Commodified bodies and instrumentalized ecology: A new materialist ecofeminist reading of The Good Earth

This research offers new materialist ecofeminist reading of Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth. It posits that compassion and importance are conditional upon capitalism and patriarchal objectives, wherein women and earth are considered of any value only when they fulfil economic, reproductive and utilitarian needs. Although existing literature highlights ecocritical concerns, it often neglects the intertwined oppression of women and the environment within patriarchal structures. This study combines ecofeminist perspectives with the new materialist approach to examine how the novel, The Good Earth portrays human and non-human entities, highlighting a diffused agency that challenges patriarchal dominance. It contributes to a broader discourse on sustainability, gender justice, and socio-ecological equity. This study offers to researchers, activists, and educators, a critical perspective to understand how literature poses and critiques the intertwined oppression of women and nature within patriarchal systems.