1. Introduction
Since the Industrial Revolution, the impact of human activities on the natural environment has been increasing, and problems such as land desertification, air pollution, industrial wastewater discharge, and climate warming have become increasingly prominent. The biological groups originally living in the habitat have also been forced to migrate under the influence of human activities, resulting in the problem of “marginalization” of organisms. This series of changes sounded the alarm bell of people’s attention to the ecological environment, and ecocriticism literature came into being. At the same time, the women’s liberation movement was in full bloom all over the world. In 1974, French female writer Francoise de Aubonny pointed out in her book Feminism or Death that women should unite to fight against the increasingly severe environmental crisis, and proposed to establish a new relationship between nature, men and women. In response to the unlimited destruction and plunder of natural ecology under the patriarchal society, it marks the formal proposal of the idea of “ecofeminism”.
Ecofeminism is a theoretical viewpoint combining ecology and feminism, which advocates re-examining and criticizing the relationship between human and nature, male and female in modern society. Ecofeminism argues that both women and nature have long been oppressed and exploited, and treated as secondary and subordinate positions. It emphasizes the close connection and interdependence between women and nature, advocates respect and protection of nature, and also focuses on women’s rights and equality. Ecofeminism criticizes the idea of “ruling nature,” emphasizes the connection between women and nature, advocates equality and diversity, and advocates sustainable lifestyles. In short, ecofeminism is a theoretical viewpoint that focuses on women’s rights and interests and the protection of the natural environment. It aims to promote social change and achieve gender equality and harmonious symbiosis between man and nature. The study of ecofeminism is conducive to promoting gender equality, enhancing environmental protection awareness, promoting harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and providing new ideas and methods for feminist research, as well as injecting new vitality into ecological research.
Montgomery depicts a beautiful ecological landscape that has not been swept away by material civilization with the gentle strokes of a woman, and at the same time, through the growth experience of Anne and the portrayal of female characters, readers can experience the ecofeminism that is ahead of its time in the work. This paper is mainly divided into five parts: the first part mainly gives an overview of ecofeminism, which mainly elaborates the basic concepts and core viewpoints of ecofeminism, and emphasizes the importance of ecofeminism for understanding women’s growth; the second part mainly introduces this work as well as Montgomery’s biography and masterpieces, and the current status of domestic and international research on Anne of Green Gables; the third part is an analysis of ecofeminism in Anne of Green Gables, which mainly from two aspects, the first aspect is Anne’s relationship with nature, and the second aspect is Anne’s attitude towards gender relations; the fourth part is the analysis of Anne’s growth path, mainly from three parts, namely, Anne herself, Anne’s family environment, and Anne’s friendships; the fifth part, which is also the last part of this paper, is mainly to make a concise summary of the article, expecting that the reader can have a deeper understanding of ecology and gender issues, so as to promote gender equality.
2. Literature Review
Anne of Green Gables is the first full-length novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery, one of Canada’s leading literary authors. The publication of this book not only illuminated the minds of Canadians of an era, but also enabled Canadian native literature to take its place on the world literary scene. At the time, it received mixed reviews and was little studied in the literary world. It was not until the 1970s and 1980s that studies of Anne of Green Gables began to flourish, and people began to comment on it from the perspectives of feminism, education, and religion.
2.1. Introduction to Anne of Green Gables and Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables, written in 1904, is about an orphan named Anne, who is taken back from the orphanage by siblings Matthew and Mary [1]. They want to bring back a boy to help with the farm, but instead they mistakenly bring back a bony, red-haired, freckled girl whose parents are dead. She has almost returned to her original family, but charms the siblings with her imagination and stays. With her strong personality, imagination, and self-esteem, Anne is not only loved by her adopters, but also wins the attention and friendship of her teachers and classmates through her hard work and diligence. Anne lived happily with the love and care of her friends, teachers, Matthew and Mary until Matthew’s tragic death. But she is strong enough to survive and become a country teacher. Growing up and dreaming is the theme of the whole book, and the author uses Anne’s story to tell people that as long as one has a dream and makes unremitting efforts, life will be rich and colorful, and life will be beautiful and colorful. Since its publication, the book has been widely circulated in the world, and there are more than 50 kinds of translations. The little red-haired girl Anne has become a classic literary image in the English-speaking world and even globally.
