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AnEcofeministReadingofTheCleftByZhangTingSuperyisor：Prof．MaLilisor：rotMaLIIIrvlSpecialty：EnglishLanguageandLiteratureResearchDirection：EngfishandAmericanLiteratureSubmittedtoetoCollegeofForeignLanguagesInPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsFortheDegreeofMasterofArtsAtHebeiNormalUniversity2013Ⅱ 学位论文原创性声明本人所提交的学位论文《(裂缝)的生态女性主义解读》，是在导师的指导下，独立进行研究工作所取得的原创性成果。除文中已经注明引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写过的研究成果。对本文的研究做出重要贡献的个人和集体，均已在文中标明。本声明的法律后果由本人承担。论文作者(签名)：缓物2013年12月1日J㈣⋯c㈣锄韵2013年12月1日学位论文版权使用授权书本学位论文作者完全了解河北师范大学有权保留并向国家有关部门或机构送交学位论文的复印件和磁盘，允许论文被查阅和借阅。本人授权河北师范大学可以将学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库进行检索，可以采用影印、缩印或其它复制手段保存、汇编学位论文。(保密的学位论文在一年解密后适用本授权书)论文作者c蚴：凇呜2013年12月1日指剥吣名，劾翻2013年12月1日"-JIIl AbstractDorisLessing(1919-)isgenerallyconsideredtobeoneofthemostprominentfemalewritersinEnglishliteratureofthetwentiethcentury．LessingenjoysworldwidecelebrityandisdeemedasoneofthegreatestfemalewritersafterVirginiaWoolf．Sheisrenownedforherlargenumberofworkswithagreatvarietyoftopicsandvariousformsandstyles．Sheistheoldestwinnerandthe1mwomanwritertowintheNobelPrizeforliteratureonOctober11，2007．OneofherlatestnovelsThecl啦waspublishedinthesameyear．Thenoveldepictstheoriginofhumanbeingsinadifferentwaywithwomen’Sfirstappearance．Sinceitspublication，TheCl礤hasbeeninvariablyconsideredasabiblicalfiction．Criticsandreadershomeandabroadhavedonesomestudiesonit．Thesestudiesmainlyfocusontheaspectsofthenovel’Snarrativestrategy,feministthemeandmythicfeature，andSOon．Thisdissertationisanattempttoreadthisnovelfromtheaspectofeco-feminismandcentersontherelationshipbetweenmanandwoman,aswellashumanandnature．Thethesisconsistsofanintroduction，threechaptersandaconclusion．TheIntroductiongivesabriefpresentationofDorisLessing’Slifeexperience，worksandthecurrentliteraturereviewonTheCl舒aswellasthemaincontentofthenovel．Furthermore，italsomakesabriefintroductionofthemainpointsofecofeministtheory．ChapterOnediscussesnature’SinfluenceontheearlyClefts(female)．TheClefts，womenonly,werethefirstmankindinthehistory．Theyledasimpleandleisurelylifewhichenabledthemtogetonwellwithnature．Theywereattachedtotheirhabitatfromgenerationtogeneration．Naturecouldsatisfytheirbasicneedsandtheyneverwantedmorefromnature．ChapterTwoanalyzesnature’Sinteractionwithmankindafterthemaleappearance．Itwaspeacefulandquietbeforemalebabies’birth．Sincemen’sappearance，womenbegantoexploretheoutsideworldandtheirviewhasbeenbroadened．HoweveLmentriedtoconquertheworldintheirownway．Theirexploitationofthenaturalworldfinanyledtonature’Srevenge．ChapterThreefocusesontheconflictsbetweenfemaleandmale．Afewgroupsofgenderrelationshipinthenovelhavebeenanalyzedtofindoutthatharmonybetweenmenandwomenwillgiverisetotheirhappiness．Theconclusionisbasedontheformerparts，summarizingthemainideasthathavebeendiscussed．Byanalyzingtherelationshipbetweenmenandwomen,natureandhumanfromtheangleofeco—feminism,itisrevealedthatwomenandnatureshouldberespectedandIV shouldgetequaltreatmentasmen．Keywords：DoffsLessingEco-feminismnaturefemalepatriarchyV 摘要多丽丝．莱辛(1919一)是20世纪英国文坛的著名女作家之一。莱辛享有全球盛誉，并且被视为是继弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫之后的伟大女性作家之一。她以多变的文学视角和丰富的创作成果享誉世界文坛。她获得了2007年的诺贝尔文学奖，她是第十一位获此殊荣的女作家，也是年纪最大的一位得奖者。她最近的小说之一《裂缝》在同一年出版。这部小说以全新的方式描述了人类的起源，认为女性是最初的人类。自出版以来，《裂缝》就被认为是一部内容类似于圣经的小说。国内外的评论家和读者从多个不同的角度对其进行了评析，评论的焦点主要集中在小说的叙事技巧、女性主题，和神秘特征上。本篇论文试图从生态女性主义的角度对这部作品进行阐释，着重揭示男性与女性，人类与自然之间的关系。除引言和结束语外，论文的主体部分包括三章。引言部分介绍了多丽丝·莱辛的生平，作品以及小说《裂缝》的研究现状，并介绍了小说的基本内容和生态女性主义的相关理论。第一章探讨了自然对早期裂缝人(女性)的影响。裂缝人是历史上最早的人类。她们过着简单而悠闲的生活，与自然和平相处。她们一代又一代的固守在自己的居住地未曾离开。自然完全可以满足她们的基本需求，而且她们也未曾向自然索取更多。第二章分析了男性出现后自然与人类的相互影响。在男性孩子出生之前，一切都是太平的、宁静的。女人们虽然开始探索外面的世界，开阔了视野。然而，男人们企图以他们自己的方式征服世界。人类对自然的过度开采导致了自然的反击。第三章主要讨论了男性与女性的矛盾。在这一章中，分析了两性关系。男人与女人的和谐相处是幸福的来源。结论部分，总结了前几部分的观点。通过从生态女性主义角度分析小说中男性与女性、人类与自然的关系，揭示了女性与自然应该得到尊重，受到平等的对待。关键词：多丽丝·莱辛生态女性主义自然女性父权制VI ContentsAbstract⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯工VAbstractinChinese⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯··⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯·VIIntrOduction⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯1ADorisLessing’Slifeandliteratureachievements‘·········································1BAbriefintroductiontoTheCleft⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯4CLiteraturereview⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯5DRelevanttheory。···············································································‘9ChapterOneNature’SInfluenceontheEarlyCleRs(Female)⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯13ATheCleft’Sftherock)realisticandsymbolicmeanings⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯14BTheClefts’adherencetotheseaandthemoon⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯16CTheClefts’limitationoftheirpopulation⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯19ChapterTwoNature’SInteractionwithMankindaRertheMaleAppearance⋯⋯21AWomen’Sexplorationofnature⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯22BTheSquirts’(male)takingfromandgivingtotheirsymbolicparents⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯24CTheSquirts’exploitationoftheirresidence⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯27DNature’Srevengeonmankind⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯28ChapterThreeConflictsbetweenFemaleandMale⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯32AHostilitybetweenearlyCleftsandtheMonsters(earlymale)⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯33BThegradualblendoftwogenders⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯36CGenderrelationshipinthehistorian’Slife⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯38Conclusion··························································································40Notes⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯42Bibliography⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯44Acknowledgments⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯··⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯·47AcademicAchievements···········································································48VⅡ IntroductionBritishwriterDorisLessing(1919-)，oneofmostinfluentialandimpressivewritersinthetwentiethcentury,wonthe2007NobelPrizeforliterature．