“The End of Innocence” From an Ecofeminist Perspective: Outlying Islands and Ellen's Emancipation

Abstract

Patriarchal practices such as racism, class discrimination, marginalization, oppression, and objectification, along with the exploitation of nature and women, have become increasingly discussed and researched in recent years. In Western culture, nature and women have historically been conceptualized in a way that devalues everything associated with women, nature, emotions, animals, and the body, while elevating everything linked to men, reason, humans, culture, and logic. David Greig’s play Outlying Islands tells the story of two young scientists sent to a remote Scottish island in 1939, under the shadow of war, to study the island’s biodiversity, alongside the island’s caretaker uncle and a female character. The play provides a rich foundation for an ecofeminist analysis, addressing themes of scientific inquiry, human-nature relationships, female emancipation, and the patriarchal desire to control nature and women. Centered on the conflict between nature, humanity, and the modern world, the play positions the harsh climate and environmental conditions as pivotal elements in the narrative.
The portrayal of a remote island used as an experiment by the government highlights the ecofeminist critique of patriarchal ideologies that commodify nature through a disposable lens. In this study, the female character, who represents a more intuitive and embodied connection with nature compared to the male scientists, will be analyzed through an ecofeminist lens. Val Plumwood’s philosophy of dualism will serve as the primary framework for examining the opposing binaries in the play and decoding its ecofeminist message. From an interdisciplinary perspective, this study will analyze how patriarchal domination of women and nature manifests and its consequences within the fictional narrative set in a real geographical context. The aim of this research is to provide a conceptual and comprehensive understanding of ecofeminism while contributing to feminist and ecological literature through the analysis of a theatrical work.