Lucy Maud Montgomery, a famous Canadian woman writer, was born in 1874 and died in 1942. Her life was closely associated with literature, and she was especially noted for her contributions to the portrayal of rural life and the glory of human nature in Canada. Montgomery was raised by her maternal grandparents after her mother died of tuberculosis when she was two years old. In the beautiful land of Prince Edward Island, she not only enjoyed the splendor of nature, but also developed a keen interest in literature. From the age of nine, when she began writing poetry, to the age of fifteen, when she won an all-Canadian essay contest and published her first poem, she demonstrated a remarkable literary talent. As an adult, Montgomery continued her journey of literary discovery. Her masterpiece, Anne of Green Gables, is a vivid and delicate portrayal of an orphaned girl, Anne, and is a favorite among readers. This work not only shows her literary talent, but also reflects her deep insight into life and her care for humanity. After the great success of Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery did not stop creating, she continued to write many works such as Anne the Maiden and Serenade in the Orchard. These works show her literary talent in different perspectives and styles, and at the same time convey her love of life and understanding of human nature [2].
2.2. Research Status Abroad
Foreign scholar Abbas Nawal F. [3] (2013) borrows Brown and Levinson’s theory of pragmatic politeness to analyze the process of Anne’s social interactions with others as she grows up in Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and argues, with examples, that this is not only of powerful significance in children’s literature, but also has a research value for English as a foreign language/second language acquirer, but also of research value. Japanese scholar Hiroko Furukawa [4] (2015) takes Japanese literature as a background to discover the “character language” appearing in the novel, and then analyzes three Japanese translations of Anne of Green Gables, one of the most influential works of children’s literature, from the perspectives of pluralistic systems and feminism to explore the relationship between female language and ideology. Benasir Banu M. S. and Evangeline Priscilla B [5] (2023) mentioned in their article that children’s literature, because of its inherent conservatism, most of the works end with a happy ending, and therefore, in the academic world, which is dominated by the study of literature in English, children’s literature is not regarded as a serious literature, in contrast to eco-literature, feminism literature, postcolonial literature, and other literary texts or genres, nor is it treated in the same way. The author emphasizes and analyzes the importance of children’s literature, and then analyzes the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist in Anne of Green Gables from adolescence to adulthood, so that the audience can have an emotional resonance. The reader is made aware of the impact of children’s literature through various elements such as culture, identity, positivity, friendship, love, growth and imagination.
2.3. Research Status at Home
China’s research on Anne of Green Gables began in the 1980s, when Chinese scholars Chen Shuping [6] (1989) and Hu Huifeng [7] (1997) began to study the character development experience of the protagonist and the storyline of Anne of Green Gables. In the past few years, domestic scholars have conducted a series of studies on the female characters in Anne of Green Gables.
Based on a feminist perspective, Chen Xiujun [8] (2009) analyzes the theme of survival in the work from four dimensions: individual, friendship, family and society. Gao Zhixiang [9] (2015) discusses the interrelationship between women and nature in Anne of Green Gables from the perspective of ecofeminism, demonstrating that women are closely connected to nature, and that women are closer to nature and more gifted in communicating with it and becoming one with it spiritually. In her article, Song Yan [10] (2020) analyzes Anne’s path of growth from the perspective of humanistic psychology, applying Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. Tan Yunhua [11] (2020) explores the tendency of the Chinese translation of Anne of Green Gables by Ma Ainong to call for adult readers on the basis of acceptance theory and the reader’s problem in the translation of children’s literature, and inquiries into the deeper reasons for this phenomenon and its reasonableness. Xia Zongfeng [12] (2020) explored the ecofeminist ideas embodied in Anne of Green Gables in terms of theme, characterization and plot construction from the perspective of ecofeminism. Wang Yalei [13] (2023) used Freud’s theory of the personality structure of ego, self and superego to explore the transformation of Anne from a naïve girl to a mature woman by analyzing her behavior and psychological activities. Yang Zhangmiao [14] (2023) aims to explore the realization of receptive aesthetics in children’s literature translation by interpreting and analyzing its two Chinese translations.
The above studies on Anne of Green Gables have their own focuses, and each scholar studies Anne of Green Gables from different fields and with different theories, and puts forward his own insights, which are worth referring to and learning from, as well as worthy of further study. However, most of the scholars are in the direction of feminism, children’s education, nature, literary translation and so on, and all of them focus on analyzing the writings from a certain aspect. On the basis of domestic and international studies, this paper analyzes Anne’s growth process and her relentless pursuit of self-realization from the perspective of ecofeminism.
