The Gate to Women's Country: Chapters 9- pg. 104

Details of the Society:

• the play was acted by the Councilwomen of the city
• servitors are clean shaven, warriors wear beards
• some women that leave the town do not join the gypsies, some become wanderers
• servitors know information
• Servitors are able to go to servitor school, and since they start later than the girls, they are allowed to specialize
• deer are bred and released annually after some survived the convulsions
• bleak devastation- lands where nothing grows, and are filled with radiation  made by a some people with "their evil weapons"

Myra develops as a character in the reading. Myra became upset once Marcus lost his resemblance to Barten (Marcus had blue eyes and black hair, but the hair fell out and his eyes turned hazel). Morgot becomes so fed up with Myra and Myra's belief in the opinions of Barten, that Morgot suggests that Myra moves into another house on her own. Myra seems needy and desperate for attention, when it is revealed that Myra participated in the carnival with Barten even when she was six months pregnant, just in the hopes of keeping him to herself. 

Joshua  truly becomes a person in this chapter. He shares his opinion that Myra will not change from her state of rebellion. Joshua shares the reason why he left his garrison and the warriors. Joshua's friend Cornus was killed in battle, and Joshua was able to feel Cornus's pain. He called it "long-feel/time-feel", and said that the warriors who have it tended to become servitors. Joshua was apparently amazing at the war game Battle-Ball, and as a result was treasured and kept safe for the game. However, Joshua found out that nothing changed based on the war games, and after a large battle between two garrisons for no real reason, Joshua made the choice to leave the warriors. Perhaps the thing that Joshua founded out while on messenger duty will play an important role later on in the story.

It seems like the women are currently going through hard times. The council plans to cut allotments (which seem to be rations , but only for those within the city, and not the garrison. The town needs more glass jars, however they lack the power from the watermills in order to do so along with all the other things which need to be produced. First of all, this would make Michael's wisdom on not taking on the city while in a time of hardship seem even wiser. Also, it is revealed that 200 babies were born in Marthatown in a year, yet not enough people died to balance out the population increase, leading to the food shortages.

What kind of men return to women's country? Why? When?

Men return to women's country when they are 15 and choose to, or if the lifestyle of a warrior becomes too much, the man can leave. Some of the men who return are into learning and knowledge, others have the long-feel like Joshua.