TheCleft，oneofDorisLessing’Slatestnovels，whichwaspublishedinthesameyear,tellsabouttheoriginofhumanbeingsfromauniqueangle．Asoneofthemosteminentanddistinguishedcontemporarywriters，LessinghasgotalmostalltheawardsforliteratureinEurope，suchastheDavidCohenMemorialPrizeforBritishLiterature．theS．T．DupontGoldenPENAwardforaLifetime’SDistinguishedServicetoLiteratureaswellasSpain’SPrinceofAsturiasPrizeandPrixCatalunya．Abriefsurveyofherliteratureachievementsisthereforenecessarybeforewecometoherworkunderdiscussion．ADorisLessing’SlifeandliteratureachievementsDorisLessingisaprolificauthorwhoseworksarefamousforversatilestylesanddifferentperspective，includingnovels，shortstories，poetry,drama，operas，aswellasautobiography,involvingalmostallthesignificantthoughtsof20thcentury,suchascommunism,feminism,racismandSOon．Lessinghasabundantlifeexperienceswhichhaveagreatinfluenceonherwrit吨．ShewasbornDoffsTaylerinPersia(nowIran)in1919．BothofherparentswereEnglish：herfather,AlfredTayler,whohadbeenwoundedinWorldWarI，gottoknowLessing’SmotherMaudMcVeighwhohadbeenanursewhenhewasrecoveringfromhisamputationattheRoyalFreeHospital．ThecouplemovedtoKermanshahwhereheworkedasaclerkintheImperialBankofPersiaandwhereLessingwasborn．In1925，luredbythepromiseofgettingrichbygrowingmaize，thefamilymovedtotheBritishcolonyinSouthernRhodesia(nowZimbabwe)whereLessinghadspentherchildhood．Whenshewassevenyearsold,shewassenttoaconventboardingschoolyetlatertransferredtoa班ls’schoolinSalisbury．HerchildhoodonthefarmhasbeenrepresentedinthefirstpartofUnderMySkin(1994)oneofherautobiographies，whichreceivedtheJamesTaitBlackPrizeforbestbiography,Lessinghadachildhoodwithatittlepleasurebutmuchpain．Inaninterview,Lessing wasaskedwhetherthelifeinAfricaWasahappyexperienceforher,shesaidthatherchildhoodallawfultimeandtheconventschoolinSalisburyWasahorribleplace，andthatsheverymiserablyanddesperatelyhomesick．1HerchildhoodandyouthinRhodesiafarmhavecultivatedherspecialfeelingtoAfrica．LifeinAfricahasdeeplyrootedinherheartandblood．Sheleftschoolattheageof13andittheendofherformaleducation．Lessinghaseversaidinaninterview‘‘1broughtupbytwopeoplewhobelievedintheBritishEmpire，andwereBritishtothepointofcaricature，andasfarasIamconcerned1educatedbyreadingEnglishLiterature；thismyeducation．Ididn’thaveanyother”．2Shetookherftrstjobasanursemaidat15，andthensheworkedastelephoneoperator,officeworker,stenographerandjoumalistandduringtheseyearsshepublishedshortstoriesinSouthAfricanmagazines．From1939to1949，duringthesetenyears，shehadexperiencedtwofailedmarriagesandhadthreechildren．InfluencedbyherlatterhusbandGottfriedLessingwhoveryactiveintheCommunistParty,LessingbecameinterestedandinvolvedintheCommunism．In1949，LessingsetofftoLondonwithherbabysonPeterLessingandthemanuscriptofTheGrassisSingingherfirstnovelwhichpublishedin1950asagreatsuccess．Thenovelexaminestherelationshipbetweenawhitefarmer’Swifeandherblackservant．Thebookisatragedybasedonloveandhatredaswellasastudyofunbridgeableracialconflicts．Lessing’Sfictionislargelyautobiographical，muchofitcomingfromherexperiencesinAfrica．Fromthenon,shehasbeenaprofessionalwriter．Lessingisaprolificwriter．Herotherworkswillbeintroducedinthefollowingpart．Sincethen,Lessinghasnotonlywrittennovels，buthasbeguntocreateshortstories，dramasandpoems，includingFive：ShortNovels(1953)，TheHabitofLoving(1957)，EachHisOwnWildness(1959)，PlaywithaTiger(1962)，FourteenPoems(1959)，andSOon．From1952to1969，Lessingpublishedthesemi-autobiographicalChildrenofViolenceseriessuccessively,aformallyconventionalBildungsroman(novelofeducation)aboutthegrowthinconsciousnessofherheroine，MarthaQuest．In1962，LessingbrokenewgroundwithTheGoldenNotebook,adaringnarrativeattempt，inwhichtherearemultipleselvesofacontemporarywomanportrayedinastrikingdepthanddetail．AnnaWulf,like' Lessinghersel￡strugglesforcruelhonestyforsheappliesherselftotheliberationfromthechaos，emotionalnumbness，andhypocrisywhichafflictedhergeneration．Thisbookisuniversallyacknowledgedashermasterpieceandisregardedasthebibleoffeminists．Thebookhasnotonlymadeherrenownedinliterarycircles，buthasbuiltupherimageoffeminist．However,Lessinghasremarked‘‘Idon’tthinkthefeministsdidmemuchgoodbecauseTheGoldenNotebookbecamepartofWomen’SStudies，whichputmenoff．Thatdidnothelpmeatall⋯IfoundTheGoldenNotebookarevelation．Youputintowordsthingsaboutlifeandsexandmotherhoodandfeelingsthatha血’tbeenexpressedbefore．Istillrememberhowliberatingthatseemed，itwastheyearbeforeLarkinsaidsexualintercoursebeganandinthosedaysconventionalbehaviourwasbasedontheprinciplethatmanythingswerebestleftunsaid．”3ThesecondpartofherautobiographyWalMngintheShade(1997)，whichwasnominatedforthe1997NationalBookCriticsCircleAwardinthebiography／autobiographycategory,documentsherarrivalinEnglandin1949andtakesUSuptothepublicationofTheGoldenNotebook．Inthe1970sand1980s，DoriswasgreatlyinfluencedbythecontemporaryBritishliterature．Lessingisawriterkeepingherpacewiththetimes．Duringthisperiod,mainlywroteBriefingforaDecentintoHell(1971)，TheSummerbeforetheDark(1973)，andMemoirsofaSurvivor(1974)．