3. Analysis of Ecofeminism in Anne of Green Gables
The embodiment of ecofeminism in Anne of Green Gables lies not only in Anne’s intimate relationship with nature, her respect for and protection of nature, but also in Anne’s equal status in gender relations [15]. These perfectly fit the ideas of ecofeminists, so this chapter will analyze the ecofeminism in it from the aspects of Anne’s relationship with nature and Anne’s attitude towards gender relations respectively.
3.1. Relationship between Anne and Nature
Ecofeminism believes that while criticizing the oppression of women by patriarchal society, women should actively and consciously participate in the construction of an ideal social model [16]. First of all, ecofeminists advocate protecting and respecting nature and seeking solace for the soul in nature [17]. Some ecologists believe that women have always been closer to nature than men because of their ability to create and nurture life. The female mind is better suited to thinking about the relationship between man and nature. In Anne of Green Gables, Anne’s relationship to nature goes far beyond simple love and respect, and a unique resonance is formed between her soul and nature. Anne not only draws endless joy and inspiration from nature, but also shapes her own outlook on life and values through her understanding and realization of nature [18]. Therefore, I will analyze Anne’s relationship with nature from the following aspects.
First of all, Anne is full of curiosity about nature. When she first arrived at Green Gables, she was attracted by every blade of grass and tree there. Whether it was the leaves in the breeze, the wildflowers by the stream, or the clouds in the sky, they all became the objects of her exploration. She also named every natural object, such as the birch tree-lined path that led through Bell’s house, which Anne called “Birch Trail”. The name is simple and elegant, depicting the birches on both sides of the path, but with a quiet and beautiful atmosphere. Secondly, Anne named the spruce forest along Cloud Creek “The Haunted Forest”. Although this name sounds a bit scary, it is full of mystery and adventure, and shows Anne’s curiosity about nature. In addition, Anne names a cherry tree “Snow Queen”. She also named Mr. Barry’s small round pond “Willow Lake”, the forest path from Green Gables Orchard to the end of the farm named “Lover’s Path”, and the green puddle in Andrew’s forest named “Green Dimples” and so on. Anne observes with her heart and experiences with her emotions, deeply imprinting the beauty and mystery of nature in her heart. This curiosity not only gave her a deeper understanding of nature, but also made her love and cherish nature more.
Secondly, Anne likes to find pleasure and inspiration in nature. She often walks in the woods, listens to the singing of birds and observes the busyness of insects. She felt the rhythm and rhyme of nature with her heart and drew endless joy and inspiration from it. She also enjoys planting a variety of flowers in her garden, using her imagination and creativity to add many unique elements to the garden. These activities not only enriched Anne’s life, but also brought her closer to nature.
Thirdly, Anne’s love for nature was also reflected in her care and love for animals. She adopted many stray animals, such as kittens and puppies, and provided them with a warm home. She takes care of these little animals with all her heart, providing them with food and shelter. This kind of care and love for animals shows Anne’s respect for life and reverence for nature.
Finally, Anne often expresses her emotions and thoughts through nature. She would connect her mood with natural phenomena such as weather and seasons, and use the changes of nature to reflect her inner fluctuations. For example, when she felt happy, she would describe the sky as a blue jewel; when she felt sad, she would describe the raindrops falling like her tears. This way of expressing her emotions with nature not only makes Anne’s emotions more sincere and touching, but also shows us the deep emotional bond between her and nature.
To summarize, Anne’s love for nature is shown through several concrete examples of her close contact with nature, finding fun and inspiration in nature, caring for and loving animals, and expressing her emotions with nature. These examples not only show us the harmonious relationship between Anne and nature, but also let us feel her love for life and her reverence for nature.
3.2. Anne’s Attitude towards Gender Relations
Eco-feminists not only advocate that human beings should live in harmony with nature, but also advocate that both men and women should be equal and mutually support each other to maintain the diversity of the world [19]. In the work Anne of Green Gables, Anne’s attitude towards the two sexes is a topic worth exploring in depth. As a young girl full of vigor and imagination, she has her own unique and innocent views on gender relations. The following is a detailed analysis of Anne’s attitude towards the sexes.
First of all, Anne holds an equal and respectful attitude towards gender relations. She does not believe that men or women are naturally superior in one way or another, but believes that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses and should respect and understand each other. This notion of equality is exemplified in Anne’s interactions with Matthew. Matthew, as Anne’s guardian, cares for her, and Anne treats him as her own with gratitude and respect. This relationship, which is based on equality and respect, gives Anne a deeper understanding of gender relations.
