From Separation To Symbiosis:An Interpretation Of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves From The Perspective Of Ethic Of Care

Karen Joy Fowler’s feminist science fiction We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves(WAACBO for short)is an experimental work that explores the human-animal relationship.Karen Fowler fictionalizes a cross-fostering experiment between a girl,Rosemary,and a chimpanzee named Fern.Through this experiment,she depicts animal abuse and exploitation in modern science,and investigates the prejudice and depreciation towards women in current culture.The female characters and the animal characters suffer from similar fates,which deeply reveal the collaboration of androcentrism and anthropocentrism in the contemporary patriarchal society.At the end of the novel,the females reunite and break through the situations of violence,confrontation,and conflict generated by male supremacy.And they find their way to establish symbiotic relationship with animals and other people.Based on the ethic-of-care theory jointly proposed by Josephine Donovan and other feminists,this thesis aims to argue that the “rationalism-based ethic” is the root cause of sexism and speciesism in the patriarchal society.As an alternative,the care ethic can serve for its remedy.On the one hand,this thesis concentrates on the hierarchical dualism in the modern society reflected in the novel,pointing out that the male-dominated ethic rearticulates the spirit of “reason” and undergirds modern thinking about women and animals.Humans,men,and whites are regarded as representatives of “rationality,” while animals,women,and people of color are considered as “irrational” groups.Thus,the dualism establishes the powerful(humans,men,and whites)over the subordinate(animals,women,and people of color).The former becomes the holder of political rights and social resources.This kind of binary hierarchy is rooted in all aspects of social culture,making women and animals suffer unfair treatment and making men themselves suffer from the deteriorating relationship.On the other hand,the thesis focuses on the “emotional power”of female characters in the novel,emphasizing the significance of “emotional reflection” in breaking through the confinement of “rational thinking.” The “empathy” advocated by feminist care ethic is crucial to establishing a renewed moral order and breaking gender antagonisms and inter-species contradictions.Therefore,the thesis highlights the incorporating power of “emotions” and “morality,” advocating a more civilized modern scientific ethic and an equal species relation.There are six chapters in the thesis.The first chapter is the Introduction,which includes the background information of the author Karen Joy Fowler and the novel WAACBO,the literature review of the book,the theoretical framework,and the structure and originality of the thesis.Chapters Two to Five are the body part of the thesis,which give a fully discussion to the significant role of the feminist care ethic in resolving inter-species and gender conflicts.The second chapter introduces the deep-rooted patriarchal dualism in modern scientific research,as well as the speciesism and sexism reflected in the cross-fostering experiment.This chapter takes the purpose,process,and results of the experiment led by the scientist father(the father’s name is not given in the novel)as essential clues to explain how he influences the fates of the laboratory animal Fern,his daughter Rosemary,and the whole family in the name of science and reason.The third chapter analyzes the similarity between the harsh experiences of the laboratory animals(especially the main character Fern)and those of the two major female characters,Rosemary and her mother,revealing the unfair treatment and tremendous emotional trauma they have undergone due to the experiment.At the same time,the sensitivity,emotion,and empathy of female characters make them more conscious of the agony and torture that laboratory animals like the chimpanzee Fern may experience.The fourth chapter centers on the male characters in the novel.The first part analyzes the rational utilitarians represented by Dr.Uljevik.They regard animals as inferior objects of no life value,and believe it to be appropriate to treat them as“means” for the human “ends” of gaining fame and profits.Therefore,Dr.Uljevik even does not hesitate to risk illegal and immoral acts.The second part explains the scientist father’s frenetic belief in “rationality” and “science.” It points out that his experiment fails due to his ignorance of ethical and moral considerations in science.And his devaluing,suppressing,and denying of “emotion” lead him to spiritual isolation and eventually to his early death.The third part analyzes the evil consequences of brother Lowell’s “emotional paranoia,” pointing out that his love for animals is not from genuine “empathy” but his selfish desire to satisfy his own will and a kind of extreme ideology.The rigid rationalist principles not only directly cause immense harm to women and animals,but also make the males face inevitable backlash.Chapter 5 mainly analyzes the ending of the novel.The protagonist Rosemary and her mother(the mother’s name is not given in the novel)finally get rid of the suppression of her father and her brother.They reunite with Fern,who is sold to another laboratory after the experiment.They cross the boundaries of species by relying on sincere “emotional power,” so they establish a lasting and stable family relation with Fern,which shows the power of women’s solidarity.Here the author’s emphasis on emotion and empathy coincides with the advocacy of care ethics that only symbiotic relationship can bring mutual benefit for humans and animals,which requires the inclusion of the voices of marginalized groups such as women and animals in ethical construction.Chapter 6 is the conclusion of the thesis.This chapter reaffirms the supervisory role and ethical value of feminist “care” and “emotion” in modern science,pointing out that science lacking moral considerations is a kind of “pseudo-authority.” And all crimes of animal abuse in the name of “science” should be exposed and banned.In addition,this chapter also discusses how the ethic-of-care theory reshapes the current gender and species relationship.It calls for the harmonious relationship that require us to abandon the binary ideology,avoid rigid and abstract theoretical thoughts,and attach importance to “emotional power” and “moral responsibility.”...