Harmonious Coexistence Of Humans And Nature:an Ecofeminist Interpretation Of Oates' The Falls

Joyce Carol Oates is an outstanding and prolific writer in contemporary American literature. With a high sense of social responsibility, Oates is concerned about the proper relationship between human and nature, men and women. The Falls, published in 2004, is one of Oates' masterpieces, and it has brought her to the Prix Femina Etranger. Though many critics and researchers have studied The Falls, few have interpreted it from the perspective of Ecofeminism. This thesis discusses Oates' concern about environmental problems and women issues in the novel by using Ecofeminism. It analyzes the relationships of humans and nature, men and women, woman and nature, and discovers that under the influence of anthropocentrism and androcentrism, nature and women become the victims in patriarchal society, and being the same kind, woman and nature understand each other and live harmoniously. The thesis also discusses Oates' efforts to construct a relatively harmonious world. It is concluded that, by ending the story with improved male-female and human-nature relationships, Oates expresses her Ecofeminist idea of harmonious coexistence of humans and nature in the novel.