Secondly, Anne holds an innocent and beautiful expectation of love and marriage. She believes that true love exists and is willing to work for it. In the novel, the emotional entanglement between Anne and Gilbert is an important plot. Although there had been misunderstanding and conflicts between them, Anne always believed in Gilbert’s sincerity and eventually came together with him. This firm belief and persistent pursuit of love shows Anne’s innocent and beautiful heart.
In addition, Anne’s attitude towards both sexes is also reflected in her understanding of gender roles. She does not believe that women should be confined to their families and traditional female roles, but encourages women to pursue their dreams and careers. In the novel, Anne loves to study and is interested in literature and nature, and she aspires to become a writer to depict the world with her own strokes. This pursuit and realization of self-worth reflects Anne’s unique understanding of gender roles.
At the same time, Anne is aware of the differences and complementarities between the sexes. She believes that men and women are different in terms of their personalities, abilities and interests, but these differences are not superior or inferior, but rather complementary and complementary to each other. In Anne’s view, cooperation and communication between the two sexes is the key to solving problems and the basis for building a harmonious relationship. This understanding and acceptance of the differences between the sexes makes Anne more mature and rational in dealing with gender relations.
Finally, Anne’s attitude towards the two sexes is also influenced by her upbringing. In Green Gables, a loving and warm family, Anne received ample love and support, which gave her a more positive and optimistic view of gender relations. At the same time, she also gradually formed her own gender concepts and values in her interactions with people around her.
To summarize, Anne holds an attitude of equality, respect, innocence and beauty towards gender relations in Anne of Green Gables. She believes in true love, pursues self-worth, and understands and accepts gender differences, all these concepts reflect her innocent and positive personality. At the same time, her upbringing and experiences have also had a profound impact on her attitude towards both sexes. By analyzing Anne’s attitude towards the two sexes, we can not only gain a deeper understanding of her personality and inner world, but also get some insights and thoughts on how to better understand and deal with gender relations, and realize the harmonious coexistence of individuals and society.
4. Analysis of Anne’s Growth Path
The growth of Anne in Anne of Green Gables is full of the influence of many factors, among which there are factors such as family environment, friendship and relationships, learning and education, in addition to Anne’s exploration and growth of herself. It is these factors that make Anne grow up to be an intelligent, talented and independent woman, so this chapter will analyze Anne’s growth path from the three main factors that affect her growth.
4.1. Anne’s Personal Situation
Anne’s growth and transformation are mainly reflected in character building, psychological maturity, and value formation. From her initial innocence to her later resilience and wisdom, Anne experienced a series of self-transcendence.
Anne has been a curious and imaginative child since childhood. When she first moved to Green Gables Farmhouse, she not only used poetic and imaginative language to give unique names and stories to every scene in Green Gables, making the whole farmhouse a fairy tale world. She also utilizes the natural resources around the farmhouse, along with her own creativity and artistic talent, to create a series of decorations for the Green Mountain Wall farmhouse. For example, she designed her own unique curtain patterns, embellished with flowers and green leaves, making the rooms full of natural flavor. She also planted a variety of flowers in the courtyard, making the farmhouse smell like flowers in all seasons. Later, when Matthew passed away and the Green Gables Farmhouse was at risk of being sold, Anne was determined to protect the Green Gables Farmhouse. She struggles to adjust her mindset, filling the void in her heart with work and study, while comforting Marilla and the rest of the family with her care and companionship. Anne’s growth and changes bring new life and vitality to the farmhouse, and she not only succeeds in her studies, but also becomes the new owner of the farmhouse. In the process, Anne also comes to understand the meaning and value of life and death. The changes in the natural scenery of Green Gables also reflect Anne’s own growth, and Green Gables, full of vigor and vitality, will always be a warm harbor for Anne.
In terms of psychological maturity, Anne also undergoes significant changes. Once she was confused about her own identity and value. Often constructing her world in fantasy, she filled her inner emptiness and restlessness through imagination. Later, she realized that real life as well as her self-needed to be shaped through practice. She began to pay attention to and understand the feelings of people around her, stopped dwelling in her own small world, and tried to become a good daughter and a good helper in the eyes of her parents. In the process, she gradually realizes that her value and significance do not depend solely on her own imagination, but lie in the interactions and contributions of others. This deepening of self-identity not only makes Anne cherish and love her life in Green Gables Farmhouse more, but also puts her firmly on the path of self-realization. This perception and pursuit of self-worth is an important sign of her psychological maturity. What’s more, Anne is easily frustrated and gives up when she first encounters setbacks, which may be closely related to the environment she lived in before, but as time goes by, she gradually learns how to face difficulties and how to remain calm and optimistic in the face of adversity. For example, in an important exam, Anne did not do well because she was nervous and did not perform well. However, instead of being devastated by this, she carefully summarized her lessons and adjusted her mindset, and eventually achieved excellent results in the next exam.
