The book can be considered a post-apocalyptic novel, containing a combination of short narratives and journal entries. The protagonist, who sometimes identifies as Dusty or Karen or Jane, is a bisexual, middle-aged woman with great adaptability and will. The novel is based on the life of a midwife from her origins in San Francisco as an ob-gyn nurse. The story follows the midwife’s life through her years, trying to survive in a world that is dying. An outbreak resulting from a deadly virus emerges, killing many men and women. It was reported that only one woman was left for every ten men. The unnamed midwife finds herself surrounded by danger while trying to search for food and shelter. The first stranger she encounters tries to rape her and, by reflex, she ends up killing him. The second and third men she meets are gay lovers, and a group of men she meets after that also try to rape her.
The midwife finally decides to disguise herself as a man to increase her chances of survival. She cuts her hair and adopts the characteristics of a man before heading off into the wilderness. The midwife keeps her journal that not only contains the stories of her life but also of those she encounters in her travels. She either writes the accounts or allows them to write directly in the journal. An example is chapter three which contains “The Book of Roxanne”, who has narrated her own story. Furthermore, being knowledgeable about women’s health, she helps the few ladies left alive by administering contraceptives and first aid to them (Elison, 2016). The midwife tries to reclaim some sense of control in a world without order. The elements that stand out in the novel include survival in a lawless world, a female protagonist, and the post-apocalypse plague.
The Unnamed Midwife is a tale of destruction and death that does not offer a specific course for the demise of the world (McClinton-Temple, 2011). Both the characters and the readers are clueless as to what is causing the catastrophe. The uncertainty of what makes the people die or why infants no longer survive childbirth, and why mothers cannot survive birth makes the horror more captivating and frightening (Calvin, 2015). The Unnamed Midwife narrative is centered on the dread of nuclear war, with no one knowing what caused the apocalypse or how to respond to it (Elison, 2016). The tale focuses primarily on the principal players of this world, who, in this case, are the unnamed women. The novel builds on characters allowing all of them to appear unique. The representation of bisexuality by the principal players is depicted in a unique way by the author.
The novel clarifies that nothing will be the same; social institutions that fall apart can be reshaped in the face of a cataclysm. After the apocalypse, the institution of marriage, family, kinship, parenthood, and sexuality are reorganized and redefined. The book further incorporates third-person narratives that provide insights into which the unnamed midwife is not privy. The novel further ties up loose ends by making several detours, an example being the fate of the midwife’s partner, Jack, which is revealed in one of the ruptures. Throughout the journal, the midwife wonders whether or not her partner lived; this is indicated in chapter eight of the book, where Jack is moved to a safe location (Elison, 2016). In the narrative’s closure, the midwife learns that her partner had been in the same fort years ago where she takes refuge (Elison, 2016). The knowledge of Jack’s death allows the midwife to look to the future and let go of the past.
The issue of gender roles and sexuality is a significant element that the book shows concern for. The Unnamed Midwife presents a sweeping representation of the gender and sexuality theme within the community. After the apocalyptic event, there is an emergence of a new social order that offered new perspectives on the definition of sexuality and gender roles. Men claim ownership of women as their sexual property since women are so rare (Elison, 2016). The midwife tells young Jodi that men residing in Huntsville-good will want what Honus has (Elison, 2016). Additionally, the midwife confesses that Roxanne will be the target of all men because they all yearn to have what the Duke owns (Elison, 2016). Another gender perspective that emerges is the absolute power of women because they are rare and lack control.
As described in the book, there are hives that are safe and stable due to their numbers and the shared workload. The queen bee in the hives controls almost ten to forty men, giving satisfaction to the men because of sex, therefore, enabling the women to wield the power of inclusion and exclusion. The book also describes a significant shift in sexual identity and practices; the hives redefine cultural norms on sexuality after the apocalypse. The men in the hive not only engage in sex with the queen bee but also with one another. While some men like Archie Sinclair insist that they are straight, other men pair with same-sex couples (Elison, 2016). Furthermore, The Unnamed Midwife narrates to the reader that after the apocalypse, her first true love is another woman. The midwife’s desire for Jodi is not returned because of Jodi’s strict religious rules.
The Unnamed Midwife focuses on gender roles and does not shy from the themes of feminism and the issues concerning the LGBT community although women are treated as commodities. Gender stereotyping is another important thematic issue that can be observed throughout the text. This results from the lack of social institutions. As people are concerned that human life will become extinct, they think that the role of men is creating or revive a new humanity generation. Although there are increased rates of birth-related deaths, there are still increased cases of pregnancy because women are expected to fulfill their role of bearing children. The idea of gender roles brought about gender issues of women being sexually harassed and dying during childbirth (Elison, 2016). The Unnamed Midwife examines how women should defend themselves from such treatment. The demonstration of women’s defense comes into play shortly after the midwife departs from San Francisco. In her travels, she encounters dangerous men who are traveling with enslaved women, and in her disguise as a man, she becomes successful in delivering birth control to some of the women.
Since the plague still lives in all the survivors, avoiding pregnancy is a necessity for survival. The midwife further kills men not only in self-defense but also to free the enslaved women. Having learned to shoot from a young age, the midwife is a skilled player when she is involved in a gunfight trying to rescue two enslaved women from six shooters. One of the women commits suicide, is sexually harassed by all six men, and watches a third woman die during childbirth after being impregnated by the men. The midwife attempts to teach the other woman, Roxanne, the self-defense element, but she dismisses it thinking that the key to survival for females lies elsewhere (Elison, 2016). Roxanne’s idea of survival is based on the fact that women should use sex to get men to protect them. Later on in the novel, Roxanne ends up dying in sexual slavery after trying to use sexuality to manipulate men but to no avail.
The Unnamed Midwife offers the reader a narrative that warns about how the extinction of humans will seem unbearable. The author goes to great lengths to show the reader that the world is anything but desirable and bearable. Ellison creates an apocalyptic scenario that kills many people and leaves power in the hands of violent and cruel men. The novel evokes upsetting and uncomfortable emotions, which apocalyptic fiction should evoke. The author makes a great story by having a protagonist who is resourceful and can fend for herself. The female protagonist not only risks her life to save other women but also offers them birth control. The protagonist is smart enough to realize women have become a commodity and escapes the narrative of being captured and raped. Viewing the novel in terms of structure, moving from diary entries to an omniscient third-person perspective is successful in providing more details about her travels and the people she encounters on the way. Furthermore, the author incorporates the issues of death, survival, and sexuality perfectly. Ellison recognizes gender issues when the protagonist identifies as a male who finds herself living with a husband and a wife.
References
Calvin, R. (2015). Gender and the apocalypse. The Los Angeles review of books. Web.
Elison, M. (2016). The book of the unnamed midwife (the road to nowhere). Paperback.
McClinton-Temple, J. (2011). Encyclopedia of themes in literature.Facts on File.