An Eco-feminist Interpretation Of The Grapes Of Wrath

John Steinbeck(1902-1968)is known as one of the most eminent American writers of the 20th century.Thanks to his realistic,imaginative writing and his great concern for the sufferers,he won the Nobel Prize in 1962.The Grapes of Wrath as his masterpiece,mainly tells the Joad family's westward journey based on the true historical materials.In this novel,the author has paid great effort in depicting the environmental situations of the Dust Bowl and the images of some women characters as well.Therefore,this thesis is going to interpret The Grapes of Wrath from an eco-feminist perspective.Though there are already a number of studies that are related to this novel,this thesis is still of significance.On the one hand,most of the studies of it are on the views of ecology,feminism and historicism,etc,thus,there is still a large space to study it in the light of eco-feminism.On the other hand,in a world that is advocating harmony and equality,studying the eco-feminism will be of great help to find out the efficient ways to solve the current conflicts.This thesis is mainly carried out to analyze the eco-feminist elements in The Grape of Wrath,such as the connection between women and nature,the examples proving men's dual domination on women and nature,the root of the the dual domination and the enlightenment of the novel from an eco-feminist view.The eco-feminists believe that there is an intimate connection between women and nature and in the patriarchal society,the domination of women by men and the exploitation of nature by the humans are interconnected.Karen Warren,a famous philosophical eco-feminist holds that the root of the twin domination comes from the patriarchal view which is justified by the "oppressive conceptual framework".Only by abandoning the framework can women and nature be liberated and saved.After the textual analysis,the author's eco-feminist consciousness can be easily seen:Nature and women have the same fate in the patriarchal society,thus,the ecological movement and the feminist movement should not be separated.Morally speaking,Men and women,humans and nature have no difference because all the creatures on the earth are interdependent.