Marge Piercy

A take on feminism via Dystopian world

Introduction to Marge Piercy

 Family and Adult Life: Marge Piercy was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 31, 1936.
An indifferent student in her early childhood, Piercy developed a love of books. "It taught
me that there's a different world there, that there were all these horizons that were quite
different from what I could see.“
 Education and University: After her graduation from Mackenzie High School, Piercy
became the first in her Jewish family to attend college, studying at the University of
Michigan where she received a B.A. degree in 1957.
 Activism and Adulthood: Piercy was involved in the civil rights movements, She believes
in feminism, is an environmentalist and anti-war activist.
 Writings: Her work includes Woman on the Edge of Time ; He, She and It, which won the
1993 Arthur C. Clarke Award; and Gone to Soldiers, which turned out to be a New York
Times Best Seller and a sweeping historical novel set during World War II.
Characters List

 Consuela “Connie” Ramos:

Connie is a Mexican American of 70s New York. She has a history of abusive boyfriends, due to which she
neglected her career. “But I think we often settle for sex when we want love. And we often want love when
we need something else, like a good job or a chance to go back to school.” Her time during the mental
asylum she is admitted into leads her to belief that the only way to stop systemic oppression is to speak
against it. “The powerful don’t make revolutions,”
 Luciente:
Luciente is a being from the year 2137 who connects with Connie, The being plays an important role in the
education of Connie, Luciente proudly makes Connie realize her time is as essential to the road future will
take. The following quote from the novel “Whoever owned this place, these cities,….. filled with the purr of
money turning over,…. They took and took and left their garbage choking the air, the river, the sea itself.
Choking her. A life of garbage. Human garbage..” explains the effects of capitalism induced with oppression.
Luciente carries the futuristic feminist agenda that rectifying the mistakes created in Connie’s era are
essential to the betterment and sustainability of the place “Mattapoisett” Luciente belongs to.
About Woman on the Edge of Time

 Woman on the Edge of Time is a 1976 novel by Marge Piercy. It is observed as a work of
hypothetical science/utopian fiction as well as a feminist classic. Piercy draws on several inspirations
to write this novel such as utopian studies, posthumanism, comradeship, and female fantasies.

 Set in 70s of New York, the novel follows the storyline of it’s protagonist, Consuelo or Connie
Ramos, as she fights male supremacy in her quest to undo corruption occurring around her and in
direct effect.

 Apart from Connie’s journey, Marge Piercy utilizes the content of the novel to ask substantial
questions far more colossal in terms with racism and class subjugated society. The novel shows us a
set up of people who are seen to have evolved from a sexist mindset and established communities
that transcends gender roles in addition to enhanced individuality that benefit the society.
Woman on the Edge of Time Summary
 Going to college from a poverty stricken family and having countless lovers results in her
dropping out of college, she births a child name Angelina who had an abusive father.

 The series of unlucky events eventually take a pause when later in life, her boyfriend who was
serving time for a pick-pocketer dies in a fatal medical testing at the prison, hearing this news,
Connie spirals into a depressive mindset which instigates child abuse.

 Floundering in remorse and guilt, she is admitted in a mental hospital but it seems so far there is
no positivity around her, due to lack of financial and friendly support, she remains depressed.

 We see unsupportive relatives and their struggles, As Connie is quarrelling with her niece,
Dolly’s boyfriend which results in her second admission in a mental institution, this time an entry
so vivid it is backed by a diagnosis. Hence, we see Connie face the crucial most parts in her life
and her way of coping.
Woman on the Edge of Time Summary (2)
 Connie is labelled schizophrenic by the staff in the mental institution. A Beguiled Connie begins to have visions
by a being named Luciente who claims she is from the future and even promises to take Connie for a tour on a
venue that consists of utopian features.

 The biggest question could be as to what influences Connie to construct a universe? Comparing to the
contemporary 70s settings in a mental organization influenced by abuse where patient’s who were female or a
lesser popular race are labelled as “violent” on the factual responses to a prejudiced harsh and gender ridden
society. The subjects of infringement and oppression are perhaps the key for Connie to envision a quixotical
future.

