Beyond Dualisms: An Ecofeminist Critique of Patriarchal Oppression in Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

2 English Department,, Faculty of Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

10.22077/islah.2025.9329.1636

Abstract

This paper examines how patriarchal control impacts both women and nature in Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments in light of Val Plumwood’s environmentalism. Plumwood critiques dualistic thinking that privileges masculinity and culture over femininity and nature, outlining five mechanisms of domination—“backgrounding,” “radical exclusion,” “incorporation,” “instrumentalism,” and “homogenization”— that create a hierarchy of superiority and inferiority. Drawing on this framework, the study investigates how The Testaments portrays the intertwined oppression of women and the environment in the male-dominated society of Gilead, highlighting their shared struggle for survival. The novel not only depicts how dualisms sustain oppression but also reveals moments of resistance and survival that challenge these binaries. By bringing ecological and feminist concerns into dialogue, this paper highlights the interconnectedness of environmental degradation and gendered violence. It ultimately argues for dismantling oppressive dualisms in favor of an alternative worldview based on intrinsic value, mutual respect, and symbiosis between all genders and nature.

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History

  • Receive Date: 03 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 24 August 2025
  • Accept Date: 06 September 2025

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