앨리스 워커의 『컬러 퍼플』에 나타난 에코우머니즘 상상력 읽기: 에코페미니즘과의 연계 속에서

Abstract

This paper examines the ecological and economic hardships experienced by Third World women in The Color Purple as being similar to those faced by African American women, and highlights, from an ecowomanist perspective, the power these women possess to overcome intersecting oppressions of race, gender, and class. It argues that the exploitation of nature under colonialism and capitalism in the Third World parallels the exploitation of the bodies and lives of women within the United States. In this light, the paper seeks alternatives for Third World women in the ecowomanist solidarity demonstrated by African American women in The Color Purple. The solidarity among Celie, Sofia, and especially Shug not only empowers Celie’s body, voice, and spirit, but also evokes an ecowomanist prophetic voice. Furthermore, the study draws on Anne Conway’s philosophical thought as a more active alternative to redefine the relationship among Black women, nature, and men from an ecowomanist standpoint. It emphasizes the need to reject the anthropocentric and particularly white male-centered application of Christianity that underlies patriarchy and the conquest of nature. Following Conway’s view, the paper underscores the recognition that men and women, nature, animals, and plants all inherently embody the goodness of God’s nature, and that they must be embraced as beings in mutual solidarity and coexistence.