바바라 킹솔버의 『성하』에 나타난 생태공동체

Abstract

This essay examines how Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer presents her interest in some aspects of ecological community. Kingsolver shows that the natural environment composed of interconnected webs leads to the destruction and extinction of animal and plant species. The Appalachian region, where Zebulon County is located, is at risk of destruction of the natural environment due to excessive hunting, deforestation and reckless use of chemicals. Kingsolver explores the possibility of an ecological community through the stories of Deanna, Lusa, and Garnet. By giving each person a different point of view on nature, she attempts to show what kind of view of nature is necessary for the maintenance of an ecological community, and her novel tries to suggest the necessary principles for maintaining such a community. Kingsolver gives meaning to the female-centered narrative in order to attempt a vision for a new world in which the natural environment and the human community are balanced and fit in a new community led by independent female characters. By emphasizing the mutual change of the male and female characters, it is clear that the construction of an ecological community is in equality and harmony. (Chungnam National University)