Intertwined Lives of Women and Nature: An Ecofeminist Analysis of the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Abstract

This study has attempted to analyze interconnectedness of women and nature in the novel a Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943), the researcher has utilized the lens of ecofeminism to explore the symbiotic relationship between female characters of novel and the ever-prevalent part the nature plays in the novel. The investigation shows how the struggles of women and their plight in the hands of both societal barriers and economy play a pivotal role in their closeness to nature. This strife to survive is akin to nature’s resilience in the face of urban growth in parts of Brooklyn of twentieth-century, women of Smith have it all in their plate as well, poverty, inner turmoil, motherhood and insufficient means for insufficient dreams. They take their resilience and determination to grow upward from the tree, which plays the character of both a symbolic sister to these women as well as an insignia of industrialization and environmental crises. This study has applied ecofeminist framework to highlight the nurturing nature of women, a feminine bond of women and earth and survival of both in the face of patriarchy and capitalism, particularly the ideas of Karen J. Warren have been integrated into the analysis. Women and nature, the paper strives to portray, are in dire needs of care giving as they both are unconditional care givers to fellow humans. Ultimately, the study has seeked to establish the need of women voices in environmental talks as well as the importance of healthy nature to nurture healthy minds.