Herland: Chapter 3: A Peculiar Imprisonment Summary & Analysis

Van slowly regains consciousness from the anesthesia and finds himself in a state of perfect comfort on a large bed with a soft quilt. He lies in the bed, quietly taking note of the room and its tall windows for a few minutes before Terry wakes up; it’s only then that Van remembers what happened. Jeff also wakes up and the three men notice that they are dressed in peculiar but extremely comfortable robes. They notice an open door that leads to a bathroom where they find their toiletries and a closet full of Herlandian clothes. Terry declares that they need to discuss their situation before anything else. Jeff notes that although the women could have hurt them, none of them are hurt. Van says this is evidence that all the Herlandians are women. Terry points out that the women have stripped them of all their clothing, which makes Jeff blush.

Terry says that although they’re trapped, the women are evidently harmless and so their next steps should be to put on some new clothes. They each grab some Herlandian clothes from the closet (a one-piece knee-length undergarment, stockings, and a knee-length tunic with ample pockets) and wash up in the bathroom. Van praises the Herlandian clothes for their sensibility and comfort, but Terry says wearing the clothes makes them all feel “like a lot of neuters.” Terry wonders if they will get breakfast. Jeff says he thinks the Herlandians mean to treat the men like guests, Terry declares they’ll be “Hailed as deliverers,” and Van believes the women plan to study them.

Jeff, Van, and Terry find a locked door and knock on it when they hear voices on the other side. When it opens, they enter a room with one large table, several couches, and several small tables laid with food. There are also 18 women (the Colonels, much to Terry’s displeasure) waiting for them. Each man is shown to his own small table to eat with one of the Colonels while five other women stand guard at each table. As soon as the men finish eating, the women sitting with them give them each a small book designed to teach the men the Herlandian language and give them a way to teach the women English; for every Herlandian word the men learn, they write down the English equivalent. Their tutors, Van notes, are incredibly perceptive and patient in helping the men through their difficulties in learning the language.

When they are alone again, Jeff praises the way the Herlandians are treating them by giving them such a comfortable room, ample food, and the freedom to move around instead of being physically restrained. Jeff says that they would be treated much worse if they were in a “man-country.” Irritated, Terry insists that there must be men somewhere. Van agrees, saying that the men may be in a different part of the country. Van says that the men there might be “subdued […] and […] shut up.” Terry drily remarks that the three of them are now in the same position. The three of them go to one of the windows to look out. Although the windows aren’t barred, they are high above the ground in an isolated area. Terry says they will have to escape from the fortress eventually. Jeff and Van agree.

Walking away from the window, Jeff remarks on how the women are reacting to their presence. In particular, Jeff says that “It’s as if our being men was a minor incident.” Van agrees with Jeff’s observation, but Terry lashes out, saying that the only reason the women are reacting that way is because of their age. Jeff admits that this might be true but reminds Terry that the three younger women they saw earlier were curious but unafraid of the three men. Terry thinks about this over the next few days and complains that if he had managed to catch Alima, they could have used her as a hostage to negotiate with the leaders of Herland.

Over the following days and weeks, Jeff, Van, and Terry continue working with their tutors and take walks in the walled-in garden under supervision. From the garden, they get a better view of the fortress, confirming their suspicion that it is an ancient structure. Their guards regularly knit and read, and Terry says that seeing them knit is almost enough to make them seem feminine. Still, Terry dreams of being let loose among the younger women. Van gloomily asks Terry how he can be sure they’ll ever be let out of the fortress. The three men think about this possibility until Van suggests that perhaps if they are respectful and do well in their Herlandian lessons, then eventually the Colonels will let them free.

In a narrated aside, Van discusses the Herlandian language that he, Terry, and Jeff were trying to learn, saying that it has an easily understood phonetic system that sounds beautiful. Van also shares details about the exercise regimen he and the others were encouraged to do, which included dancing, running, and hurdling. In all these things, the women’s abilities surpassed those of Terry, Van, and Jeff. Van remembers trying to imitate the Herlandian method of jumping over hurdles (lifting one’s legs up and twisting the torso in midair) but failing to reach the same level of skill as the Colonels. 

Returning to the past, Van, Terry, and Jeff continue to receive lessons from their tutors; Van is taught by Somel, Jeff by Zava, and Terry by Moadine. Although Van and Jeff develop real friendships with their tutors, Terry scorns Moadine and refuses to accept her friendship. The tutors bring the men maps of Herland, pictures, engravings, and—as the men grow more and more fluent in the Herlandian language—books. Terry’s anger and impatience, however, prevents Van and Jeff from enjoying the experience as much as they might have if he weren’t there. Van begs Terry to just be patient until the women let them out, but Terry rails against the idea that he must be “let” out.

Terry eventually convinces Jeff and Van that it is time for them to escape. Terry, who has carefully observed every detail of their surroundings, points out that if they can make a long enough rope then they can use it to climb out of their window, then over the garden wall onto a path far below. The men formulate a plan to make a long rope out of their clothes and bedsheets in the middle of the night (the only time they are left alone). They carry their plan out one night when there is a full moon to guide them.