A Study Of Nature And Women In William Faulkner's Short Stories From The Perspective Of Ecological Theology

William Faulkner is one of the most influential American writers in the 20th century. He was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel". As a master storyteller, William Faulkner not only writes lots of excellent novels but also creates numerous good short stories. The Yoknapatawpha saga he weaves has drawn the attention of world literature. Like his novels in which problems of nature and women constitute an important part, Faulkner's short stories which are closely related with his novels are also inseparable from those problems. The aim of this paper is to study nature and women in Faulkner's short stories from the perspective of ecological theology, and probe the religious and ideological roots of conflicts between men and nature, men and women. This paper will select six of Faulkner's short stories concerning problems of nature and women, elaborate the living state of nature and women in the patriarchy, analyze the religious roots and ideological causes of conflicts between men and nature, men and women, and propose a corresponding solution, that is the remodeling of Christian faith.Within Yoknapatawpha of Faulkner's short stories, both nature and women undergo poor treatment and persecution, which researchers have exposed in a full way based on the dualism between men and nature, men and women. Furthermore, eco-feminists construct a connection between nature and women for their common suffering in the patriarchal society and criticize men for their male chauvinism. However, in allusion to the roots and causes of dualism in a patriarchal society, they are short of a systematic analysis. Drawing on the past research, this paper not only reveals the conflicts between men and nature, men and women in Yoknapatapha, but also analyzes the religious and ideological roots of those conflicts based on the theories of ecological theology. At last, this paper concludes that the remodeling of Christian faith is an important ideological method to change the dualism between men and nature, men and women.