An Ecofeminist Reading Of Meridel Le Sueur's Left-wing Writing

Meridel Le Sueur is one of the prominent women writers of the 1930 s,claiming an important position in the American literary world.As a Midwesterner who grew up in a politically active family,Le Sueur has infused radical left-wing thoughts into her texts unremittingly,and endowed them with profound social connotations.On the one hand,through the description of the tragic fate of the working class,women and nature,Le Sueur's text reflects her common concern for the marginalized groups in different oppressive systems.On the other hand,through the depiction of the denunciation of the capitalist system,patriarchy as well as anthropocentrism,Le Sueur's left-wing writing also highlights her attack on various dominant systems.Based on the theory of ecofeminism and in virtue of the perspective of intersectionality,this thesis interprets different forms of oppression structures in Le Sueur's left-wing writing from class,gender and environment,and explores the internal relations of these oppression structures.Chapter One analyzes the suffering of the working class under the capitalism.Under the domination of the capitalist class,working-class men are abused mercilessly,while working-class women are tortured by forced sterilization.In addition to physical harm,the working-class personality is also distorted by the negative influence of some capitalist values.Chapter Two perceives the oppression of women under the patriarchy.In a male-dominated society,women are victimized by both physical violence and mental oppression.Chapter Three presents the devastation of nature under human beings' domination.In a world ruled by humans,human beings not only destroy the land wantonly,but also kill animals brutally.From the perspective of ecofeminism,it analyzes the similar destiny of the “others” in the oppression systems,such as the working class,women and nature,and points out that the root cause of all oppression lies in the conceptual framework of patriarchy based on the“logic of domination”.The work of class oppression,gender oppression,or domination over nature follows the same logic.The introduction of the intersectionality perspective suggests the intersectional identity of both oppressors and the oppressed,and theinteraction between all kinds of oppression systems.The "matrix of domination" mentions the oppressiveness of the oppressed people on other “others” including nature,and illustrates social crises are closely linked to environmental crisis.Finally,it explores Le Sueur's ideas towards the solutions to all crises.Consistent with the stance of ecofeminism in a holistic view,she puts forward the concepts of “communal sensibility”and “the living whole”,intending to emphasize the importance of interdependent relationships between human and nature and among human beings,and to express her pursuit of an ideal world where all kinds of oppression would be eliminated,human beings and nature will keep in harmony.