In terms of value formation, Anne always sticks to her principles and beliefs. She believes that honesty, kindness and respect are the basic principles for people to get along with each other. Therefore, in her daily life, she always tries her best to be consistent with her words and lead by example. At the same time, she also pays attention to cultivating her independence and critical thinking, and does not blindly follow the views of others, but forms her own opinions and attitudes through her own thinking and judgment. Finally, Anne has a strong sense of responsibility and mission. She cares not only about her own growth and happiness, but also about the needs of others and the well-being of society.
4.2. Anne’s Family Condition
Anne’s upbringing was a complex and multifaceted process in which the role and influence of her family cannot be ignored. Their interactions, expectations, support, and understanding of Anne have had a profound impact on her life trajectory.
First, family members provided foundational emotional support for Anne’s development. During Anne’s childhood, despite the many ups and downs she experienced in life, the love and companionship of her family was always her strongest support. Whether it is the care of her adoptive parents, Matthew and Marilla, or the concern of other family members, Anne feels the warmth and love of her family. This kind of emotional support enables Anne to remain resilient and optimistic in the face of difficulties and challenges, and makes her cherish the deep emotion with her family even more.
Secondly, family members also play a guiding and molding role in Anne’s growth. In the process of educating Anne, Marilla and Mr. and Mrs. Matthew not only focus on the transfer of knowledge, but also emphasize the cultivation of character. They taught Anne to be honest, kind, and hardworking, qualities that were gradually internalized during Anne’s growth and became an important part of her character. At the same time, the family encouraged Anne to pursue her dreams and supported her in developing her interests and talents. This positive guidance and molding enabled Anne to gradually grow into a confident, independent, and pursuing person.
Furthermore, the family’s support for Anne’s growth is also reflected in their understanding and tolerance of her. Anne’s growing up process is full of twists and turns and changes, and she sometimes makes some decisions that make her family worried or puzzled. However, her family always maintained their understanding and tolerance of her and respected her choices and decisions. This understanding and tolerance allowed Anne to feel her family’s trust and support, and made her more confident in facing her life.
However, Anne’s growing up process was not all smooth sailing. She has felt lonely and helpless because of the unstable family environment, and has also felt pain and confusion because of misunderstanding and conflict with her family. However, these experiences have also contributed to Anne’s greater maturity and independence, allowing her to learn how to face and deal with complicated interpersonal relationships and how to adjust her mind and emotions.
To summarize, from the perspective of Anne’s family, her growth was a process full of love, guidance, understanding and tolerance. The support and influence of her family has not only shaped Anne’s character and values, but also made her more determined and confident on the road of life. In the days to come, I believe Anne will continue to write an even more wonderful chapter of her life with her resilience and wisdom, and at the same time return endless love and gratitude to her family.
4.3. Anne’s Friendship
Anne’s growth is not just a solo journey, her friends also play an integral role in the process. They witnessed Anne’s transformation and accompanied her through the time of laughter and tears, showing us Anne’s growth trajectory from another angle.
4.3.1. With Diana
Diana has beautiful black hair and dark eyes, is kind, cheerful, pretty and full of enthusiasm, and is Anne’s soulmate. Diana plays an important role in Anne’s development, and she helps Anne gradually grow into a more mature, confident and responsible person through various ways.
First, Diana encourages Anne to participate in social activities. When Anne first arrives at the Green Gables farmhouse, she appears to be somewhat withdrawn and out of place due to her life and character. Diana, on the other hand, is a cheerful and lively girl who encourages Anne to participate in various school activities, taking her to dance, sing, and play games with her. These social activities allowed Anne to gradually open up, learn to communicate with others and build friendships.
Second, Diana helps Anne cope with misunderstandings and difficulties. When Anne was misunderstood because she mistook wine for a drink for Diana, Diana did not alienate Anne, but chose to stand by her and believe in her innocence. She also helps Anne explain the misunderstanding to her family, which ultimately leads to the resolution of the matter. In the process, Anne learns to be brave and persistent in the face of difficulties, as well as how to explain and prove her innocence to others.
