Year of the Flood: Second Response

Two  recurring motifs in Year of the Flood are the environment and women. On face value these two might seem like two completely separate issues, but in reality they are actually very interrelated. Many feminist theorist argue that women inherently share a closer bond to nature than men. This is both defined by their physiology and their psychology. Rosser touched upon this in her piece that we read earlier in the year, stating that women live life with a more symbiotic, mutaulistic relationship to the environment, while men  have a more confrontational relationship, constantly trying to conquer and use for their own gain.

In the same light, Ecofeminists argue that the oppression and destruction that the environment faces is very similar to the struggle of women in our society. (If you would like to learn more about ecofeminism here’s the wikipedia link, to no surprise, it is quite short: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecofeminism)

It then becomes clear why Atwood decided to tie the struggles of women in with the experiences of a fringe group of ecowarriors. This intersectionality adds depth to the story, and also further Atwood’s novel from that of just a feminist focused piece of literature to a larger statement on the relationship between women, technology, and the environment.