Lessingstartedwritingbooksinthefantasyorscience-fictioninthelate1970s，suchasafive-volumefictionnamedCanopusinArgos．"Archives(1979-1983)．Lessing’SothernovelsincludeTheGoodTerrorist(1985)andTheFifthChild(1988)；therearealsotwonovelsunderherpseudonymJaneSomers：TheDiaryofaGoodNeighbor(1983)and矿theOldCould．．．(1984)．In1990swhenshewasinherseventiespublishedLove,Again(1996)onanoldwoman’slovelife．Lessingisawriterkeepingherpacewiththetimesandconcemedwithglobalwarmingandthefutureoftheplanet．SuchhashadaspecialappealforDorisLessing．Shethinksthattheglobalcatastrophemakesmankindhavetoreturntoamoreprimitivelife．Itreappearsinsomeofherrecentbooks：thefantasynovelMaraandDann(1999)anditssequelTheStoryofGeneralDannandMara奢Daughter,GriotandtheSnowDogf2005)．Fromcollapseandchaosemergetheelementaryqualitiesthatallowtoretainhopeinhumanity．气 Inadditionshehaswrittenseveralnonfictions，suchasGoingHome(1957)，／nPursuitD厂theEnglish(1960)，PrisonsgeeChoosetoLiveInside(1987)，TimeBites(2004)andSOforth．herlatestnovelAVredandEmily(2008)，Lessingexploresthelivesofherparents，eachirrevocablydamagedbytheWorldWarI．Shehasannouncedthatitisherfinalbook．Lessinghasrichexperiencesandhasbeenwidelypraised．“ShewasaCommunistdllr迦theColdWar,andanhonoraryAngryYoungManinFiftiesLondon；sheisafeministwhodespisesfeminists，arealistwhohasbelievedinthought-transference，arationalistwhohalfbelievesinreincarnation，aniconoclastwhohasacceptedcountlessdecorationsandhonours．’’4LessingisalegendaryanduniquewriterinthehistoryofmodemEnglishliterature．BAbriefintroductiontoTheCleftSinceitwaspublished，TheClefthascausedquiteastir．Itisanunusualcreationmythpresentingtherelationshipbetweenmenandwomenaswellashumanandnature．Thenovelisfascinatingandcontainsfemaletheme．TheCleftislikeLessing’Sotherbooks，withpreoccupationwithhowwomenandmenmanagetostayalongsideeachother．Asweallknow,thebest—knownmythoftheoriginofhumanisthatofAdamandEve．Godcreatedaman,Adam,andhecreatedawoman,Eve，withoneofhisribs．Inancientwesternculture，womenweresubordinatetomen,forthesimplereasonthatwomenappearedaftermenandtheirappearancenotonlydependedonmen,butalsotheyweremadeoutofmen．However,thisnoveloverturnedthetraditionalconceptionthatwomenappearedaftermen，introducingacompletelynewworldtoUS．Quitedifferentfromwhatpeoplearefamiliarwith，Lessinghasreinventedadistinctivestoryoftheoriginofhumanbeings．Thecl啦isabraidednarrative，inwhichaRomanhistorianofNero!Stimeistryingtopiecetogetherthehumanhistorybasedonancientoralrecords．Thestorybeginswithabusy,noisysceneattheendofsummer．Twofigures，MarcusandLolla，whoselook，actionandtalkcaughtth．ehistorian。Ssight．Theirsubtlerelationjustreflectsrelationbetweenmenandwomen．Theviewmadethehistorianshifthisfocustotheancienthistory．4 ThefirsthumanbeingswerewomencaHedtheClefts，wholedalazyandleisurelylifebythesea．Theygavebirthtoonlygirlbabiesuntilquitewithoutomen,oneofthemproducedamalebabywhotheyregardedasamonster，withprotuberancesratherthanacleft．Theywereratherafraidbutbewilderingly，theykepthavingmalebabies．Theydiscardedthemalebabiesandevenmutilatedthem,leavingthemouttodieonarockforeagles．Manywererescuedbyeaglescarryingthebabiestoanearbyvalleywheresomeeventuallysurvived，nourishedbyadoe．Sometimelater，twotribeshaddeveloped：one，inthecavesabovethesea，wasplacid，dreamyandelemental,andtheother，inthevalley，wasmessyandinarticulateandadventurous．Squirts(ancientmale)grewup，andonedayaCleftnamedMaire(infact，atthattimeshedidnothavethename)whowentoverthehilltofindthemanddiscoversex．Sowiththeirgrowingneedforoneanotherandtheirmutualdependence，thesetwocommunitieswereslowlycomingtogether,withtheyoungCleftsleavingtheoldShes(theoldCleftswhowereconventionalandhatedthemale)andstartinglivingwiththeSquirts．Theywentonhavingbabiesbutthewomendiscoveredthattheycouldnolongermakebabiesbythemselves．Themenneitherkepthousenortookcareofbabies，butdidadventurousandriskythings．Themenwantedtogooffexploring，riskingthelivesoftheirchildrenonexpeditionsescapingtheresponsibilityoffatherhood．YearshteLtwomainfiguresappeared，HorsaandMaronna，leadersofmaleandfemalerespectively．Theyaresonandmother．AtthattimetheSquirtsgotusedtorunningarounddoingadventurousthingsanddidn’ttakecareoftheirbabiesproperlyandtheCleftswereangrywiththisandusedtoscoldtheSquirts．OnedayagroupofSquirtsledbyHorsasetoffbyraftandcoracletoexploretheoutsideworld，whichcausedsuchagreatlossoflivesthattheyrealizedtheirfauks．ThenovelendswithMaronua’SforgivenessforwhatHorsahaddone．CLiteraturereviewSincethepublicationofherfirstbookGrasslsSinging，bothLessingandherworkshavedrawnalotofattention．Comparativelyspeaking，therearefeweressaysdomestically． StudyofLessing!Sworksmainlyfocusonherearlybooks，TheGrassIsS讯酉n昏TheGoldenNotebook,TheChildrenofViolenceandSOforth．Reviewscouldbefoundinmanyfamousmagazinesorontheintemet．However，asoneofherlatestbooks，TheClefthaslessprofessionalreviewshomeandabroad．Thesestudiesmainlyfocusontheaspectsofthefeministthemeandnarrativestrategy．Sinceitscomingout，TheCl呼hasreceivedbothpraiseandcriticism．‘‘Aplot—less，character-lessnovelshouldn’tworkbut，inDorisLessing’Sexperthands，TheCleftmostcertainlydoes．'，5GeraldineBedeUsuggeststhatanovelwithplotandcharactersisaroutine．Whentumingacreationmythintoanovel,mostnovelistsmayatfirstconsiderthepsychologyofthemaincharacters，anditiswhatmakesthemacceptable．However，DorisLessinghasdonewhatotherscannot．EllisDhuibhneinhis“Squits，CleftsandGenderPlatitudes’’hasexpressedtheideathatTheClepisplotless，characterless，flatwritingskillsandobscurity．ElizabahBear，inTheWashingtonPost,haseverobservedthatTheCl啦is“ThesefactsonlymakeTheCl够moremystifying．Becauseitisnotmerelyaflawednovelorafailednovel，itisanactivelybadnovel．