An Eco-feminist Reading Of The Grapes Of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath, published in1939, is the masterpiece of John Steinbeck(1902-1968). In1962, Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for literature for his realistic thinkingand imaginative writing, as well as his keen social perspective. The Grapes of Wrath is thestory of a poor family of sharecroppers driven from their home by drought, economichardship and changes in financial and agricultural industries. Their trip is a journey of hopeand courage coupled with struggle against terrifying persecution. It can be considered asthe epic of modern American farmers and a masterpiece in modern American literature.This thesis bases its research on close reading of the text and exploration of thewriter’s life experience as well as his value orientation. It mainly applies the ecofeministtheory to text analysis and tries to provide new perspectives and possibilities forreinterpreting the famous novel The Grapes of Wrath. This thesis argues that JohnSteinbeck is a writer with strong ecological consciousness. There are many vividdepictions of environment and land in his novel. Moreover, Steinbeck attaches greatimportance to social ecology and spiritual ecology. Meanwhile, female characters in hisnovels function as important roles and are worthy to be examined. Therefore, this thesistends to analyze this classic novel The Grapes of Wrath through ecology and feminineaspects.This thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter begins with the introduction tothe author John Steinbeck and his literary achievements. In literature review, criticisms ofThe Grapes of Wrath at home and abroad are arranged according to the time table. Byapplying the ecofeminist theory, this thesis attempts to put forward new research purposes,research approaches and its significances. The second chapter focuses on the source andorigin of Steinbeck’s ecological consciousness, then analyses their embodiment from threeaspects—natural ecology, social ecology and spiritual ecology. The third chapter exploresthe influence of female characters in Steinbeck’s life and writing career, then focuses onthe analysis of two female characters represented in The Grapes of Wrath—Ma Joad andRose of Sharon. The fourth chapter tries to examine the symbolic connotations of natureand women, and the suffering of nature and women under the control of patriarchy thuspoints out the root causes of this oppression—anthropocentrism and androcentric dualistic thinking. By analyzing the thought-provoking ending of the novel, we can find out a propersolution for human beings. In the fifth chapter, a conclusion of this thesis is drawn. Itshows the main findings of this thesis. As a writer with a strong sense of socialresponsibility and environmental awareness, Steinbeck expresses his deep eco-humanisticconcern for nature and women.