"love" To Lead You Home

This thesis makes an analysis of Alice Walker's novel, By the Light of My Father's Smile, in an eco-feminist perspective. Included in the thesis are six sections. The content of the novel, background and motivation to the study, and methods to be applied are illustrated in Introduction. The first chapter, which focuses on the "whipping" event, brings to light the oppression of women by androcentrism and the dominion of anthropocentrism over nature, as well as the crisis of human existence caused by them. The second chapter deals with the common source of anthropocentrism and androcentrism, i, e, the patriarchal dual-opposition thinking pattern, and its ruling logic, and the history of oppression is dated back to the origin of western civilization, i, e, the Hellenic and Hebrew cultural tradition. The argument here is that patriarchal outlook does harm to both the oppressors and the oppressed. The third chapter makes an exploration into the heroines' way of struggle and a reflection of their acquisition of independence by isolating themselves from the world of men. The fourth chapter has a discussion of the way out, i, e, a recovery of the ancient worship of goddess of nature, a return to and respect for nature, a treatment of harm with love and fusion provided by repentance and tolerance. In Conclusion, the principle of "love" or fraternity is restated and the point here is that only ecological holism and feminism can break through the patriarchal dual-opposition thinking pattern and overthrow anthropocentrism or androcentrism so that a harmonious coexistence of man and nature, men and women will emerge and a blissful home for all will be reestablished.