Ecofeminism in the Novel Life in the Iron Mill

The 19th Century and the Transformation of Society

The 19th century was marked by a general transformation of society that gave women their rightful position in society and advanced human rights. To support the movement for change on issues affecting the middle class and female equality, many authors used literally works. One piece of literature from 1861, titled Life in the Iron Mills, hits on a variety of topics, including the difficulties that the middle class faces while working for their capitalist overlords and the place that women play in the overall situation. Several critic articles to the book have been written each with a given view of the various issues in it but R Woods will give specific interest to the Eco-feminist’s interpretation. In this article, the evils in society are linked to the subordination and oppression of women in society. Division of labor along gender lines coupled with the position of a woman, makes them suffer environmental degradation the most. This article analyses the criteria of criticism applied on the book and as well as the credibility of the case raised by the critic.

The Ecofeminism Dimension

The critic gives the book the Ecofeminism dimension, defined as encompassing the oppression of women as well as discrimination on the basis of race, working class and people’s nature. The above issues are portrayed as interrelated and therefore they are examined on the same basis (Wood 155). The capitalist masters believed in the old day patriarchal way of life and therefore the reason for their brutality is based on male dominance. As a result, resisting their cruelty is the core of ecofeminism as it seeks to emphasize the position of a woman in society. This approach is an eye opener through which a better perspective of the problem can be obtained, the result of which is a better platform to face it head on and from its very roots. With a better viewpoint, the credibility of this argument is guaranteed since its role in explaining the problem is evident. It is my view that the eco-feministic view adopted thereof is just the right way to model this issue since the analogy between the phenomena and the problem is beyond doubt.

Gender-Based Division of Labor and Injustice

The same level of brutality is extended to both genders white or black working in the Mill provided they fall among the middle class, but gender-based division of duties has a bearing to the amount of suffering each gender gets (Wood 158). During the same time the novel was written, male dominancy was a major issue with the women being treated as less human. Despite the effect of capitalist’s brutality being extended on the whole of the middle class, injustices amongst the group subjected some members to extreme suffering. As a result, the most difficult of the duties were extended to women (Davis 15). It is therefore incredible to take a feministic bearing into the whole issues so that the bigger problem can be analyzed more closely. If the middle class were to ever emancipate themselves from the chains of inhuman treatment, then they had to treat each other equally so that by fully utilizing the potential of every person, the push for equality can be substantial (Wood 159). This article provided a social approach to the problem through which the stalemate can be better understood and eventually confronted.

Women and Their Values in the Fight for Freedom

This article reveals a woman as one with exceptional values of hope and perseverance. When Hugh and Deborah are sent to jail, Hugh gives up rather easily and commits suicide whereas Deborah decides to serve her sentence. The future gets brighter for her after meeting the Quaker woman who promises her a new life (Wood 167). This is an invaluable trait when it comes to pushing through to liberty and freedom. The relentlessness depicted by Deborah shows just how handy women come when it comes to fight for freedom since they do not give up that easily which is all one needs to get what they want. It also serves to demonstrate the absurdity of male dominancy that keeps off women from engaging in the most important issues (Wood 162). A woman leads the liberation movement that promises Deborah a new beginning and that is yet another indication of female capability. I therefore support the writer’s analysis of the book since this approach gives an alternative and more efficient means of handling the situation; by engaging their brilliant minds.

The Misconception of Women's Role

The visiting men looked down upon the carving of the woman out of Korl saying that she was looking up to God for help. Together with demonstrating their unwillingness to treat the middle class fairly, the men also express their unwillingness to respond to the general ecofeminism issue (wood 163). Nonetheless, Hugh tells them the meaning of the carving but still they ignore his claims. They portray the woman as a helpless creature in the eyes of a man,'…looking only God.' They view the woman with so much contempt, and as a desperate individual who survives at the mercy of men. This occurrence confirms the truth in the article’s argument, that the root problem is the barbaric beliefs in the patriarchal ways by the capitalists. It is only after appreciating the rightful role of the woman in the society that they even later recognizing the place of other forms of diversity such as race. It therefore follows that the real problem is psychological and as such, the approach should be aimed at changing this state of the mind.

The Patriarchal Nature of Capitalists

The book depicts brutal treatment of the middle class by their masters as the main theme, therefore, it is viewed as purely master-slave engagement, a characteristic of the 19th century. The Mill is described as, 'looks like t’ Devil’s place!...in more ways than one [sic]' (Davis 28). The workplace is described as unfit for human occupation and yet the residents had to work for their masters. Conversely, this article clearly shows that the patriarchal nature of the capitalists is the basis of the problem, followed by a detailed proof as to this conclusion. The article reads '…women, nature, people of color, and the working class are all subjected to and thus connected by a shared oppression at the hands of the ruling class…' (Wood 163). This shows the interconnectivity of the components of this unfairness to one principal challenge, that is, ecofeminism. My views changed from a more general and complex theme to a simpler, clearer and specific understanding of the book.

An Invaluable Material for Understanding

The critic article acts as a path in thick bush as it serves to break down a rather complex piece of literature to an elaborate self-explanatory from. The argument is well illustrated and explained in detail and in a simple language as well. The writer rips inside out the fabric of the book to come up with a systematically arranged paper, with the points flowing nicely. This paper has noted the article’s importance in defining the message of the book in detail. It has therefore proved to be an invaluable material for anyone seeking an in-depth understanding of the book.

Works cited

Davis, Rebecca Harding. Life in the Iron-mills. Lulu. com, 2016.

Wood, Daniel. "Rereading The Classics, An Ecofeminist Interpretation Of Rebecca Harding Davis’S: Life In The Iron Mills". AMERICAN@ 1.1 155-173. Print.