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Women on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

 

            "Women on the Edge of Time" by Marge Piercy, is a novel that illustrates some problems of today's society and compares them to a possible future time. The other world that is presented in the book is called Mattapoisett. Mattapoisett is described as a utopian science fiction place because is much different from the place that Connie lived. Even though Mattapoisett might be the world that Connie's culture needed it is not a perfect world. Some of the problems that Marge Piercy presents in the book are controversial issues within the feminist circles of the seventies such as women's rights and social status in society, gender-related violence, sexism and patriarchal ideology. Focusing on the protagonist's abilities of time-travel, Piercy presents the reader with two incompatible social structures, depicting the present time as an anti-utopia and the future society as a sexless social environment (Sümbül). However, how is the society different from the two cultures presented in the book? Connie, the heroine of the book will lead us as she describes the difference between the utopian culture of Mattapoisett and Connie's world. .
             Consuelo Ramos is a 37 year old Chicano living on welfare. Most of her life she had contended with the problem of poverty and drug abuse. After the death of her good friend and lover, Claud, Connie stars a phase of drug abuse and is place on a mental institution and goes through "mind-control" treatment. But regarding Connie's mental problem she has a gift. She begins to get visits by an individual named Luciente who comes from the year 2137. Luciente communicates with Connie mentally and Connie visits Mattapoisett the same way, experiencing everything without moving her body. She got the opportunity to see the difference of her time from the future world. The story ends with Connie's resolution to fight back. She thinks that she is fighting a war on behalf of her and other people who are in the same circumstances.


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