A Book Review of
“Heartbreak: The Political Memoir of a Feminist Militant” by Andrea Dworkin
Learning about Dworkin’s early political life as an impassioned leftist really surprised me, for she had left an imprint on my mind with her poignant accusation of leftist men using and degrading women in a way no better than their conservative counterparts. In her other works, Dworkin called the whole sexual liberation movement, initiated and propelled by leftist men, another covert attack to violate and abuse female bodies and a blow to women’s autonomy and dignity, no less painful and humiliating than what was imposed by traditional values on right-wing women. The women on the left who had been coaxed into conforming to men’s version of liberation, only later had to swallow the bitter consequences of unwanted pregnancies, abortions and mental trauma, as well as their dismal situation of being used as mere sexual objects to serve and entertain.
Dworkin understands the chaotic nature of political activism. At college she was a student leader. She organized a student protest against the parietal hour rule. Under this rule female students were not allowed to have male visitors (lovers) between 2am and 6am, but it is to everyone’s knowledge that male faculty snuck in and out student dorms at any time, had sex with female students and impregnated several, who had to undergo illegal abortions. Dworkin believed that the parietal hour rule violated students’ personal freedom and was fundamentally unfair and hypocritical. At this time she was not as acutely aware of the sexual exploitation in the name of sexual freedom, which would come as a realization years later in her life.
Her plan of protest had a brief success: out of a whole student body of a few hundred students, only 6 refused. But soon the situation reversed. Some authority figure threatened to expel students if they stuck to the movement. Almost all the participating students, under the pressure of their parents, signed an oath to quit from the movement. Dworkin didn’t sign the oath and left the school. The experience revealed the complexities of mass politics to her. She learned how difficult it is for the powerless to maintain a political advantage over the powerful and how fragile a mass union is when being struck by draconian measures.
One can organize a large number of people to strike once, twice, but it’s hard to maintain the momentum in a longer period. The establishment has a tendency to degenerate into tyranny when feeling threatened, and most of the participating masses are weak-minded under prolonged pressure. When the battle of rebellion requests the individuals to endure more inconvenience, take higher risks and make more sacrifices, people refuse to go on. Yes, real power is with the people and they have the potential to overpower the despot when united, but the power of the masses is often released in the form of explosive passion. After a violent release, people return to their older norms and few have the determination to fight till winning. I think her observation resonates with many of the recent events. I find it hard to rephrase her words into a form of delivery as effective as the original so I just directly cite a paragraph down here.
In order to go back to school, students had to betray themselves and each other, and most did. I learned never to ignore the reality of power pure and simple. I also learned that one could get a bunch of people to do something brave or new or rebellious, but if it didn’t come from their deepest hearts they could not maintain the honor of their commitment. I learned that one does not overwhelm people by persuading them to do something basically antagonistic to their own sense of self; nor can rhetoric create in people a sustained determination to win.
I think Dworkin’s ability to dissect leftist hypocrisy with such precision and depth has a lot to do with the earnest belief she once held in liberal values. The once true believer, who has gone down the path of faith deep, sees the real deal behind propaganda. Underneath the beautiful covers of liberal ideals lies the same old cruelty of men, the same old subjugation of women. During years of fighting a political struggle with leftist men, Anti Vietnam War protests being one part of it, she witnessed first-hand the same men she initially admired as political visionaries and trusted as battle comrades who shared her belief in equality and freedom, reveal themselves as wife-batters, pedophiles and sexual offenders. She had wholeheartedly dedicated her young adult life to the liberation of all men, only to realize later that the liberation of all men didn’t include women. The realization of the ugly sides of left politics transformed her from a zealous disciple into a disillusioned defector, and luckily for the feminist movement, her militancy only increased.
Radical feminists across the world look up to Dworkin, inspired by her unflinching spirit to fight. Dworkin gives a voice to the invisible, the mute, the downtrodden. Her feminist analysis is cold to the heart, realistic to the essence. She understands not only the weaknesses and illusions of traditional women, but also the naive fantasies harbored by the liberal ones. She gained knowledge, experience and wisdom from a shattered dream. Then she stopped pleading for men’s chivalry and sympathy. She knows that women cannot rely on men to fight for women’s rights. She knows that women have to speak the truth for themselves and fight for a revolution by themselves.
