The Implications Of Ecological Ethics In Willa Cather's O Pioneers!

When mankind comes into the modern civilization era, the living standard has been improved greatly and people's life is extraordinarily splendid. The advanced science and technology has brought a great deal of goodness to mankind. In the meantime, the concomitant badness shall never be neglected. The relation between man and nature has become more and more alienated, which leads to a series of eco-crisises such as the shortage of resources, environmental pollutions, and population explosion. The issue has already become one of the greatest puzzlements in this age. Thus it is necessary for the mankind to retrospect the relation between man and nature to find the ideal solution to it. Perhaps one of the effective ways is to rethink the relationship between man and nature from the perspective of ethics. With the aggravation of the ecocrisis, ecological ethics is getting more and more attention. A lot of questions have been raised before us, such as how to dispose of the relation between man and nature, how to orient people's roles in the nature,how to find good solutions to the problem of the ecocrisis and so on. Though it develops in the confrontation between egocentrism and ecocentrism, the construction of the ecological civilization has positive meanings.This thesis aims to undertake a systematic study of Willa Cather's ecological consciousness revealed in O Pioneers! and to present a measure of moral relation between man and nature on the basis of the explorations into the ethical relation. The study proves that Willa Cather displays an ethic of interconnection and caring in natural spaces and it shows she is a writer who is much concerned with the proper relationship between the human and nonhuman world.This thesis is divided into three chapters. The introduction states the purpose and significance of the research and outlines the theory of ecological ethics on which the essay is based. Chapter One is an exploration of Willa Cather's natural world to trace the formation of her complex and ecological awareness. Chapter Two reveals Willa Cather's concept of ecological ethics in O Pioneers! by focusing on the harmonious reciprocity between man and land and integration with nature. The interconnectedness and interdependence between human and nature demonstrated in the novel proves that human is not superior and nature is not inferior, but mutually integrated. In the harmony achieved through integrating with nature, human life sustains. Subsequently proposed in Chapter Three is the heritage of Willa Cather. The novel manifests that Willa Cather is a writer with ecological sensibility. Her view of the relationship between man and nature is one of caring and loving, rather than one of domination. She expounds that how the natural environment should be protected and the balance of nature should be maintained for the achievement of harmonious development. She also inspires us to have the ecological responsibility and achieve the ultimate orientation of mutual development of man and nature.In conclusion, the destruction to nature has already reached its historical peak, which leads to the urgent action of saving the earth. For the sake of survival and development, human should fully realize the ethical principle of the relationship between man and nature and explore the ethical norms. By writing such an essay, we hope to gain a view of Cather's ecological consciousness. It may suggest a way to a better understanding of Cather about her idea of interconnectedness between the human and the nonhuman rather than man's mastery of other forms of life. In addition, it may help to nurture and foster people an appropriate sense of responsibility for our surroundings as well as all the inhabitants.