Echoes Of Ecological Ethics In Dances With The Wolves

Dances with Wolves is a well-known movie which won numerous prizes. And the movie is an adaption of the novel sharing the same name with it, which has been concerned and disputed intensively from different points of view by the criticism. The novel describes a white soldier’s adventure to the frontier and that of he and the Sioux. It revivifies the history of the expansion movement of the Western America and the expellent of the Indians with a subversive perspective, and explores the complicated themes such as culture, nature, races and peace, therefore triggers an introspection of the history and the disputation about the thought of anthropocentrism, conquering and controlling the nature that is represented by the white soldiers who are under the banner of "bring civilization to the heart of the untames". The novel also provides an excellent material for ecocriticism which develops rapidly as literary criticism.Green literatures and ecocriticism are perspective and self-securing theories confronting the ecological crisis, which affords theoretical framework for exploring the deep root of the modern ecological crisis and the solution.Dances with wolves is a precious work that is abundant in ecological significance, despite of fully exploration in terms of ecological ethics.which his paper will explore. The novel reveals the significance of wilderness, and describes the process in which the sense of alienation and sense of marginalization in Dunbar are replaced by consolation and hope in the wilderness. Meanwhile it reveals intrinsic value of the non-human lives’ flourishing; The communication and intimacy between Dunbar and "Two Socks", the wild wolf coincides the assertions of the Animal Liberation Animal Right Movement and vivifies the ecological ethics theory that declares the intrinsic value of biodiversity and richness, and announces the importance of the theory for the liberation and self-secure of human beings. The work surpass anthropocentrism and promotes mutual respect to different cultures, and narrates Dunbar’s recovery and the course of finding harmony in his life.The thesis is composed of four parts:the first part is introduction, which gives a brief introduction of the life and work of Michael Blake, the plot of the story, the previous studies of the work and the theoretical basis and framework; the second part is chapter one, which discusses the significance of wilderness in the work:prairie offers a refuge for the civilized people to turn back to the nature where people’s ecological awareness and ecological ethics are rebuilded in inner heart as growing in the womb; The third part, chapter two, illustrates assertions of the Animal Liberation Animal Right Movement through the communication and intimacy between Dunbar and "Two Socks", the wild wolf. Meanwhile it discusses the liberation and self-secure of human beings via appreciation of the intrinsic value of biodiversity and richness; the fourth part is chapter three, which studies anthropocentrism and ecological assertions to promote mutual respect to different cultures, and narrates Dunbar’s recovery and the course of finding harmony in his life, and expounds it is the simple ecological ideas of the Sioux that help Dunbar to rethink the civilization and attain the Self-realization in a broader sense.