The Affinity Between Women And Nature In Eugene O'neill's Desire Under The Elms: An Ecofeminist Approach
Abstract
The current study investigates the interconnectedness between femininity and nature as illustrated in Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under The Elms. It tackles the materialistic exploitation of nature as a facade of the patriarchal subjugation of women. The study examines the relationship between gender and ecological domination and investigates how the objectification of women and the exploitation of nature are interconnected in Ephraim Cabot's patriarchal household and perpetuated by the oppressive Puritan heritage. Moreover, the exposes the patriarchal dualistic connections that associate women with nature and men with social order and demonstrates how these correlations are interrelated with several binary structures. In Desire Under The Elms, women and nature are represented as inextricably allied; they are life-giving forces, fertility symbols, and maternal sources hindered by patriarchal prejudice and the oppressive Puritan heritage. By divulging the Ecofeminist theory, the study explores how the protagonists' natural surroundings have shaped their identities and influenced their choices. The study also scrutinizes how the male protagonist, Eben Cabot, suffers from perplexity of gender identification coupled with an Oedipal fixation that cloud his attitude towards nature and femininity. Finally, it proposes the inevitability of deconstructing the oppressive patriarchal heritage and recognizing humanity as an indispensable part of nature.
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