，'6HenriettaClancyinNewStatesmanholdsanegativeviewthatLessingsatirizestheunchangingbehavioralpatternsofmenandwomenin乃PC7驴．Women“couldnotunderstandthecarelessnessandchildishnessofthemenwhodon’tlisten”；whilethemen“inturnareaggravatedbythewomenwhonag，chideandarecritical”．7Butdespitetheeternalcomplaintsofeachgender，neithercanexistalone．Fromthebackpageofthenovel,therearealsosomecommentson砌ga驴．ElsbethLindnerinMiamiHerald,comments“Shehaswrittenarevisedoriginofspecies⋯ironic，provocative，epic，heretical，post．modem⋯vividlydescriptive．’，8Since2008，thereare23articlescommentingon刀lPCleftinthemainlandofChina，fiveofwhichareM．A．theses．Accordingtothesediscussions，Chinesecriticsaremostlyinte—restedinfeminism，postmodemisttraits，predictivecomponent，deconstruction,symbolism,mythologyandandrogyny．Inthearticleof‘'PostmodernistTraitsandPredictiveComponentsin刀zeCle驴'’，XiangYunfuconsidersthisnoveltheinterpretationofhumanhistoryfromtheprospectiveof6 postmodemism,andobservesthatthetraitsofpostmodernistincludingcollagepainting，debris，deconstmction,uncertaintyofthesymbolismandpredictionwhichhaveforeseenthefutureofhumanbeingsandwomen．Inanotheressayofhis，heanalyzesthenovelfromtheangleofeco-feminismandexploresLessing’Sconcernwithecologyandfemale，andviewsthatthenovelpresentsanidealworldwithoutracialandgenderdiscrimination,orclassoppression,describingaharmoniousworldofnatureandhumaninwhichtherearenoconflictsbetweenmankindandnatureoramonghumanthemselves．TianXiangbin，intheessay“SymbolisminTheCleftandLessing’SFeministConsciousness”，analyzesitsfeministideathroughtheexplicationofthefundamentalinfluenceoftheestablishedenvironmentandthesymbols，andholdstheviewpointthatakhoughmenandwomenareseparatedfromeachotherattheirbirth，differenthabitationsandvariousenvironmentsleadtheircombinationintheend．ZhuYan,in“AFeministInterpretationoftheCreationMythinTheCleft'’，hasremarkedthatTheCleft,asmostofLessing’Snovel，focusesonfemaleexperienceandsexualrelationship．Whendeconstmctingancientmyths，thenoveloffersanewcreationmythwhichgivesarchetypalimportancetothestory．Thedifferenceofknowledgebetweenthemalenarrator,aRomanhistorianandthefemalenarratorMaire，aCleftWatchesdemonstrateshoWhistorybecomesHisStory,andhowwomenaredoomedtobetheOther．jingZiyuninherM．A．thesisfocusesontherelationshipbetweenmenandwomen，aswellashumanbeingsandnature．Sheemploystheeco—feminismtorevealtheunjustifieddominationsofwomenbymenandthatofnaturebyhumanbeingsunderthepatriarchalconceptualframework．Itcomesaconclusionthataharmoniousworldwillbesetupandwomenandnaturewillnolongerbeconsideredas‘'others’’or“objects”．AnXiaofei,fromtheaspectofeco-feminism，discussestheconflictsandtemporaryharmonybetweentheClefts(female)andtheSquirts(male)，andthatbetweentheSquirtsandnature．HealsoexplainsthatinordertobuildaUtopiainwhichmenandwomen，humanbeingsandnatureHVeharmoniously,wemustfirmly埏htagainstanthropocentrismandandrocentrism．7 TangYujuanremarksthatTheCleftreflectstheviewpointofeco·feminismbyanalyzingthemutualrespectbetweenwomenandnature，womenandmen，menandnatureandmankindandnature．YeQinginher‘'Totheharmoniouscoexistence’’triestomakeclearDoffsLessing’Slifelongpursuit—一harmonyamongmen,womenandnature．Shefirstlydiscussesthesplitandconflictinthenovel．ItcomestotheconclusionthatthefinalaimofTheCl呼istoadvocatetheharmoniousCO-existencebetweenhumansandnature，aswellasthatbetweenmellandwomen．ChenHuiin‘‘AStudyonPoeticWisdominTheCle痧'’employspoeticwisdominthenovelwhichwasputforwardbyVico．ShepointsoutthatTheCleftdescribeslifeanddevelopmentofhominid．ThisisjusttheexplanationthatVicohasgiventothedivinetimesinhumandevelopment．ZhangJiangchunandLeiMingzhenconsiderthatTheCleftreflectsLessing’Sthoughtofandrogyny．Theydevelopthearticlefromthreeaspects：Atfirst，humanbeingsareandrogynous；then,thereappearconflictsandsplitsbetweenmenandwomen；finally,becauseofphysicalandpsychologicalneedandinstinct，theygettogether．TheCleftshowsthatandrogynyishelpfulforpersonalhappinessandsocialdevelopment．WangAfangfromtheperspectiveofeco-feminismanalyzesLessing’SidealofrevivinggoddesscultureinTheCleft．Shearguesthatthenaturalworldandthegenderedworldaremetaphoricallyconnected；anthropocentrismandpatriarchalculturesareresponsibleforecologicalcrisisanddisharmonyinthegenderedworld．Thecl币advocmestheresurgenceofgoddesscultureandultimateestablishmentofaharmoniousecologicalsocietycharacterizedbypluralsymbiosisofmanandnature，andharmoniouscoexistenceofmenandWOmen．ZhaoDongyunarguesthatLessingelaboratesfemales’parthenogenesistotheirdependenceonmaleandgenderantagonismtointegration．Shehasusedalotofsymbolicnatureandspaceimaginary．Itplaysquiteasignificantroleinportraying．charactersandrevealingthetheme．Byusingabundantsymbolicimage，Lessingshowsherdisapprovalofpatriarchyandhumanattempttoconquernature．Shehopestwogendersaswellashumansandnatureshouldappreciatedifferenceandcoexistwitheachother．R SunLeiin‘'IntroductiontotheEco．feminismreflectedinDorisLessing’Sworks’’arguesthatnatureandhumanbeingsdependoneachotherandconflictsalsoexistbetweenthem．ThishasbeenfullyreflectedinTheCleft．Humanbeingsliveinnatureandgetfoodfromnature．However,intheprocessofhumandevelopment，quitepartofprogressisatthecostofsacrificingthenaturalenvironmentanddamagethenaturalspeciesharmony．XieNing，inherthesis“TheCallofnatureandwomen'’，revealfromtheangleofeco-feminismtherelationshipbetweenmaleandfemale，andthatbetweenhumanbeingsandnature：underpatriarchy,maleoppressionoffemaleandhumanexploitationofnature．Inthisway,theecologicalidealwhichisconstructedinLessing’SworksCallberealized，inordertoarousehumanecologicalawareness．ThereisevenawebsitekeptbyLessing’Soriginalarchetypalfan．Thewebsffekeepsdetailedrecordsofherbooksandherlife，herawardsandherinterviews．