| Willa Cather is an important writer in American literature history with her own specialty. Prolific and indulgent, she is reputed as one of the most outstanding American novelists in the twentieth century. My Antonia in particular is considered to be one of her masterpieces. Setting the familiar Nebraska prairie as the background, My Antonia shows her special concerns about the living and spiritual conditions of mankind in the face of social alienation. By showing loss of vitality resulting from the increasingly alienated and confronted relation between mankind and nature, as well as the imbalance of social relationship resulting from gender, class and other dominations, Cather appeals for human’s returning to nature and themselves; attempts to rebuild an harmonious and united ideal world that mankind and nature, man and woman can equally and "poetically" dwell together.In My Antonia, Willa Cather parallels the living condition of women in the patriarchal society with the oppressed state of nature in the anthropocentric society, which embodies her ecofeminist awareness. From the ecofeminist perspective, the three main characters in this novel represent her reflections on the relation of mankind, nature and gender at different levels. Lena, a representative of the "New Women," fights against the traditional role of women but ends up with losing her connection with nature and male as well as potential of rebuilding harmony with them. Biological determinism’s misunderstanding for ecofeminism that assumes women naturally enjoy a closer relationship with nature can easily be found. Jim, the narrator of this novel, observing and reflecting on the relation of man and nature, men and women from male perspective, finally abandons the patriarchal ideology once branded in his male mind and finds back his spiritual home. Cather’s hope for men to live in harmony with both nature and women is shown through Jim’s experience. Antonia, the heart and soul of this novel, and also the woman pioneer who really lives the ideal life of poetically dwelling, shows Cather’s reflections on women’s relations with nature and men.This thesis manifests the same logic of various dominations by analyzing and deconstructing dualisms in anthropocentrism and androcentrism. That eliminates confrontations and alienation and appeals for human’s returning to the nature, in order to build a harmonious and "poetically" dwelling world, is where significance of this thesis lies. |
