” like the ones before him.

In the present, Van writes that he, Jeff, and Terry had initially assumed that the women of Herland would be young. According to Van, this way of thinking of women is characteristic of most men. The idea of “woman” conjures up images of charming young ladies who gradually disappear from sight as they get older. Van asserts that the Colonels they ran into in Herland evidently hadn’t disappeared from sight just because of their age. Furthermore, the women showed no fear, anxiety, or even curiosity. Instead, they were apparently prepared to chastise the men for intruding on their town.

Van writes that he, Terry, and Jeff were initially comfortable being led away by the Colonels but changed their minds when they saw that the women were leading them into a large gray building. Van says that now he can laugh at the idea that he and the other men ventured into Herland prepared to fight against men but unprepared to fight women—Jeff, after all, believed women were weak “clinging vines” while Terry only saw them as potential sexual conquests. The women of Herland, however, prove indifferent to what Jeff, Terry, and Van believe about them.

In the flashback, Jeff, Van, and Terry discuss whether they can escape the Colonels to avoid imprisonment. The Colonels corner them against the doorway, providing no possibility of escape. Although Jeff and Terry both swear that they can’t use violence against women, Van insists that they have no choice unless they want to be sent into the building. The three men size up the Colonels, who are all clearly physically strong and agile. As they stare, one of the women gives a command and they start moving in. Terry, Van, and Jeff decide to fight rather than be pushed into the building. However, the women prove too strong for them and Terry shoots his pistol into the air twice to scare them away. Nonetheless, the women grab the men and carry them in by force. Inside, the men are given anesthesia and they lose consciousness.