Analysis Of Woman On The Edge Of Time By Marge Piercy

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Marge Piercy’s Woman on the Edge of Time follows the plight of a thirty-seven-year-old Mexican -American woman named Consuelo “Connie” Ramos. Impoverished, childless and without support from her extended family, Connie is placed in a mental institution for an alleged outburst of violent behavior. While at this mental hospital, her only escape from society is her intermittent trips to the future through the help from Luciente, an individual from the year 2137. During her trips to the future society of Mattapoisett, Connie discovers that women were no longer responsible for childbearing, children are encouraged to create their own identities as well as society is now classless, gender neutral and upholds a culture of distinct races. Through these visits, Connie comes to terms that her decisions could possibly determine the course of history. While the idyllic Mattapoisett is one possible future, Connie interacts with another future where society is intensely misogynistic, classist and solely based on appearance and sexuality. Connie’s interactions with these futures inspire her to stage a revolt against the doctors in the mental hospital- she claims to have poisoned their coffee. While Connie sees her act as victory, the reader is unsure of whether her action will ensure a future society like Mattapoisett or if Connie’s narration of this future is simply a byproduct of her mental instability. Woman on the Edge of Time depicts two parallel societies, one centered around New