Mythesistriestointerpretthenovelfromtheaspectofeco-feminism．Inthisthesis，Imakeevenfurtherstudyonthenovelaccordingtothedevelopmentofthehumanworldandpaymoreattentiontothechangeofwomenandnaturebeforeandaftermen’sappearance．ItismysincerehopethatthisthesiscanenrichtheunderstandingofTheCteft．DRelevanttheoryAsithasbeenmentionedabove，crfficshaveplacedtheiremphasisondifferentfeaturesofthenovel．砀Pa驴，aworkaboutwomenandnature，womenandmen,aswellashumanandnature，issuitableforthepatternof‘'women-other,nature．otherinterconnections’"，inaccordancewiththeeco--feministtheory．Eco··feminismisthemajortheorythatthethesisapplies，SOeco-feminismwillbepresentedbelow．Theearthandthewombarebothfollowingthepathoftheuniverse．Riverswhichbreedallthingsonearth,ebbandflowwiththewaxingandwaningofthemoonandwomen’Smenseshasthesameperiodiccycle．Nobodycanignoretheconnectionbetweenthemthatwomenbearandbringupchildrenwiththeirbody,andconvertfoodintonutritiousandsafemilk,similarastheearththatconsistentlyproducesplentifulproductsandoffersacomplicatedbiospheresupportingvariouslivesinit．Eco-feminism，whichisthecombinationoffeministmovementandecologymovement，wasbornin1970sandthrivedinvarioussocialmovementsandboomedin1990s．Fromthen9 on，Eco·feminismhasbeenhighlydeveloped．Eco—feminismfirstappearedintheFrenchwriterFrancoised'Eaubonne’SLeFeminismeoulaMort(1974)andEcologieFeminisme：RevolutionOUMutation(1978)．Itisfairlyunusualtoconsiderecologyintermsofgender,bothfeminismandecology,breakingthemale·-centeredpatriarchalsocietyandputtingemphasisonwomen’Ssuperiorityofsolvingtheglobalecologicalproblems．Thetheoryisaimingatliberatingwomenandnaturefromtheoppressionofmen,aswellascriticizingpatriarchaldominationandoppressionaccordingtonature，womenanddevelopmenttoweighthefunctionoffemalecultureandprincipleresolvingecologicalproblems．Themainpointsofecofeminisminclude：1．LifeOnearthisallinterconnectedweb，notahierarchy．2．Everythinginnaturehasintrinsicvalue3．Humansshouldnotattemptto“manage”orcontrolnonhumannature，butshouldworkwiththeland．Humanbeingsshouldloveandrespecttheland．Theroleofhumanbeingsshouldbeplainmemberandcitizenoflandinsteadofconquerorofit．4．WemustintegratethefalsednaHsmsthatarebasedonthemale／femalepolarity．"ThedualisticconceptualframeworkofPatriarchysupportstheethicofdominanceanddividesUSagainsteachOther,0111"“selves”，andnonhumannature．5．ProcessisaLsimportantasgoals6．Thepersonalispolitical．WemustworktorebalancethemasculineandfeminineinourselvesandsocietylOWhattheeco-feministspursuesistoconstructnewmoralvalueandsocialstructure，bothofwhicharenotbasedonnatureandwomenasresource，butonmenandwomentobethebestandreachtheirfullpotentialaswellasnaturetobekeptinagoodstate．Inspiteofdifferentschools，theyhavethesamegoaL吨gainsttheanthropocentrismandmale-centeredpatriarchy．TheyhavethecommonawarenessoftherelationshipbetweenthedominationofnatureasWellasthedominionofwomen：whicharebothinthesamewayofdomination．Ecologicalfeminismisthepositionthatthereareimportantcome．ons—historical， experiential，symbolic，andtheoretical-betweenthedominationofwomenandthedominationofnature，anunderstandingofwhichiscrucialtobothfeminismandenvironmentalethic．Iarguethatthepromiseandpowerofecologicalfeminismisthatitprovidesadistinctiveframeworkbothforre—conceivingfeminismandfordevelopinganenvironmentalethicwhichtakesseriouslyconnectionsbetweenthedominatjonofwomenandthedominationofnature．11Eco．feministsviewthatthepatriarchaldominationofwomenparallelsthepatriarchaldominationofnature．ArielSalleharguedthatthereisa‘'parallelinman’sthinkingbetweentheir‘right’toexploitnature，ontheonehand，andtheusetheymakeofwomen，ontheother．’'12Bothwomenandnatureareinferiorandcontrolledtosatisfymen’sdesires．andbothhavebeendeniedtherighttohaveautonomousrighttospeakandself-determinationaswell．Thepatriarchalpower’Sexploitationofnatureandoppressionofwomenmustbeexaminedtogetherorneitherofthemcanbefullyresolved．Womenandnaturemustallyinthestruggletoresistit．Bothnatureandwomenarelife-givers．Theyhavecontributedtothedevelopmentofthisplanet．AsYnestraKingargued，‘Ⅵeareloyaltofuturegenerationsandtolifeandthisplanetitsel￡Wehaveade印andparticularunderstandingofthisboththroughournaturesandourexperienceaswomen．’，13Theirgreatcontributionmakesthemdeserveattentionandrespect．AsocietytakingnatureandwomenseriouslyisonethatCandevelopharmoniously．Eco-feminismisaglobalphenomenonwhichhastobepaidcloseattentionto．Tomaketheworlddevelopbetter,genderequalitymustbereached．Genderisanissueofdevelopmenteffectiveness，notjustamatterofpoliticalcorrectnessorkindnesstowomen．Evidencedemonstratesthatwhenwomenandmenarerelativelyequal，economiestendtogrowfaster,thepoormovemorequicklyotrtofpovertyandthewellbeingofmen,womenandchildrenisenhanced．14Inspiredbybothenvironmentalethicsandfeminism,thisthesistriestoreadThec／驴丘Dmtheangleofeco-feminismrevealingtherelationshipbetweenmaleandfemaleasw—ellasthatbetweenhumanbeingsandnature，thatunderthepatriarchalsystem,menoppress1l womenandhumanbeingsexploitnature．Itisthebinaryoppositioninwesternideology,suchasmale／female，human／nature，culture／nature，spirit／body,etc，thatmakesandnaturesubordinateandadvocatesmen’soppressionofandhumanexploitationofnature．Lessingpaysmuchattentiontosocialproblemsaswellasdestinyofhumanbeings．Inhernovel，Lessinghopestoconstructanecologicalidealofequalitybetweenhumanbeingsandnature，menandinordertofundamentallyeliminatetheinequalityamongvariousrelationshipsonearthandtoachievethegoalofequalityofallbeingsandtherealmofi／lanEco—feminismcanbetheroadleadingtoharmony,development，happinessanddiversityEco-feminismadvocatesmutualrespect，understandingandloveandpersistindiscardingthethoughtthatmenaresuperiortowomen．