 This classless, gender neutral, racial positive society is explicated in detail with it’s organizations and abilities
to work and co-exist. The place created by Connie in spirit also known as Mattapoisett shows an extensive
utilization of technology for social welfare and justice, shutting down the ideas of corporate institutions as they
have past history of not being beneficial to the society. There are also guidelines to resolve arguments between
neighbouring communities using the ancient method of a jury discussion. According to Connie’s mind,
Luciente is in particular time travelling during this era to fully understand the happenings going around. They
discuss and make Connie believe it is best to amend the mistakes of the past and present to avoid them having a
future existence.
Woman on the Edge of Time Summary (3)
 Connie learns gimmicks of emotional and physical perpetuity from Luciente and the rest of the people
from Mattapoisett. It is slowly uncovered that the utopian future Luciente belongs from might only be a
possibility out of another dystopian world full of hyper consumerism, capitalist and environmentally
worse off than today, a world that exploits the labor class eventually making them poor whilst still
employed “it seems as if people fought hardest against those who had a little more than themselves or
often a little less, instead of the lugs who got richer and richer.” while corporate brand owners to create a
fake lavish world those walls remain undefeated.
 Her ability to be in contact with Luciente decreases as she spends more time in the mental hospital. Her
primary physician Dr Redding can be seen practicing by prescribing medications and drugs that influence
Connie to be susceptible to suggestion and commands, as if that weren’t enough, Dr Redding proposes a
surgery plan on Connie that includes a part of social experiment to control her “violent tendencies” and
has machinery and electrodes planted in her brain.
 It is very much unclear that Connie’s vision of the utopian and dystopian worlds are a bleak of her
imagination or something that could be happening at real time. Nevertheless, this gives confidence for
Connie to understand that her time on this earth and her decisions are extremely vital in terms of the road
the future will take. This also gives her the inspiration to revolutionize against her medical captors, her
insurgence after poisoning her primary doctor results in the declaration of her permanent incarceration.
The outcome doesn’t faze Connie as she remains brave in the face of oppression “I'm a dead woman now
too. ... But I did fight them. ... I tried.“ (WOET)
 Themes Present
Unethical Practises
Mental Illness Class System in effect
 The key theme of the novel is mental illness, not in terms  Class discrimination in itself is horrendous. What’s the
of diagnosis, mostly in relation to how individuals are most abysmal attitude about this movement is the fact
treated once they are labelled ‘sick’. that it influences all necessities and opportunities
individuals are predicted to carry out.
 Patients lose all their individual privileges and doctors
conduct experiments without their consent.  A low socioeconomic household naturally results in
weak education system, poor hygiene and unceasing
 Doctors use patients as lab rats, supressing their voices poverty effecting the entire way an individual lives.
and claiming they are in a position of better knowledge
 In other words, people of authority and their need to
than their patients, who are at a core just as human as
doctors are. induce racial discrimination has manufactured a
catastrophic movement that sees no end for generations.
 Perhaps the most violent character in the book is
 Character Dolly, who is Connie’s niece is shown to
Angelina’s father and by extension, Connie as the
pursue unusual methods of employment. She becomes a
mother ; who lost control on her child in view of the fact
prostitute in order to take care of her daughter and she
of her frustration. There are traces of sociopathy marked faces these difficulties due to her gender and race.
and could be attenuated with therapy.
 Themes Present
Social Transformation
Connie’s Utopian World The Inevitable Dystopian World
 A theoretical sense of dream style world  A tangible possibility birthed by intentions
created by Connie. of Connie’s captors, abusive boyfriends
and relatives.
 A world where there is no crime, no war
and no poverty.  Crime filled cities full of class
discrimination where the poor remain poor,
 Mattapoisett is a world full of equal
and the rich remain rich.
opportunities, that transcends gender roles.
 War hungry, weapons dealing leaders.
 City of love, where there is no standard of
struggle.  Misogynistic, homophobic world that
excels on decreasing opportunities for the
 Elimination of capitalist and negative young and propels them as marketing
racial beliefs. features.
A wider look on Connie’s World: Mattapoisett
through the lens of Feminism
 Piercy has assumed responsibility to show a coherent vision on feminism. She has narrated Mattapoisett as an
ordinary world "because it's accessible. There's almost nothing there except the brooder not accessible now. So it's
hardly a utopia; it is very intentionally not a utopia because it is not strikingly new. The ideas are the ideas basically
of the women's movement.”
 Each individual described in Mattapoisett has an equivalent in the real world. We see the character Jackrabbit in his
true element of self-acceptance as he is popular in Mattapoisett, Connie remembers her friend Skip who was
admitted in to the mental asylum by his father as a result of an unconfirmed oppressive mindset. In comparison to the
male doctors running the institution Connie is admitted in, Mattapoisett women appropriate the traditional methods
of healing, as primary care takers.
 In terms of parenthood, Piercy lights on an unalike idea that in Mattapoisett the imperative structure is divided
equally between the mother and father, as babies are now elected to be produced by a mechanical method instead of a
natural one. In real world women are often left to take care of babies and the upbringing of children all by
themselves, Mattapoisett introduces economical independence which eliminates chances of men neglecting their
family duties.
 The roles assigned to possessive pronouns “he” or “her” initiates oppression by authority figures according to their
likes. The eradication of power structures can be clearly seen when Piercy introduces gender neutral terms in respect
to addressing individuals. Mattapoisett believes to call Individuals as “per” or “person”. Feminist futurists believe
that Marge Piercy’s unsystematic perspective on issues effecting the world through this novel opens doors for
argumentative solutions. The solution proposes that there are variety of systemic problems that need to be addressed
currently in order to eradicate them for a better future.
Conclusion
 Connie seems to represent the translative means of the phrase ‘Woman on the Edge of Time’. In fact Connie
is the woman on edge, due to lack of positive social interactions, abusive patriarchal figures, lack of parental
guidance and overall scarcity of opportunities for an individual to grow, Connie invents a universe not only
as a means to cope, but also in regards to the similarities it contains of directly to the 70s New York Connie
lives in.
 Mattapoisett faces the same threats of the existence of a peaceful time as much as New York is running
towards it. As a storyteller, Piercy injects the intelligent idea that Luciente might be future Connie, and gives
platform to the one desire humans can not comprehend : time travel. It is inconclusive as the two lose
communication as soon as the threat of a dystopian world is organized.
 Connie doesn’t get her happy ending, or a normal one at that. Connie created a future that by no means has
the ability to save her from current oppressors or execute a path suitable for her needs and her friends. It is
now clear that the historical part influences the future, As Luciente and her friends say “In biosystems, all
factors are not knowable” It is important to believe that small changes produce unpredictable futures.
 How is the novel meaningful in terms of society proceeding to a better quality of life? As stated earlier,
oppression is a tactical method of subjugation carried out by male authority figures to enhance enthralment,
as human rights are getting more and more popular, what better way to fulfil dark desires than experiment on
the mentally ill? One lesson vital from this novel can be the way we treat mentally ill individuals. There
needs to be much more simpler methods of treatment carried out with empathy and kindness.
Marge Piercy

