Ecofeminist Consciousness and Female Self-Reclamation in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing

Abstract

Aim: The paper aims to present an ecofeminist reading of Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing, examining how the novel intertwines ecological degradation with female subjectivity, trauma, and resistance.

Methodology and approaches: The paper undertakes a qualitative textual analysis of Surfacing through an ecofeminist lens, examining key narrative moments that connect the protagonist’s psychological journey with the natural landscape. It explores how gendered oppression and ecological degradation are intertwined, particularly through images of violence, withdrawal, and reconnection with nature.

Outcome: The study demonstrates that Atwood exposes patriarchal structures as interlinked agents of environmental destruction and women’s oppression, revealing how the domination of nature mirrors the control of female bodies and subjectivities.

Conclusion and Suggestions: In conclusion, “Surfacing” links the narrator’s psychological trauma with environmental degradation, showing how both arise from patriarchal domination. Her withdrawal into the wilderness becomes a process of confrontation and healing, where fractured selfhood is gradually reconstituted through ecological awareness. The study suggests scope for further research linking the text with contemporary ecological crises and trauma studies, as well as comparative analyses with other women’s or Indigenous ecological narratives to deepen ecofeminist insights.