Women and Nature – Those Who Were Turned Into Submissive Slaves

The effort to shift position to gain an equal view is shown in the following arguments.

3.3.3.1. Women and nature – those who are turned into submissive slaves

Derrida said: “The second is not what comes after the first, but what allows the first to be the first” (Derrida. J., 1980, p.586). This is true for the image of the ruler Sung Chua Da in Chua Dat by Do Bich Thuy. If there is a ruler, there must be a ruled, if there is a ruler, there must be a person who obeys and submits. Beside Da, there are always those who accept and comply with all of Da’s orders and are loyal and sacrifice unconditionally to firmly consolidate his citadel of domination. Here we only mention two images: Ba Ca – representing the type of woman who obeys her duties, and Sung Cat – representing nature, faithfully submitting to all of Da’s orders. According to Rousseau: “The duty of a woman is to satisfy his eyesight, to gain his respect and love, to educate him in childhood, to care for him in adulthood, to instruct and advise him, and to make his life gentle and happy” (quoted from Marina, DP, 2009, p.33), Mrs. Ca is the ideal representative of this model. Adhering to the principles set by the lord, as well as to maintain her role as “internal minister”, Mrs. Ca accepted to be confined in the space of the lord’s mansion, isolated from the community space, and self-eliminated the desire for personal life. Being the lord’s wife for nearly thirty years, she hardly had a day to live for herself, nor a day to be a wife, a woman in the true sense. She also had her own name, but living next to a powerful man, she almost lost her identity: “from the day she became the daughter-in-law of Sung Chua Da, from the time Lord Da had a second wife, she also forgot her name” (Do Bich Thuy, 2015, p.156). Her whole life was a shadow “standing behind the lord, covered by the shadow of the lord”. She always tried to fulfill her duties as a wife according to her mother’s instructions and in the way Lord Da wanted, always devoted, caring, serving and especially absolutely loyal to the lord. Although the lord was a deformed man, did not give her true love, was very insensitive and cold, but: “in her heart, in her soul, she never stopped loving Da, every time Da brought home a girl, the more beautiful she was, the more she loved Da. She was the one who understood Da the most, loved Da the most, and cherished Da the most. No matter how evil Da did, she always thought of a way to absolve Da of his sins” (Do Bich Thuy, 2015, p.19). The life of the wife of Mrs. Ca was the tragic life of a woman who “lived as if she were dead”, because not only was she absolutely submissive, she also voluntarily “incorporated” into the landlord: “Since when did you consider

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The lord of the land is like a part of her flesh. When the lord of the land is sad, she is sad, when the lord of the land is sick, she is sick, when the lord of the land is happy, she is happy... When the lord of the land dies, if she is still alive, she will definitely ask to be buried with the lord of the land, she thinks so, believes so, wants so" (Do Bich Thuy, 2015, p.116). She loves Lord Da, protects and defends him blindly but does not dare to say a word of love to him. It is clear that the oppression of male power in her mind is too great. She eliminates all natural emotions, as well as personal desires and aspirations to please Lord Da: "Sadness or happiness, fear or joy, are not in her soul. She is like a pool of water in the abyss, deep at the bottom, dark, silent" (Do Bich Thuy, 2015, p.266). It's not that she didn't have any wishes, she wanted to go to the market with the landlord, she wanted to rest her head on the arm of the man she loved, and more: "she wanted to be a mother of children, to hear children cry and breastfeed them". But she tried to suppress those dreams because the landlord never understood her feelings. She loved deeply, sympathized deeply, but all her love, youth, and radiant beauty were given to an insensitive, brutal, and cruel man. The landlord only kept her by his side like raising a loyal dog to guard his property. If she still obeyed, she would still be a "means", a useful "resource", and could still be "used". With women, the landlord only had the desire to take over and entertain, not to love. So, when Mrs. Ca tried to stop and awaken Lord Da in his plot to steal Xinh from Vang, Da mercilessly eliminated her. Having poured out all her love, Mrs. Ca chose to end her silent sacrifice by throwing herself into the deep river. Sacrificing, being faithful, loving her family, the man she loved until death, but when she died, only her yellow dog, her friend, understood her.

It can be said that the two most suggestive animal "characters" are: Mrs. Ca's yellow dog and Sung Chua Da's bird Sung Cat. Do Bich Thuy created for these two animals personalities and thoughts like their owners, the ending scenes of each person related to them are very haunting and impressive. If the image of Mrs. Ca is built as a "tool" to help Lord Da become richer and more powerful, Sung Cat is also considered Da's effective "henchman": "it is the second eyes, the second ears of the lord" and is assigned by Lord Da a job: "to help people die, to die faster". After all, Mrs. Ca or Sung Cat are both tools to serve and meet Da's needs. The death of Mrs. Ca or Sung Cat is a death because the owner comes from loyalty and devotion under the oppression of power. Beside Mrs. Ca is also a loyal pet, the yellow dog. But compare the behavior of Mrs. Ca towards the yellow dog and the behavior of the landlord.

