Herland

Herland is in a mountainous region, surrounded by a cliff with a high, sheer drop-off. Van, Jeff, and Terry use a biplane to fly over the cliff; they can see the cliff from their quarantine rooms, and they follow along the cliff edge during their attempted escape. At one point, Terry goes to the cliff hoping to find some means of escape, but he is being watched by the Herlanders and does not make any attempts to climb down.

The cliff becomes a symbol of the Herlanders’ superiority. It is a physical marker of the idea that the women-led Herland is superior to, or above, like the cliff, the patriarchal United States. The cliff influences the themes of A Society Founded on Motherhood and Prioritizing Education and Efficiency, which satirically emphasize the violence, cruelty, inefficiency, and immorality in US culture.

The men use Terry’s biplane to fly over the cliff to get to Herland. During their escape attempt, they return to the plane, which has been sewn into a large bag. The plane requires two people to fly it, so when Terry is exiled, Van, accompanied by Ellador, must also leave so that he can help Terry return to the US.