ABSTRACT:Published in 2001, The Bonesetter’s Daughter is one of the best novels of Amy Tan. This novel extends and further sublimates the motif of mother-daughter relationship in her three former works, mainly depicting the complex and subtle relationship between American born daughter Ruth who belongs to the first generation of Chinese American and her China born mother LuLing. Owning to different self-consciousness, value concept in different cultural background and living environment, together with marginalized position of Chinese-American women in the west, there are mutual ideological struggles as well as encouragements between mother and daughter in the novel. In addition, through vivid description of the living environment and subtle relationships among Ruth’s family members, Amy Tan, from the perspective of eco-feminist, reveals the fact that the patriarchal society’s domination and suppression over women are amazingly similar to men’s oppression and plunder over nature, which produces closer inner connection between women and nature that both lie in the same oppressed position. Therefore, the author of this paper attempts to analyze the eco-feminist consciousness reflected in the novel and tries to reveal the writer’s intention is to condemn the patriarchal duality that oppresses both nature and women and call on creating the harmonious relationship among men, women and nature.

Keywords: eco-feminism; patriarchal duality; harmony

TABLE OF CONTENTS

摘要

ABSTRACT

1 INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 An Introduction to Amy Tan and The Bonesetter’s Daughter-1

1.2 An Introduction to Eco-feminism-4

2 LITERATURE REVIEW-6

2.1 Overseas Researches-6

2.2 Domestic Researches-8

3 THE OPPRESSION MEN INFLICT ON WOMEN AND NATURE-10

3.1 Nature as a Victim of Patriarchal Society-10

3.2 Women as Victims of Patriarchal Dualism-13

4 QUEST FOR THE HARMONY BETWEEN WOMEN, MEN AND NATURE-20

4.1 Interconnection between Women and Nature-20

4.2 Harmony between Mother and Daughter-23

4.3 Harmony between Women, Men and Nature-27

5 CONCLUSION-31

REFERENCES-32

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS-33