Before reading this story, I was hoping that it wouldn't be as confusing as The Left Hand of Darkness and that it wouldn't have any weird made up vocabulary to add more to the confusion. So far, I've finished reading the first section of the story (up to page 33) and I am kind of confused. I don't really understand what type of living conditions they are in. I'm also still wondering who the "Marthas" are. I think that the society in this book is sort of reaching towards a Utopia because of how they separate the males from the females.
Here's a few quotes I'd like to talk about:
"As we walk away, I know they're watching, these two men who aren't yet permitted to touch women. They touch with their eyes instead and I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt around me." Pg. 22
- For some reason, they don't allow some men to have any type of physical interaction with females. I guess it's their way of "protecting" the females? I also thought it was mean for her to be teasing those men, but I guess it's also funny too.
"She's a magic presence to us, an object of envy and desire, we covet her." Pg. 26
- This quote is when the women at the market notice that there is a pregnant woman there. I think they're envious of her because they don't have any men, therefore they aren't able to become pregnant like her. I still wonder what status or ranking do they have to be in order to even talk to a man. This is confusing! But hopefully as I continue reading the book over the break, it'll become clearer to me.
Until next time!
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hello shirlyn! you're so funny! i agree! this book is pretty confusing! i'm slowly understanding this book though! i think the marthas are also the aunts maybe?! and i think the aunts are the ones who are older and more wise than people like the narrator. i like your comment on the utopia that separates the different sexes! i think they think they are protecting women from the harm men can do. i think that's why the men are not permitted to touch the women. like when she teases them, the men can only "touch"/look with their eyes and not physically touch them. i also think that at the market, the women are jealous of the pregnant woman, not because she has a man, since they all don't get to have one. i think it's because if they do not get pregnant, they would be thought of as "unwomen". i think unwoman is considered as a woman who doesn't have the ability to conceive anymore?.. so that's why they're jealous. i think they punish the "unwomen".. definately over the break, i still i was confused! =O
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