An Ecofeminist Reading Of A Thousand Acres

Jane Smiley (1949- ) is considered as one of the most distinguished contemporary women writers in America. Her novels are characterized by the vivid description of American middle-class family life, in particular, by her delicate and penetrating writing style. Her masterpiece A Thousand Acres, published in 1991 which depicts the agricultural life of American Midwest, won both Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992. The consciousness of ecofeminism is clearly reflected in her novel. Ecofeminism, opposing the pressure on women and nature under the domination of patriarchal view of the world, attempts to explore the universal relationship between devaluing women and nature and proposes to build a brand-new relationship between men and women, human being and nature. As a responsible woman writer, Jane Smiley not only shows a great concern for women's fate but has a deep affection for nature. In A Thousand Acres, she brings ecological themes together with feminist issues: the damage to the daughters and the damage to the land become one under Larry's patriarchal domination; both natural ecology of the thousand acres and mental and physical health of the Cook women are destroyed. The crisis of nature is very similar in concepts and circumstances to women's plight. In this sense, Smiley has an identical pursuit to that of ecofeminists.This thesis attempts to interpret A Thousand Acres from an ecofeminist perspective by analyzing its text in detail. Firstly, it studies the theme of women and nature. Through discussing complex connections between women and land, water, animals, it emphasizes women's identification with nature in A Thousand Acres. Secondly, the thesis illustrates the plights of both nature and women. It specifically elaborates the metaphorical correspondence between human-nature and men-women relationships in the novel: nature is subjected to brutal rule from men, at the same time women are marginalized in the men-centered society. Therefore, women and nature become the victims of patriarchy. Based on the theory of ecofeminism, the thesis further explores the causes of nature's deterioration and women's suffering– both resulting from the dualistic thinking mode and androcentrism of patriarchy represented by Larry. In the following part, the thesis discusses awakening women and nature in the novel, especially the revenge from nature on mankind and the steadily increasing awareness of the rebellion that comes from women as an alliance with nature. It further uncovers the double revelations of the tragic ending. Witnessing the deteriorations of nature on her farmland, the heroine Ginny realizes that nature is a feminist issue, in which nature and women achieve their common ground– unite with each other to fight against patriarchy in order to search for a feasible solution. Furthermore, by researching into the potential positive factors embedded in the novel, this thesis reveals Smiley's pursuit of a harmonious world.By examining situations of women and nature under the domination by patriarchy in A Thousand Acres, this thesis hopes to call for human beings to reflect upon the crisis of western industrial civilization and to think about how to balance the relationship between men and women, and how to get along well with nature. In addition, the adoption of ecofeminist theory can broaden the investigative perspective and help readers to get a more comprehensive understanding of this novel.