Ecofeminism And "o Pioneers! "the Heroine's Awakening

O Pioneers! is one of the three famous pastoral novels written by Willa Cather. In the novel Cather describes the harsh life of early pioneers who settled at western America, and she successfully depicts a strong woman character of Alexandra. Critics have examined the novel from the following three diverse perspectives: life of the pioneers, feminist reading and ecological interpretation. Based on the studies already done by scholars home and abroad, this thesis attempts to interpret the novel from the perspective of ecofeminism so as to find out the connection between women and nature.Ecofeminists confirm the identification of women and nature, and think they both undergo the oppression of androcentrism. Ecofeminists focus on women and nature and connect the oppression of both sides to fight against androcentrism.The heroine Alexandra in O Pioneers! is a woman character in contrast to the traditional woman image. Alexandra undergoes a transition from a masculine character who exploits the land to a feminine character who protects the land. The thesis tries to analyze the three phases of the transition to reveal the natural connection and development between women and nature.In the first phase, Alexandra is a woman character influenced by androcentrism, and she exploits the land to bring about profit. In the second phase, she gradually realizes the feminine essence of herself and the connection between nature and herself. In the third phase, she identifies the feminine essence in herself. She is still a strong hostess of her family, but she returns to nature and becomes a representative of nature.