A Pioneer Woman's Character Transformation

This thesis will evaluate Willa Cather's novel O Pioneers! in the light of ecofeminism. Ecofeminists believe that there is a connection between the androcentric subjugation of women and the anthropocentric domination of nature. Moreover, they view anthropocentrism as a symptom of a much deeper problem: androcentrism. For ecofeminists, the root of all oppression is western dualism, and the basic dualistic opposition in western patriarchal society is that between masculine and feminine, with the dominant gendered as masculine and the subordinate feminized. Hence, the interconnected oppression of woman and nature arises from the devaluation of femininity in an androcentric culture. To save the earth, ecofeminists strive to affirm and universalize feminine values: caring, nurturance, diversity, reciprocity, and interconnectedness, etc. The paper will help the reader to understand Cather's O Pioneers! from a new angle, and thus in the context of present global environmental degradation to highlight the ecofeminist's tenet: all life on earth is an interconnected web, not a hierarchy.