ABSTRACT
Ecofeminism aims to establish a community ecology that is sustainable for both human and nonhuman beings, deconstructing the oppressor/oppressed identities that are prevalent in patriarchal society. Susan Goodman and Carl Dawson argue that throughout the history of the United States, the West was defined in terms of rainfall and the damming and diversion of rivers because aridity and a lack of water prevented the development of the landscape. In The Gifford, through the eyes of her protagonist, she sees the land as a mistress: For a man lives with his land as with a mistress, courting her, suiting himself to her humors, contriving as he can that her moods, her weathers shall drive for and not against him. Mary Austin suggests that the wilderness is a feminine force, and that men must learn to reconcile with her. Austin believes that the cultural practices of the peoples of the land are embedded in both the ecological and social environment.
