Volume V Special Issue IV October 2025

Name of Author : Aswathy.S.S

Title of the paper : Nature, Violence, and Female Agency An Ecofeminist Reading of Bharati Mukherjees Leave it to me

Abstract: Ecofeminism, emerging in the late twentieth century as a vital intersection of ecological and feminist thought, critiques the parallel structures of domination that exploit both women and nature under patriarchal and capitalist systems. Writers who engage with ecofeminist themes often foreground the intimate connection between women and nature, resisting patriarchal exploitation and ecological destruction. Within this broader literary landscape, Bharati Mukherjee occupies a distinctive position. While not always read as an ecofeminist in the strict sense, Mukherjees novels particularly Leave It to Me resonate with ecofeminist discourse through their portrayal of women as sites of both violence and regeneration, mirroring the cycles of exploitation and resilience found in nature. The present article examines Bharati Mukherjees Leave It to Me through the theoretical framework of ecofeminism, a discourse that interlinks the oppression of women and the exploitation of nature. By analyzing the novels intersections of violence, identity, and survival, the paper explores how Mukherjee constructs female agency against patriarchal and cultural subjugations. The protagonists fragmented journey is read as an ecofeminist narrative that underscores the interconnectedness of female bodies, ecological violence, and the quest for empowerment.

Keywords : Ecofeminism, ecological, patriarchal exploitation, cultural subjugations, ecological destruction and resilience.

DOI :

Page Number : 123-127