The Harmonious Home For Indian American Women

Leslie Marmon Silko(1948-)is renowned as one of the most prominent contemporary Native American writers.She has mixed different genres of novels,poems,mythical stories,photographs into her autobiographical work Storyteller with unique Indian color.Her writings in this work reveal her great concerns for the earth and women,especially lives and destinies of Native American women.Ecofeminism calls upon understanding and communication between human and nature,equality among human beings and the reconstruction of spiritual values as everything harmonious and equal in this universe.This thesis employs theory of ecofeminism to interpret three short stories in Silko's Storyteller with other works as supporting evidence.It hopes to probe into Silko's ecofeminist thinking in her works.This thesis is composed of three chapters:The first chapter mainly talks about Silko's ecological perspectives on nature.Her identity as Laguan Pueblo woman brings her instinctive love and attention to the land and geographical features.Her works in Storyteller and her experiences prove her love and affection for animals,the landscape and her profound ecological concern.The second chapter dwells on the analysis of female protagonists in Storyteller.Indian American women are often the creators,protectors and sufferers in their tribes.They create or nurture lives.They protect their clansmen and indigenous culture.Plus,they often suffer from pains and afflictions silently.As women's role in the universe coincides with that of nature,nature is like a zoetic companion to them.The third chapter probes into the close interrelationship between women and nature.Indian American women are connected with nature in three ways.It is through the interactions with nature that Indian American women gain power and comfort.And in the end of Silko's work,women often return to nature as they seek for an ecologically harmonious world with equality and interconnectedness.This thesis,by studying women-nature relationship revealed in Silko's Storyteller,endeavors to reveal her profound ecological concern and ecofeminist consciousness.