| Xen: Ancient English Edition by D. J. Solomon |
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The utopia present in D.J. Solomon's Xen ostensibly presents the ideal situation for feminists: a world where women and men are completely equal, where even, perhaps, women's qualities are more admired than men's. However, the origins of the utopia qualify this idea and when examined, the utopia does not truly consist of solely womanly values. The world before the utopia presumably represents one like the present, but it too is full of mixed impressions of women, men, and the relationships between them. The most realistic portrayal of women and their issues in the novel is in the character of Water. Thus both the original world and the utopia that comes after it have good and bad implications for feminism, while Water's character provides a realistic and hopeful picture of femininity, a mix close to that of real life. The future people in Solomon's work are genetically different than those of the present day, a transformation orchestrated by Pawkey Seneschal, a misanthropic male scientist. In using this scenario, Solomon suggests that the achievement of equality between men and women is impossible given the current nature of humans. This premise considerably reduces the value of the work of thousands of women over the past century to obtain rights and recognition for themselves. If full equality is impossible with the current genetic makeup of humans, than all those working at this point in time for women's rights, women's health, and women's success in a male-dominated world can never achieve their goals. This extremely disheartening prospect casts a shadow over the initial excitement at the idea, also portrayed in the book, of a world where true equality between the sexes exists. In addition, the fact that the ultimate purifying transformation occurs as a result of the actions of a man has mixed implications. Firstly, Pawkey stands alone in his realization and his action, implying that full-scale acceptance on the part of mankind remains unlikely and even impossible. To some extent, this is true; at no point will every man in the world think of the women around him as completely equal to himself. However, Pawkey does not even have a majority cohort of supporters, only those he pays to do the work he needs done. To continue, the saving of the human race by a single man, while hopeful for the race and a good sign in that a non-woman was able to realize that womanly qualities would pacify and improve the human race, remains a bad sign for feminism, in that it represents another instance of male dominance and the frustration of women in furthering their own cause. Earlier in the book, Pawkey attends a conference, during which he muses about those around him and dwells extensively on their flaws. It is during this tirade that he explains his attitude towards women, which generally focuses on the physical, with only passing reference to their identity as people. He goes through an extensive catalogue of the varieties of pornography available, after firmly disavowing fat and ugly women, and then explains his relationship with his "bitch wife," (28-29) which has stagnated and remains dissatisfying for both of them. From this sequence of thoughts, it becomes clear how Pawkey feels about women. This represents one realistic point of view, some men do in fact feel that way about their female counterparts. However, overall Pawkey is on the worse end of the spectrum, as he is on other subjects. This extremism makes his realization and action to change the world at once surprising and more clear. If he believes that there is so little value in those around him, what interest could he have in their well-being and continued survival? On the other hand, his clear apprehension of all of humanity's flaws makes him most suited to remedy them. Most important, though, is his understanding of the way he thinks and his own self-knowledge. He says "Now [I] recognize this viewpoint is at one extreme." (32) In this he acknowledges that others are more reasonable towards their fellows than he. He also willingly admits to not being a Survivor, one of the privileged few good enough to move on after his virus is unleashed. He "will sleep after [the virus is released] and not awaken further." (178) In this admission he illustrates a full understanding of his own nature and his own flaws, mediating the vitriol of his rant against women and others. Continuing on the theme of self-knowledge, it is important for even staunch feminists to acknowledge that the calm, reasonable intelligence attributed as the ultimate womanly quality in the book is not shared by all women. In fact, it applies to a small number of people, some of them women, and should therefore perhaps not be considered a womanly quality at all, but rather a quality of the most admired people. Women, in their myriad forms, can be intelligent or not, quarrelsome or calm, inconstant or faithful, dangerous or meek, and infinite other varieties and combinations. Presumably Pawkey's virus eliminates all people, women included, with some of those undesirable qualities. But, in doing so, it also robs people of their passion, their determination, and their courage, seeing as love is predetermined genetically, all pursuits are possible in time, and no danger exists, so being able to face it with courage becomes a moot point and a useless trait. As for women specifically, their relationship with men, while prearranged, free of violence, and mutually pleasurable physically, loses some of its aspects that provide large amounts of interest for all involved. Dating becomes pointless, and with it goes the thrill of being desired, pursued, and won, some of the motivation to look one's best, and the ability to truly enjoy a relationship with one not intended as a life mate. Is this a reasonable price to pay for the elimination of rape, spousal abuse, and other types of unhealthy relationships? Perhaps. In any case, it remains important to acknowledge that womanly qualities span a far greater range than those represented in the book as the ultimate ones, namely reasonableness and calm, and that the utopia, supposedly filled with "woman the wiser" (183) is rather filled with people the wiser. One situation in the book affords a more realistic point of view than either Pawkey's rants or the idealized and sterilized portrait of the utopia. The character of Water, the primal elemental force, comes closest to a realistic woman. She is loving, passionate, clever, playful, sly, and a little bit of a cheater. In her willingness to listen to Wind rant, she displays a passive-aggressive way of dealing with others that many women utilize, whether it's refusing to speak to a friend over an issue or leaving the dishes until a husband realizes they need to be cleaned. She cleverly solves the problem set before her, using her own unique resources to accomplish her goal. Though her approach could be considered dishonest, frankly, women are sometimes dishonest in getting what they want. She and Wind playfully and lovingly engage with each other, calling each other "lover" (78) and "dearest" (13). This illustrates a happy, healthy relationship that most women hope to enjoy. Thus Water's character represents the primal force of womankind as well as the force of the element she personifies. Thus the portrayal of women and women's issues in Xen proves to be as complex and intricate as in real life. Pawkey's attitude is clearly derogatory, but he instigates the transformation that brings womanhood to a forward position. The utopia presents itself as full of positive feminine qualities, but it leaves out many aspects of women, and their relationships with men that remain valuable. Water's portrayal comes closest to a real woman, a flattering example of the power of femininity in her role as an elemental force. These variations and complexities accurately reflect the issues attached to feminism in real life, continuing Xen's usefulness as a text to force consideration of how people live their lives, what is wrong, and how it could be better. Editor's Note: See Reader's Guide #31 for a discussion concerning the above. |
Joan Cummins Feminism in Xen University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA |
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