Pursuing A Harmonious Bioland

Scott O'Dell is a famous American children's author in the twentieth-century American literature. He is renowned for writing the children's literature and historical novels. Island of the Blue Dolphins is one of his masterpieces. It was published in 1960 and became the best seller that year. This work has won the highest honor in international children literature prize—International Andersen Award, Newbery Gold Medal and five other children's literature award. Island of the Blue Dolphins is not only a classical children's book but also a book which tries to discuss the relationship between human and nature in a deeper sense. This dissertation is an attempt to read this classical children's book from the aspect of ecofeminism.The essay consists of an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion.The introduction gives a brief summary of Scott O'Dell and Island of the Blue Dolphins'status in American literature, the basic contents of the novel, and the literature review of current study on it. As a suggestive and open system, ecofeminism has close interconnection with other disciplines such as ecology, feminism, ethics and so on. As the combination of ecology and feminism, ecofeminism holds that women and nature are intertwined and closely connected. Ecofeminists point out that women and nature play the same role under patriarchy. They both serve as the debased"other"in opposition to the masculine"self".On the basis of ecofeminist criticism, this thesis mainly discusses the heroine Karana's relationship with nature in the novel Island of the Blue Dolphins. Through the careful analysis of the three stages of development of her personality, it points out that Karana's attitude toward nature has experienced a transition from conquest to complete integration.Chapter one points out that Karana conquers nature. Her personality is actually a kind of internalization of male values; her conquering attitude toward nature coincides with patriarchal ideology in the first stage of development of her character. However, Karana's conquering attitude toward nature differs from men's, because she is a representative of the weak anthropocentrism, whereas men belong to the strong anthropocentrism.The second chapter analyzes Karana begins to identify with nature, which can be embodied by some details, such as affinity with the beauty and harmony of nature, being faithful partner and protector of animals. But in the second stage of development of her character, she still has not completely broken through the bondage of patriarchal ideology.Chapter three focuses on Karana's returning to nature. In the last period, she closely integrated with nature, and then realized perfect oneness of nature and women. Thus, this thesis manages to get a conclusion that Karana, the heroine in the novel, is a perfect green woman. She advocates the development concept of harmony between human beings and nature.Through reading and analyzing Scott O'Dell's novel Island of the Blue Dolphins, it is not difficult to find that the heroine Karana is the first perfect female ecologist under Scott O'Dell's pen because it is she who changes the relationship between human beings and nature. She has tamed the wild island by love instead of conquering method. The perfection and beauty of the female personality has been shown from her harmonious integration with nature. Moreover, it will help us to consider how to deal with the relationship between human beings and nature, the relationship among the people harmoniously. It has a pratical significance for us to establish a harmonious society today.