Women and Nature as Nurturer in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees

Abstract

This present research analyzes the issue of nurturing power of women and nature on Barbara Kingslover’s The Bean Trees. Kingslovers elaborates how women and nature possess the quality of mother and how nature and women are dominated by patriarchal society simultaneously. The nature and women are counted similarly in account of their nurturing and loving role to their children. The negative traits they receive from patriarchal society is reflected on this text. Despite that, she portrays how women can resist to themselves with each other support. To reveal the ill treatments to female and nature by the men’s world and their closeness and empathetic feelings to one another is the main aimt of the study. In order to analyze the text ecofeminist views of Vandanah Shiva and Greta Gaard is used as the theoritical tool. By using ecofeminist ideas the research explores the nurturing capacity of women and nature and their relationship. Hence, the novel reveals not only their endurance power but also their affectionate nature as potentiality for the survival. It also focuses on their valuable relationship and feeling of motherhood for children as well.

Key Words: ecofeminism, nurturing power, resistance, bonding, patriarchal society, exploitation of female.