Where Did We Begin To Go Wrong?

This thesis is devoted to a discussion of the themes of the prestigious Canadian writer Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake from ecocritical perspective, including people's alienation from the natural world, unchecked desire and unbridled technological development, aiming to get a more profound and more comprehensive understanding of Margaret Atwood's environmental awareness revealed in this novel. It proceeds from the general examination of the dualistic thinking and anthropocentrism rooted in the Western culture, pointing out that dualistic thinking and anthropocentrism exert negative influence on human relationship with the natural world, and are conductive to the split of nature and culture,making people blind to the close interactive relationship between them. Approaching the dystopian novel from the perspective of ecocriticism, this thesis highlights the indispensability of both the natural world and human community with regard to human survival, and points out the urgent need for humanity to bear firmly in mind the interconnectedness between human and nonhuman nature in the context of present global environmental degradation.