I wish I could say it doesn’t get any worse. And not only must they feel powerful, they must be powerful, except that is only possible when a woman is incompetent. In this world, the most important thing that must be maintained at all costs is that men feel powerful. I don’t usually quote this much from the book (mostly because that would get boring pretty fast, but also because I can only legally reproduce so much of it for a critical review), but I thought it was important for all of you to see this, in the full, horrible, stark reality of Helen’s world. The apparent need of the woman for care and protection, instead of arousing contempt for her lack of ability, appeals to the very noblest feelings within him. This feeling of strength and power is one of the most enjoyable he can experience. In the presence of such weakness, he feels stronger, more competent, bigger, manlier than ever. When a man is in the presence of a tender, trustful, dependent woman, he immediately feels a sublime expansion of his power to protect and shelter this frail and delicate creature. It is one of the most uncomfortable and humiliating sensations a man can experience, so that the woman who arouses it becomes repugnant to him. In the presence of such strength and ability in a mere woman he feels like a futile, ineffectual imitation of a man. What happens when the average red-blooded man comes in contact with an obviously able, intellectual, and competent woman, manifestly independent of any help a man can give, and capable of meeting him or defeating him on his own ground? He simply doesn’t feel like a man any longer.
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