An Eco-feminist Interpretation Of Willa Cather's O Pioneers

Willa Cather is an American woman writer who is famous for her works about the life of pioneers in the world. She depicts the frontier life of the immigrants in the American Midwest, using Nebraska prairie as a background and writes symphony of pioneer spirit. O Pioneers! The Song of the Lark and My Antonia were called trilogy. With the female pioneer life as subject matter, Cather presented clearly the heroine's transformation from the image influenced by patriarchy, anthropocentrism and androcentrism into protector and child of nature in her novel O Pioneers. Cather shaped a new independent female image and showed the ecological intelligence of women through the exploitation of the relationship between human and nature, especially, the relationship between women and nature. Cather successfully portrays the heroine Alexandra through the development of her personality. Alexandra was a woman who acted against the tradition. She transformed from a land conqueror with masculine traits into a woman who knew nature and understood nature gradually. This thesis attempts to reveal the natural relationship between women and nature by the three phases experienced by the heroine. And finally the heroine achieved common development with nature.In the first phase, Alexandra was a lady with masculine traits and was influenced by patriarchal doctrines. She decided to take root on the land when she returned back from her investigation trip on the farm. She thought the land was not desolate but magnificent; not poor but rich.In the second phase, Alexandra found endless warmth and infinite strength from the land, which helped her to drive away the solitude and disappointment at the bottom of her heart. She found hope and got so rich on the land that she began to be aware of her female consciousness instead of just managing the land with masculinity. She began to identify with nature. She respected nature---loving Ivar and Marie. Finally, she was able to fully understand nature and love nature.In the third phase, Alexandra realized that life was limited but the nature would be still there. And that the people who love it and appreciate it will only have it for a short time. Nature is nature and it does not belong to anybody. What human should do is to know nature, understand nature and be part of nature. During her unprecedented communication with nature, Alexandra realized sublimation of her life value and returned to a feminine stage. She was a lady who was perseverant and close to nature and she was a complete representative and child of nature. The thesis analyzes the novel O Pioneers in view of eco-feminism aiming to reveal the interdependent relationship between nature and women and call on people to reconstruct our society in the ecological and feminine way to achieve natural harmony.