AnEcofeminismAnalysisofBeloved

姜越馨

Introduction：Tony Morrison，an outstanding Nobel Literature Prize and Pulitzer Prize winning Afro-American novelist，plays an important role in Literary world.She was born in a family of shipbuilders on February 18，1931，in Lorain，Ohio.She completes her undergraduate courses in Harvard University and gained her masters degree in Cornell University.She claimed herself as “a black woman novelist” and paid more attention to blacks life during slavery.

The novel is adopted from an actual event about a slave mother who killed her own child to save her child from the fate of being a slave，which she considered worse than death.The story inspired author in the writing of Beloved.

This story tells about a female slave，Sethe，who was escaped from a farm，“sweet home”，to Cincinnati to her mother-in-law Baby Suggs in 1855.Her three children have already sent to there，and she born a baby girl on the escaping way.After 28 days，however，the slave owner found them，in order to make the children do not repeat her tragic fate of the slave，she decided to kill her children，but just killed a daughter who was only about one-year-old，and was named Beloved as she was buried.Although the escape and the kill has been done 18 years ago，the past nightmare never stop to badger with Sethe.

Ⅰ.Ecofeminism

Ecofeminism is a combination of feminism and ecology thoughts.It believes that lead to oppression and dominate the social mentality of women is associated directly leads to the misuse of the earth's environment.The relationship between people and nature，in fact，reflects the relationship between man and man.However，in the relationship between nature and human，nature is regarded as the object of rule as woman.Therefore，in the male centralized hierarchical society，woman have to serve mans benefits，and nature must yield to mechanization of agriculture and the domination of a civilized society.Ecological feminism，however，eventually want to advocate a kind of equality between men and women，eliminate the racial discrimination and class discrimination，and then to create a healthy and balanced ecosystem.

Ⅱ.The relationships between women and nature in Beloved

The nature is endowed with special significance，and injected new life.Each main character has innumerable links with nature，plants and nature represents healing，comfort and spiritual support to black woman.The harmonious coexistence between slaves and nature more deeply exposed the treading on the slave's personality and the ravage of nature.

1.Sethe

Sethe has the indelible memories to“sweet home”，especially those beautiful trees.And to slaves，“trees were inviting； things you could trust and be near； talk to if you wanted to” （Beloved，21） Sethes scar on her back is a evidence which she suffered inhuman treatment as a slave.And the “tree” symbolizes women，especially the black women who suffers the abuse and destroy by white man.At the same time，it also represents nature suffers from the destruction of human.

2.Denver

Although Denver was 18 years old，she was always in a state of isolation.Boxwood bushes surrounded a “green house” is a peaceful solitude place where Denver can be left alone.Trees brings comfort and protection to her.It is a company who witness her growth and also a shelter where protects her from outside danger.It could offer her spiritual food.As soon as she enter the “green house”，she could stand all the way up in emerald light.Veiled and protected by the live green walls，she felt ripe and clear，and salvation was as easy as a wish.（Beloved，29）

3.Baby Suggs

Sethes mother-in-law was subjected to persecution.She considered “Not a house in the country aint packed to its rafters with some dead Negros grief.” （Beloved，5） When Suggs preached at “the Clearing”，she would become the source of emotional and spiritual enlightenment together with this land.In the woods she loudly called for black people who must love their own hands，feet，and everything，this shows that the nature concerns women and human beings.The scene shows a peaceful picture of human live in harmony with nature to readers.

Conclusion

Beloved not only expose the multiple pillage to blacks，especially the black woman's physical，mental，and emotional by slavery.Finding the voice for long-term aphasiac blacks，and establishing the correct identity for them.It also profoundly embodies the closely connection and the dependence relationship between women and nature，and individuals and communities.Containing the rich ecofeminist thoughts.Tony Morrison expresses the black people want to implement identity confirmation of their own，achieve the accord development goal between men and women，white and black，nature and human beings and mankind and society.