A History Begins In The Heart Of Women

This thesis is about two of Willa Cather's most important and influential works, O Pioneers and My Antonia This thesis would search into the deep-rooted meaning that the writer tries to convey to us through the aspect of eco-feminism. The heroines of her works are really spectacular with the background of the unique American mid-west landscape in the beginning of 19(th) century. Here we are going to study the uniqueness of these women, their personality, how this viewpoint toward life comes into being, the interconnectedness between the women figures, between women and men, between people and nature, etc. The recurrent themes in Cather's works, women, nature and their interconnected relationship are the causes I want to interpret her works using the thematic approach of Eco-feminism. Cather delineates a beautiful world where human beings and nature are coexisting in harmony. What is more, this is a world which seems to be inhabitable for human beings in the very beginning. But it became a promising land after years of people's living there. What makes all of this different is that this is an unprecedented writing. Cather displays a history that begins in the heart of women.In Cather studies, the eco-feminism aspect is an orientation not often touched upon. Although this thematic approach does not have a very long history, it does provide us with a profound academic field. Human beings versus nature relationship have been a hot topic nowadays, especially when human beings are forced to face the seriousness of ecosystem. Cather is very much contributive in the sense that in her early pioneer novels, she courageously composes a eulogy of the women pioneers in many aspects. These women possess this capability to communicate with nature and love nature admiringly. They are totally different from men in the tradition of a dichotomy society where woman and nature are both historically subordinated to man.In these two of Cather's most important pioneer novels, O Pioneers and My Antonia, she thoroughly subverts the dominant dualism rooted in the patriarchal culture: culture/nature, mind/body, reason/emotion, self/other, and man/woman and rewrites the male-authored or stereotypes of women: virgin/temptress, nurturing/devouring mother, and angel/demon. This shows that Cather represents both women and the land as subjects, while at the same time upholding the ecological recognition of both self and other as interdependent and mutually determinable constructs and the female recognition of a woman not only as a self but also as part of the land. Cather celebrates women's achievements, culture and their spirituality. From all these eco-feministic approaches, we could conlclude that Cather, a turn-of-the-century writer, has consciously been engaged in what eco-feminists are doing today: the celebration of the harmonious relationship between human beings and nature, the critique of anthropocentrism and androcentrism leading to the twin domination of nature and women, and the attempt to reconstruct a harmonious society.Nature versus human beings relationship demonstrated in these two novels of Cather provides deep insights into the nature-human relationship. Human beings habitually treat nature as an instrumental and economical resource. But nowadays we are forced to face the harsh facts coming out of the massive abuse of nature. In a hierarchical society, men are the ruler and conqueror of nature, as well as of women. One task of eco-feminists is to reconstruct a society where there is a mutual dependence between men and nature, women and men. Women would be viewed from a new aspect thereafter. Then a new history would start. This is a history that starts in the heart of women.