Italsoemphasizestheimportanceofrespectingnatureaswellasthecloserelationshipbetweennatureandhumanbeings．Therefore，eco-feminism“mustbeanti-sexist，anti-racist，anti-classist，anti-naturist，andopposedtoany‘ism’thatpresupposesoradvanceslogicofdomination．’’15Inspiredbybothenvironmentalethicsandfeminism,thisthesistriestoreadTheCleftfromtheangleofeco—feminismTheentirethesisconsistsofthreechapters．ChapterOnediscussesnature’SinfluenceontheearlyClefts．TheClefts，womenonly,arethefirstmankindinthehistory．Theyleadasimpleandleisurelylifewhichmakesthemgetonwellwithnature．Theyareattachedtotheirhabitatfromgenerationtogeneration．Naturecansatisfytheirbasicneedsandtheyneverwantmorefromnature．ChapterTwoanalyzesnature’Sinteractionwithmankindafterthemaleappearance．Itispeacefulandquietbeforemaleboys’birth．Womenbegintoexploretheoutsideworldandtheirviewisbroadened．However,menconquertheworldintheirownway．Theirexploitationofthenaturalworldleadstonature’Srevenge．ChapterThreefocusesontheconflictsbetweenfemaleandmale．Afewgroupsofgenderrelationshipinthenovelhavebeenanalyzed．Harmonybetweenmenandwillgiverisetotheirhappiness． ChapterOneNature’SInfluenceontheEarlyClefts(Female)ThedevelopmentandchangeoftheCleftsarethemainclueofTheCl币，andthereforethefirstchapterwillfocusontherelationshipbetweenwomenandnature．Theearthandthewombarebothfollowingthepaceoftheuniverse．Theseawhichbreedsallthingsonearth,ebbsandflowsandhemoonwaxesandwanesandwomen’Smenseshasthesameperiodiccycle．NobodyCanignoretheconnectionbetweenthemthatwomenbearandbringupchildrenwiththeirbo电andconvertfood-intonutritiousandsafemilLsimilarasnaturethatconsistentlyproducesplentifulproductsandoffersacomplicatedbiospheresupportingvariouslivesonit．Bothnatureandwomenhavetheabilitytomakelifeandoffernutritiontosupportlife．Womenandnaturearealwayssymbolicallyconnectedwitheachother．Womenareoftennaturalized．Firstly,womenarequitesimilartonatureaccordingtothephysicalfunction．Theycanbothproducenewlife．Theregularityofwomen’Smenstruationisjustlikethatofthemoonwaxingandwaningandthatofriversebbingandflowing．Merchantarguesthat‘'womenbringforthlifefromtheirbodies，undergoingthepleasures，pains，andstigmasattachedtomenstruation,pregnancy,childbirth，andnursing．，’16Women’Sroleofreproductionandchildren-carearegreatlysimilartotheprocessofnature’Scyclicreproductiveanditsgenerosityofprovidingessentialmaterialforhumanbeings．Secondly,womenareoftencomparedtosomethinginnature，suchasthemoon,water,flowers，catsandSOon．Itissaidthatwomenareaspureasthemoon,asgentleaswaterandasbeautifulasflowers．Inaddition,natureisfeminized．HumanbeingsalwaysregardnatureasMotheraswellasmanynaturalthings，riversormountainswhichareconsideredasMotherintheworld．Forexample，inChina，theYellowRiveriscalledMotherRiver．Weoftenuse“she’’torefertosomethinginnature，suchastheearth．One’S0Wllcountrywhereheorshewasborniscalledmotherlandandhisorherfirstlanguageiscalledmothertongue．Inthisway,womenaremuchcloserto．nature．Thenatureandwomenhavethesamefateinhumancivilization．Eco．feministsconnecttheinfringementofnaturewiththeacquisitivenessofwomeninthepatriarchalsociety,which Lessingdeducedinthenovel．Francoised'Eaubonnehaspointedoutthatnearlyallthepeopleknowthattwodirectthreesofhumanexistencearepopulationexplosionanddestructionofnature．However,fewpeopleareawareofthefactthatmasculinesystemshouldtaketheresponsibility,becausemen’sabilitytoSOWonthe．earthandwomenaswellastheirinvolvementintheactiontomultiplyoffspringmakethemcontributetoboththrees．Womenareinferiorinpatriarchalsocietythoughtheyhavealwaysbeenplayinganimportantroleinproducingbabies．Likewise，theearthhasbeensufferinginthesamewayaswomen．Industrializedsocietyruledbymenhasnotonlyreducedtheearth’sreproductivecapacity,buttheearthhassufferedalotfromtheoverpopulationcausedbymankindwhichisruledbymen．Overpopulationisfatalanddestructivetobothnatureandmankind．Consequently,womenmusttakeaction,torescueboththemselvesandnature．Atthebeginningofthenovel，LessingsuggeststhattheClefts(women)wereclingingtonatureinnatelybylookingintotherelationshipbetweenwomenandnaturebothphysicallyandpractically．TheCleftsgotonwellwiththeirsurroundings：thesea，caves，sandyfloors，fn'e，themoonandSOon．Allthesearerepresentativeofthenature．Theydependedonnature，onegenerationafteranother．Inthisnovel，Lessingwantstoexpresstheideathatwomenandnatureareequalandtheyhavealotofsimilarities．ATheCleft’S(therock)reaHsficandsymboficmeaningsThetitle“TheC／eF’seeminglyreferstoacrackintherock,butontheotherhand，itresembleswomen’Sgenitaliabothinappearanceandfunction．BothofthemeaningsofthecleftactanimportantroleintheClefts’lives．TheCleftinnatureisasacredplaceandthecleftofwomen’Sbodyisofgreatsignificance．“TheCleftisthatrockthere，whichisn’ttheentrancetoacave，itisblind，anditisthemostimportantthingin0111"lives．IthasalwaysbeenSO．WeareTheCleft，TheCleftisUS．'，17TheCleftWasthemostimportantthingintheClefts’livesbecausetheCleftsconsideredthemselvesastheCleftpeople．TheCleftshadagroupcalledCleftwatchers，responsibleforguarding．it，andtheCleftWatcherswerethemostprestigious．Furthermore，TheCleftsymbolizesthereproductiveorganofwomen．Itsshapeisjustaswomen’Spudendum．The．Cleftis‘'blind’’seldomwithsunshineandSOiswomen’Spudendumwhichissecluded．Inthisway,Lessingmadetherelationshipbetweenwomenandnaturemuchcloser．14 Thesameaswomen’Speriod，TheClefthad‘‘alotofred’’flowingeverymonthwhenthemoonwas“biggestandbrightest”．Whenthemoonisatitsbiggestandbrightestwe(primitivewomen)climbuptoaboveCleftwheretheredflowersgrow,andwecutthem,SOthereisalotofred，andweletthewaterflowfromthespringupthere，andthewaterflushestheflowersdownthroughCleft，fromtoptoboUom,andweallhave01．