The Feminine Voice in Ecocriticism: Women’s Perspectives on Nature in Prodigal Summer

Abstract

The interconnection between women and nature is revealed in many forms of art such as painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, cinema, and music. Literature is one of the forms of art that brings the highest amount of details and clarifications about the bond women have with nature. In literature, there is a branch called ecocriticism in which the sub-branch ecofeminism deals mainly with the relationship between women and nature. Women are closely connected to nature. Ecofeminism considers the same values as feminism does such as gender equality, non-patriarchal structure, holistic approach and organic cultivation. It also affirms the commitment and awareness women have for preserving the flora and fauna of nature. It specifically emphasizes how patriarchal society treats both nature and women. Women’s passion for the conservation of nature through organic farming, caring for the Luna moths and safeguarding the predator Coyotes from the hands of hunters and self-centred people are highlighted in the novel Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. The intersection of three stories in one single book denotes that human life cannot be independent and that life on earth should be interconnected with each species. This paper aims to highlight the coyote lover Deanna Wolfe, the entomologist Lusa Maluf Landowski and the intrinsic and evolutionary organic cultivator Nannie Rawley through the lens of ecofeminism and it focuses on the ecosystem of Zebulon forest through coyotes, moths, and chestnut trees which are also important for the revival of the environment. The main objective of this paper is to instruct the world from the perspective of women not to use pesticides or herbicides to kill insects which are also part of the environmental network and to inculcate humanity to march towards an ecologically conscious person.