 Feminism at it’s definitive core is the movement created for individuals to advocate
women’s rights on the ground of the quality of sexes. According to Marge Piercy
“Feminism, or women’s liberation as we used to call it – a more accurate name in my
opinion, is the branch of politics that believes that the suppression of women and the
treating of women as objects or beings subordinate to men is a primary oppression. Until
and unless women are truly equal and free, no justice is possible.”
 Marge Piercy’s view on feminism and system oppression has been a huge influence on her
literary works. As an activist, she doesn’t shy away from highlight important issues
utilizing science fiction as an attractive metaphor. “I’m alive. I follow many sources of
news on the Internet and my phone daily.  How could I not respond to what’s happening in
the society in live in and the planet I live on?“ Racial discrimination, women inequality
and other various social artifact have played a huge role in her novels.
Refrences

 https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/838570-woman-on-the-edge-of-time
 Trivia: Voices of Feminism, Marge Piercy: On Feminism, Politics, and Writing
Monica J. Casper can be obtained fromhttp://www.triviavoices.com/marge-piercy-on-
feminism-politics-and-writing.html#.Ye6HRH2EbIU
 Piercy, Marge (1983). Parti-Colored Blocks for a Quilt. Poets on Poetry. Ann Arbor, MI:
University of Michigan Press. pp. 100. ISBN 978-0-472-06338-3
 "About Marge - Marge Piercy". Retrieved May 8, 2020.
 Woman on the edge of time: Observations by Miriam Rosenthal
 Persky, Jojo. "Woman on the Edge of Time Themes". GradeSaver, 5 August 2018 Web. 24
January 2022.