An Ecofeminist Interpretation Of My Place

As an Australian aboriginal writer,Sally Morgan depicts the life of aboriginal women during the European colonization and contributes to the reconstruction of aboriginal history.In her novel My Place,she delineates the life condition of aboriginal people from non-white perspective,which is different from the literary works written by white people,and reveals the miserable situation of aboriginal people,especially aboriginal women,during the European colonization.European people's domination of Australian land and destruction of natural environment is also one major concern of the novelist Morgan.Sally Morgan has revealed ecofeminist thought in the novel by concerning the oppressed situation of women and nature.She puts particular emphasis on the tragic conditions of aboriginal women,and it is manifested in the story of her grandmother Daisy and her mother Gladys.Written from the non-white perspective,the novel is a representative work that aims to correct the misinterpretation about aboriginal culture that is depicted by white people,and reveals the unequal treatment experienced by Australian aboriginal women during the colonial period.Also,the colonizers' attitude towards nature is completely different from that of aboriginal women.Aboriginal women respect their land and protect living beings in the natural world.However,white men dominate and manipulate the natural environment arbitrarily,which violates aboriginal women's love and respect for nature.Many critics have analyzed the work from the aboriginality and historical aspect and interpret it with post colonial theory.There is still new perspectives for the novel to be interpreted by later critics.The thesis would interpret My Place from the perspective of ecofeminism,and provide a new vision to the analysis of the novel.Ecofeminism opposes to the oppression of women and nature in the male-dominated patriarchal society,and calls for women's action to change the situation.In the novel,both aboriginal women and natural environment are under the domination of white men.By interpreting the novel with ecofeminist theory,the thesis would present the oppression faced by aboriginalwomen and nature,and come to a conclusion that Morgan hopes to establish a harmonious world with the efforts of ecofeminists and women around the world,changing the oppressed situation of women and nature.Under women's constant efforts,unequal situation can be changed and both female and nature can be protected under the establishment of harmonious relationship between two genders and human and nature.