A Feminist Perspective of SurfacingOften referred to as a "feminist/ecological treatise" by critics, Margaret Atwood's Surfacing reflects the politics and issues of postmodern society (Hutcheon 145 ). The story's narrator (who remains anonymous) returns to the underdeveloped island she grew up on to search for her missing father; in doing so, she reveals the dualities and inconsistencies of her personal life and her patriarchal society. Through the struggle to reclaim her identity and her roots, the Surfacer begins a psychological journey that takes her directly into the natural world. Much like the journey itself, the language, events, and characters of Atwood's novel reflect a world that oppresses and dominates both womanhood and nature. Strong and unmistakable in Surfacing, ecofeminist theory asserts itself in three specific ways: through references to patriarchal reasoned dualities between the masculine and feminine world; through the domination and oppression of the feminine and natural world, and through the Surfacer's own internal struggle and re-adherence to nature. Since “the voices of ecofeminism are diverse,” it requires a definition (Zabinski 315). A postmodern movement that “abandons the uncompromising scientific approach…in favor of a more spiritual consciousness,” ecofeminist theory links the oppression of women to the oppression of nature (Salleh 339). More specifically, “ecological feminism is the position that there are important connections – historical, experiential, symbolic, theoretical – between the domination of women and the domination of nature, an understanding that is crucial to both feminism and environmental ethics" (Warren, Power and P...... middle of paper ...... Ecology. "Healing the Wounds: The Promise of Ecofeminism. Ed. Judith Plant. Philedelphia: New Society Publishers, 1989: 18-28. Legleer, Gretchen T. “Literary Criticism of Ecofeminism.” Warren, Ecofeminism 227-238. Salleh, Ariel “A Deeper Ecology: The Eco-Feminist Connection Vol.6. Ecofeminism: Women, Culture and Nature. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1997.---“Taking Empirical Data Seriously: An Ecofeminist Philosophical Perspective.” Warren, Ecofeminism 3-20.---. Environmental: 125-146. Zabinski, Catherine. “Scientific ecology and ecological feminism: the potential for dialogue. " Warren, Ecofeminism 314-322. Zimmerman, Michael. “Feminism, Deep Ecology, and Environmental Ethics.” Environmental Ethics. Vol. 9, 22-44.