Women and the Environment in a Dystopian World: An Ecofeminist Reading of Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood

The aim of this paper is to observe the intersection of environmental destruction and patriarchal oppression in Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood her second novel in the MaddAddam trilogy. Scholars such as Carolyn Merchant in The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology, and the Scientific Revolution (1980), and Greta Gaard in Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature (1993) have put forth the argument that subjugation of women and environmental degradation both have the same root, that is the system of power and control. Atwood shows a dystopian world, filled with unchecked consumerism and scientific hubris where women’s bodies and nature are both exploited parallelly. The two protagonists, Toby and Ren showcase different facets of ecofeminist survival. The immense use of bioengineering reflects Michel Foucault’s (1977) concept of biopower, in Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison bringing in the idea of how corporate control regulate human and non-human life through genetic modification and social control. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008) also shares thematic parallels with The Year of the Flood, such as authoritarianism, exploitation and survival. Atwood’s novel brings forth the notion that survival and regeneration are possible through collective action, storytelling, and a reimagined relationship with nature.