11"bloodflow⋯Butweknowthatifwedon’tcuttheredflowers--theyaresmallandsoftliketheblistersonseaweed,andtheybleedredifyoucrushthem—-ifwedon’tdothatwewillnothaveourflow．(9)Heretheredflowjustreferstowomen’Sflowofblood．Asweallknow,itisfemalecharacteristicsthatattheageofthirteenorfourteenmostgirlsbegintomenstruateonceamonth，whichmarksachangeintheirlife，thattheyhavegrownupandhavebeenrealwomen．Eversincethen，theyhavebecomematureandhadtheabilitytobringforthachild．monthlymenstrualflowwilllastthirtyorfortyyears，afterwhichwomengointomenopause．jingZiyun,inherM．A．thesis“AnEcofeministReadingofDorisLessing’SC／eF’，pointsoutthatthe‘redflowers’mentionedaboveactuallyreferstotheovainwomen’Sovaries．Theovaarethefemalegametes，smallandsoRandliketheblistersonseaweed．Oneoftheovaisreleasedeverymonth．Iftheovumisnotfertilized，menseshappens．Cleftisnotonlygreatandmagnificentbutstableandfirmaswell．Themountainissolid，unmovableandfLxedreflectingfemalesbeingfirnl，modestandresponsible，aswellassentimentallyattachtotheirbirthplace．TherelationshipbetweenwomenandmountainalsoshowedinSharonDoubiago’SHealingtheWounds：thePromiseofEcofeminism(1989)．Hehadrelatedmountaintowomeninthewaythat‘'womenhavealwaysthoughtlikemountains．，，18Womenareasstableandmodestasmountains．Inprimitivetimes，naturewasSOmysterioustohumansthattheyfearednature．Becauseoftheextremelybackwardmanufacture，peoplelargelypassivelycompliedwithnatureandstoodinaweofnature．Theycouldnotunderstandandexplainalotofnaturalphenomenon．novelalsoreflectssomeinthisaspect．TheCleftswere-inaweofnature，whichcanbe seenfromtheirworship．Itisacleancutdownthroughtherockandunderitisade印hole．Everyyear,whenthesuntouchesthetopofthatmountainthere，itisalwaysthecoldtime，andwehavekillednoneofus，andthrownthebodydownfromthetopofTheCIeRintotheholeTheClcRsconsideredTheCleftadeityofsomekind．“TheCleftwasthedeity⋯matchingandechoingtheredflowoftheClefts⋯”(123)IntheirHves，TheCleftwassacredandsignificant．Soeveryyear,theykilledoneofthemassacrifice．Sinceancienttimes，allethnicgroupshavehadtheirownwayofmakingsacrificestopacifytheirgods．Theyprayforpeaceandgoodharvest．TheCleftandthecavesarounditmadetheClefts’home．Theylivedthereonegenerationafteranother．Theyhadneverthoughtofchangingtheirhome，theirlivingplace，attachedtoitfirmly．Immutability,astablyinstinctivecharacteristicofwomencomplementsnaturegreatly．Byextensionthesocietyoffemaleswiththecharacteristicwillaccordwithhumandevelopmentandwillcoexistwithnaturepeacefully．However,TheCleftwassfinallydestroyedbySquirts．TheythrewstonesintoTheCleft．Unexpectedly,itexplodedandsincethen,womenforeverlosttheirhabitatforgenerations．Still，thedestructionofTheCleftisofgreatsignificance．Itmeanstheshacklewhichhadconfinedwomenforalongtimewasbrokendown．BTheClefts’adherencetotheseaandthemoonThecleftsaretheproductionofnature．Theywerefromtheseaandtookthemselvesasthedaughtersofthesea．Everyday,theyspentalotoftimeswimmingintheseaasanindispensablepartoftheirlivesinordertokeepalive．Fortheclefts，theseawastheirselflessmother．Theywereswimmingintheseajustlikeinmother’Sarms．Theywerehuggedbytheseamother．Whattheywerefedonincludesseafoodandseaplantswhichwereofferedbytheseajustlikemother’Smi墩．TheseadecidestheClefts’character．TheCleftsdependedonthewarmseawaterandthewideseashore．Asthesayinggoes，womenarejustastenderandsoftaswater．Thewarm seawatermadetheirbodiessoft，fineandsmooth．Inaddition,theyweremadetobecontentandsatisfiedwiththeirlives．Theyspentalldayinthewater,bathingandswimminguntiltheyweretiredofthat．Instead，theylayontherocknearthewater,enjoyingthesunshinewiththeirsoftbodyonehalfinthewaterandtheotherhalfonthebank．Later,theywentbacktotheagain,neverbored．ThewarmandcomfortablewatermadetheCleftslazy,slow,andeasywithoutrapidactingandquickthinking．Thewatersymbolizeswomen’Scharacteristicsofself-satisfaction,contentmentwiththestatusquoandlettingnaturetakeitsCOUrSe．TheCleftsaredescribedassealsbytheirouterappearance．“Theywerestockyinbuild，withheavyshouldersandarms，bigthighsandmuscularworkingbuttocks．"(118)InthelightofLefcowitz’Sview,theword‘‘seal’’hasasimilarpronunciationtotheword“soul'’．‘‘TheGermanwordforsoul,Seele，formsanevencloservisualpun；etymologically,‘soul’goesbacktotheGothicsaiwala，alsotherootfor‘sea’，fanciedhabitationofthesoul．’，19Sealsareanimalsthateatfishandlivearoundcoasts．LessingportraystheCleftsassealsindicatingthattheyareclosetonature．They“layontherocks”(29)，lollingandslow,whichisquitesimilartothatofseals．Theydidnotmovetoofarawayandwalkedinaslowpace，buttheycouldswiminthewaterlikeseals．“Wearenotafraidofthesea．Wearepeople．ThemadeUS．”(8)Inaddition,inLessing’SanothernovelTheSummerbeforetheDark(1973)，shehasmentionedthesubtleandmysteriousrelationshipbetweenwomenandseals．Thesealdreamappearedthroughoutthewholestory．Theheroine，Katehadasealdream．Atthebeginningthesealwasinjuredandleftthesea．Thesealis“lyingstrandedandhelplessamongdryrockshighonacoldhillside．Itwasmoaning．，，20Thisisofgreatimportance．TheinjuredsealrepresentsKateherself．Inthepasttwenty-fiveyears，inthefamilylifeKatewasdeeplyhurtbecauseshewasconsideredasanoldnursewhowas“alwaysavailable，alwayscriticized，alwaysbeingbledtofeedthese⋯monsters’’21，or“likeawoundedbird，beingpeckedtodeathbytheheakhybirds．’’22Aftergoingthroughanumberofstruggles，Kateacquiredanewlife；meanwhile，thesealwasstillinathickdark，but“astrongbreathofsakaircametoher．’，23Therefore，Kateisquitesimilartotheseal．ThecloserelationshipbetweentheCleftsandthehasbeenmentionedrepeatedly．17 TheCleftsbelongedtothesea．Theywereseacreatureslivingonfish，sea-weedandseafood．Itisobviousthatwomenintegratewithnatureindeed．TheCleftsdependedontheseaexteriorlyandtheywereadherenttothemooninteriorly．Theregularityofwomen’Smenstruationisjustlikethatofthemoonwaxingandwaning．Bothofthemarepefiodic，onceamonth．