Abstract：In 1962, Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his realistic and imaginative writings. Frequently, Steinbeck used his fiction to pay much attention to the lives of the lower class. Just as many intellectuals in 1930s, Steinbeck always show deep concern about the working class. The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck’s masterpiece, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and adapted to the screen. 

In the novel, Ma Joad is the most splendid character, who is loving, compassionate, determined. At first, she only played the role of an ordinary housewife in her family, who was just obedient to her husband or son. In fact, from the first half of novel, we can obviously see that women have lower social status than men. The men’s oppression to women is similar to human beings’ suppression to nature from the view of eco-feminism. Just as human beings tend to overuse nature, men make great efforts to control women’s flesh and spirit. At the beginning of the novel, Ma Joad can be regarded as the most traditional housewife and she submits to her husband without preconditions. However, when the family was forced to leave for California, earthshaking changes happened to Ma Joad. Because Pa Joad is discouraged by the troubles he meets, he has lost the capability to be a qualified supporter and breadwinner. In that case, Ma Joad replaced his position to be a leader of her family. From the perspective of eco-feminism, this change can be regarded as subversion for the traditional relationship between men and women. This thesis’ aim is to analyze the image of Ma Joad and the influencing factors. It will mainly demonstrate the virtues of a great mother and the awakening of women.

This thesis is composed of four chapters. Chapter One introduces Ma Joad, The Grapes of Wrath, previous studies and the structure and purpose of the novel. Chapter Two gives a detailed description of eco-feminism. Chapter Three analyses the growth process of Ma Joad and causes of the transformation of Ma Joad. Chapter Four concludes all the things above and formulates a series of the limitation of this study.

Keywords:  Ma Joad  The Grapes of Wrath  Eco-feminism  Transformation

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Introduction to Steinbeck-1

1.2 Introduction to The Grapes of Wrath-1

1.3 Literature Review-2

1.4 The Purpose and Structure of This Thesis-2

Chapter Two Eco-feminism-4

2.1 The Definition of Eco-feminism-4

2.2 The Development of Eco-feminism-4

Chapter Three Analysis of the Image of Ma Joad-6

3.1 Analysis of the Role of Ma Joad from the Perspective of Eco-feminism-6

3.1.1 Human-nature, Men-women Relationship in the Novel-6

3.1.2 A Traditional Housewife Dominated by Man-6

3.1.3 An Independent Woman Equal to Man-8

3.2 Causes of the Transformation of Joad Ma-9

3.2.1 Human’s Oppression to Nature-9

3.2.2 The Decline of Male Status-10

3.2.3 The Awakening of Female Consciousness-10

3.3 New Image of Ma Joad-11

Chapter Four Conclusion-12

References-13