There is also the support given to Anne at critical moments. When Anne feels confused and lost because of her own life, Diana becomes the one she confides in. She patiently listens to Anne, gives her comfort and encouragement, and helps her regain her confidence and courage. This kind of support makes Anne grow up to be more determined in her beliefs and pursuits.
Finally, Diana and Anne share responsibility and growth. in the incident of Diana’s sister’s illness, Anne bravely assumes the responsibility of caring for her sister without the help of adults. She calmly directs everyone with her experience and takes first aid measures. Diana also takes an active part in the situation and faces the difficulties together with Anne. This experience not only taught Anne to take responsibility and care for others, but also made her realize the power of friendship and the meaning of growth.
Through these concrete examples, we can see that Diana played an active role in facilitating Anne’s growth. Her encouragement, support and companionship allow Anne to become more confident, brave and responsible. At the same time, the friendship between the two becomes deeper and more precious because of their common experience and growth
4.3.2. With Gilbert
Gilbert, while initially having a strained relationship with Anne, has also been a positive contributor to Anne’s growth at some key moments over time. Here are some specific examples:
First, he inspires Anne’s competitiveness and drive. Gilbert is Anne’s academic rival, and his grades are always on par with Anne’s. This competitive relationship inspires Anne’s aggressiveness and makes her study harder to improve herself. In spelling, arithmetic and written exams, the two often alternate in the lead. This healthy competition pushes Anne to constantly surpass herself and make academic leaps.
Secondly, he also prompted Anne to reflect and change. Gilbert once had a strained relationship with Anne because he teased her about her “red hair”. However, when Anne is in danger and her boat sinks, Gilbert rows to her rescue and asks for her forgiveness again. Although Anne initially refuses to reconcile with him, this incident makes Anne reflect on her behavior and eventually finds the courage to reconcile with Gilbert. This experience taught Anne tolerance and forgiveness, and allowed her to become more mature in her interpersonal interactions.
Finally, he provides emotional support and encouragement to Anne: Over time, Gilbert’s attitude towards Anne changes, and he begins to appreciate and respect Anne’s talents and personality. Gilbert also provides emotional support and encouragement to Anne when she encounters difficulties or setbacks. This support allows Anne to grow up more confident, strong, and courageous.
Through these examples, we can see that Gilbert plays a positive role in facilitating Anne’s growth. His presence inspires Anne’s competitiveness and aggressiveness and pushes her to surpass herself; at the same time, he also teaches Anne tolerance, forgiveness and strength through his actions. These experiences have a profound impact on Anne’s growth, making her a more mature, confident and better person.
5. Conclusions
From the perspective of ecofeminists, this paper probes into Anne’s relationship with nature, her views and attitudes towards gender relations in Anne of Green Gables, and analyzes how she gradually grows into a woman with awakening consciousness based on her personal growth experience, family background and friendship support. Through this analysis, we aim to reveal the profound significance of Anne’s image in promoting women’s self-knowledge, growth and environmental protection.
The study of ecofeminism can help us to have a deeper understanding of gender and ecological issues, promote women’s liberation and gender equality, strengthen environmental protection awareness, promote the development of interdisciplinary research, and provide a new theoretical framework and action strategy for solving gender inequality and ecological crisis. Although the study of ecofeminism provides us with a unique perspective and deep understanding, it also has some limitations. For example, the complexity of the theoretical framework may lead to difficulties in understanding and application, the lack of a unified theoretical or philosophical basis, and the divergence between different schools; In practice, how to transform theory into concrete action is still facing challenges; At the same time, the theory itself needs to face questions and criticism from different cultural and social backgrounds. To sum up, although ecofeminists provide us with a unique perspective and profound understanding, there are still some limitations in understanding and application, which need to be explored and perfected continuously in practice.
In our country, with the increasing prominence of environmental issues and gender issues in Chinese society, more and more scholars and researchers have begun to pay attention to the theory and practice of ecofeminism. From different disciplinary perspectives, they conduct in-depth research on ecofeminism and try to apply it to specific contexts in China. Therefore, in order to promote the development of ecofeminism in China, a series of measures should be taken. First of all, it is necessary to strengthen the publicity and education of ecofeminism theory, and improve the public’s awareness and acceptance of it. Secondly, it is necessary to encourage women to actively participate in environmental protection and decision-making processes, and increase their participation and voice in them. Finally, it is necessary to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation and exchanges to promote the localized development and innovation of ecofeminism in China.