Originally,womenwereendowedwiththeabilityofparthenogenesis．Pregnancywasanaturalbehaviour．Inthenovel，theCleftswerewomenandthemoonhadinfluencedtheirphysiologicalperiod．Whenthemoonwasthebiggestandbrightest，women’Speriodcame．Itisquiteclearthatwomenareclosetonatureintermsofphysiology．Everymonth,womenwillhavetheirflowofblood．However,ifawomanispregnant，shewillnothavetheirbloodflow．Itisjustthesameasthefactthathasbeendescribedinthenovel．Beforemen’sappearance，womencouldhavebabieswithoutthesexualinvolvementofthemale．Someofthemwouldgivebirthwhenthemoonwasfullwhileotherswouldhavetheirbloodflow．“An也ofcourse，thebabiesbeingbom．Theywerejustborn，that’Sall,noonedidanythingtomakethem．Ithinkwethoughtthemoonmadethem,orabigfish⋯”(11)Theybelieved·-——butitwasnotabelieftheywoulddefendorcontest--——thataFishbroughtthemfi'omtheMoon⋯．Theywerehatchedfromthemoon’Seggs．Themoonlaideggsintothesea，itlostapartofitself,andthatwaswhyitwassometimeslargeandglowingandsometimespaleandthin．(31)moodinfluencedwomen’Speriodandtheirpregnancy．Womenjustlikemanycreaturesinnaturecouldproducebabieswithouttheopposffesex’Sinvolvement．InChina，oneofthefamousclassicnovels，JourneytotheWest，hastoldastoryhappeningintheKingdomofFemaleswherethereareonlyfemaleswithoutanymen．OutsidetheCOUntl．)7；,thereisafivercalledChild-MotherRiver．Whengirlsreachtheageoftwenty,theydrinkthewaterintheriverandtheywillgivebirthtoababygirlthreedayslater．Aworldonlywithwomenhasbeensupposedtoindicatethatwomencangetonpeacefullywithnature．Aworldwithoutmen’sdominationcanbepeacefulandquiet． CTheCleRs’limitationoftheirpopulationAstheworld’Spopulationisconstantlygrowing，especiallythe‘‘。populationexplosion'’indevelopingcountries，theglobalenvironmentalcrisisandenergycrisisbecomemoreandmoreserious．Thecoordinationbetweenpopulationandnatureisoneofthebasicconditionsforhumantorealizethesustainabledevelopmentofhumanbeings．Overpopulationhasagreatpressureonthenaturalenvironment．Firstly,pollutionbecomesserious．Morecarbondioxideisreleasedintotheatmosphereandmorerubbishisproduced．Inthemeantime，pollutedenvironmentwillaffecthumanhealthandlivingquality．Secondly,largequantitiesofnaturalresourcesandenergyareconsumed，suchasfood，water,electricity,coalandSOforth．Chinaisacountrywithalargepopulation．Manyproblemshaveemerged，suchasashortageofresourcesbothnaturalandenergy,inadequateeducationandmedicalcare，severepollution,andSOon．Overpopulationisfatalanddestructivetobothnatureandmankind．Itisquitenecessarytocontroltheworldpopulation．Ancientwomencouldnotpredicthowseriousthecurrentproblemofpopulationis．Asweallknow,over-populationanddamageofresourcesarebothdirectthreatsofmankind’Ssurvival．Currently,populationexplosionhasbecomeaworldwideproblem．Howtopromotetheharmonybetweenhumanandnaturehasbeenthecommontopicfacedbypeopleallovertheworld．Inthisnovel，LessinghasdepictedtheClefts’controlofnumberandacquisitionforharmoniousstateoflife．Itisobviousthatwomensubconsciouslygetonwellwithnature．TheCleftspaidmuchattentiontoprotecttheirlivingenvironment．Theycontrolledtheirpopulation．TheylimitedtheirnumbersandtheyhadtoguaranteethequalityTheydidnotraisedeformedbabiesandtwins．Alargepopulationwilltaketoomuchroom．Wedidn’tke印damagedbabies，andwedidn’tkeeptwins．Wewerecarefultolimitournumbersbecauseitwasbetterthatway．Whywasit?Becausethat’Showithasalwaysbeen,andweneverthoughttochangethings．Wedidnothavealotofbirths，perhapstwoorthreetoa-caveinalongtime，andsometimesacavehadnobabiesataUinit．Ofcoursewearepleasedwhenababyisborn,butifwekeptallthebabesborntherewouldbenoroomforusa11．(12) TheCleftshadalwaysbeencontrollingtheirpopulation,inspiteofthefactthattheywerenotquiteawareofthereasonwhytheydidSO，justbecauseitwastheirtradition．TheyknewitwasbettertodoSO．Theydidnotwanttohavelittlespacetoliveinandtheydidnothavetouseforcetoconquernature．Suchiswomen’Snaturethattheyrespectnatureandprotectnature．D’Eaubonneexclaimedinherworksthathumanwilleventuallyseenasratherthanmenorwomenfirstly．Theearthwhichismuchclosertowomenwillbecomeprosperous．nerelationbetweenwomenandnatureisSOharmoniousthateco．feminismiswellpresented．However,inmodemsocietyandintheworldfullofmaterialdesires，humanhascrazilytakenfromnature．Iftheydonotawaken，naturewillretaliatesoonerorlater．Intheprocessofusingnature，womenkepteverythingasitsoriginalform．Theydidnothingtochangenature．Theyaterawfood,livedincavesandevenlimitedtheirpopulationinordernottodamageorleavetheir|lyingarea．20 ChapterTwoNature’sInteractionwithMankindaftertheMaleAppearanceAfteranalyzingnature’Sinfluenceonearliestmankind，theearlywomen,itisnecessarytodiscusstherelationshipbetweennatureandallhumanityincludingmen．Humanbeingsareoutcomeandpartofnature．Weareontheearthandtheearth,eventhewholeuniverseisofnature．HumansarejustlikethechildrenofnatureandCannotbeseparatedfromnature．NatureoffersfoodandlivingenvironmentforUS．However，sinceancienttimes，humanhavemanagedtolearnaboutnature，transformnature，makeuseofnatureandeventriedtoconquernature．Inancienttimes，especiallyinprimitivesociety,humanswereunabletolearnaboutandmakegooduseofnature．Theecologicalenvironmentstillaayedoriginal．Becauseoftheextremelybackwardmanufacture，peopletoalargeextentpassivelycompliedwithnatureandstoodinaweofher．HoweveLinmodemtimes，withthedevelopmentofsocmlproductiveforce，humanbeingshavegonetoanotherextreme．Theyregardthemselvesasthemasterofnatureandattempttooverwhelmher．Theyrecklesslylootandruintomakethemselvesagainstnature．Bytheendof20thcentury,aftersufferingfromtheconsequencesofruiningtheecologicalenvironment，humanbeingshavebeguntoawake，andthenre-recognizethenatureandadjusttherelationshipwithnature．Weneedtorespectnature，returnnaturetoitsorigin,anddonotblindlytransformthenatureforshort-termprofit．Theworl