With Sung Cat, we will see the difference between men and women in the way they treat pets. Both Sung Cat and the yellow dog were raised for almost the same amount of time in the mansion, but Vang's loyalty to Mrs. Ca was a reward for the care and love his owner gave him, while Sung Cat's loyalty was conditional (he was allowed to inhale opium and drink Da's wine). Da valued Sung Cat only because he was a strong support for Da's brutal pleasures, perhaps that's why his personality was very similar to his owner: cruel, cunning, fearless, and fond of beautiful women. With Sung Cat, Lord Da considered him a murder tool, but with the yellow dog, Mrs. Ca considered him a friend, her child. She loved, cared for, worried, and talked to the yellow dog like a close friend, and in return, the dog repaid her feelings with absolute loyalty. When she was sad, it was also sad. She stayed up all night to “wait for the girls who were called to the lord’s chamber to return,” and it also stayed up with her, it only slept when she slept. In the end, it was the only one who was by her side and understood her: “Only the old dog understood her. Every time she was sad, it sat next to her. Like now, it sat on its hind legs so she could lean her back against it... She felt the dog’s back was so warm, so sturdy” (Do Bich Thuy, 2015, p.156). On the last long trip to end Mrs. Ca’s journey of living “on the edge,” only that friend saw her off and was in pain because of her departure: “The old dog raised its head and howled miserably. Tears streamed down its face... The dog lay on the ground, face down on the shoes that Mrs. Ca left behind... It lay there waiting to go with Mrs. Ca” (Do Bich Thuy, 2015, p.157). Thus, if women are attached to pets with sympathy and sharing, men often consider pets as tools and means. In the above story, both Mrs. Ca and Sung Cat are turned into submissive slaves. Especially that submissiveness is voluntary. Obviously, women are born with their default position, the oppression of male power is so great that women accept their position as a matter of course. That is not necessarily blind love but instinctive love, instinctive sacrifice, instinctive tolerance.

Why don’t women dare to live differently? Why for thousands of years have they had to conform to the standards created by the patriarchal discourse, silently and voluntarily turning those rules into truths and serving for their entire lives? They are human beings but their status is no different from that of buffaloes and horses, their position is in the dark kitchen: “The altar is for men, the kitchen is for women.” (Do Bich Thuy, 2006, p.31). The clear distinction between men and women in the space of the house shows the weakness of women before the authoritative role of men in the family. From the concerns and sorrows about the silent and submissive life of women, the images are recreated.

Women are natural slaves as a way for female writers to awaken awareness of the status of women. Being cared for and loved by their parents, when they reach puberty, they become beautiful girls full of vitality, but when they get married, they become silent shadows behind their husbands: "like all the other women in the village, lingering behind the shadow of men since the day they set foot in their husband's house. Now, if you ask them about the name their parents gave them, they sometimes don't remember" (Do Bich Thuy, 2006, p.193). And they just accept that as an honor in their lives: "A woman living in a narrow valley has no other wish than to have the rice pot on the stove boiling every day. To be like that is already too much, it has been the dream of Lao Chai people for generations" (Do Bich Thuy, 2006, p.31). Many women accept the peripheral position, accept sacrifice, loyalty, and love the man of their life like that, but rarely do they receive sincere affection, understanding, and worthy rewards in return.

Reflecting on the Denial characteristic of Daniel. P. Marina when analyzing the relationship between men and women based on the above model of male-centrism of Val Plumwood, these female characters are all denied their value. They are only identified in relation to men and stand behind men's lives. They sacrifice all their youthful love and strength for the men they love, but their work and contributions are not recognized, even despised or ignored. Moreover, they are at risk of becoming a "tool", "means" to satisfy men's needs and interests.

3.3.3.2. Women – “sacrificial objects” in men’s conquest of nature

gender

With their weak fate, women are just like nature.

also become the means, the exchange, the sacrifice of men in the fierce situations they have to face. In River by Nguyen Ngoc Tu; Smile, The Lord's Denial, The Burning Pyre by Vo Thi Hao; Message of the Sea by Vo Thi Xuan Ha, Shadow of the Oak Tree by Do Bich Thuy... men are all objects that deserve to be condemned for their selfish, brutal and cruel behavior towards women. Holding a dominant position with women, but when the storm comes, men often push those fragile and small fates to "take the lead".

The fact that the palace maid Ngan La in Vo Thi Hao's The Burning Pylon was twice burned at the stake and once at the exorcism stake showed the fragile status of women as well as the brutality of patriarchal society. When the king transformed into a tiger, the court set up an altar to sacrifice and intended to kill the palace maid.

The Ngan La nun also sent soldiers to arrest the Tram pagoda nun because they thought: “The affair with the Ngan La palace maid… The Emperor still did not get what he wanted. Internal pressure, external destruction. Internal frustration and dissatisfaction would inevitably explode on the outside… In addition, the Tram pagoda nun often entered the palace to explain scriptures to the palace maids… Each time like that, the Emperor's mind seemed uneasy” (Vo Thi Hao, 2005c). Faced with the situation of drought, crop failure and famine that lasted for a long time: “It was the month of Ngau but it still did not rain. The drought had been going on since the beginning of May, now it has been three months. The fields and gardens are all cracked and parched. They have been parched for too long. The grass was burning. The forest was burning. The buffaloes, cows, goats and horses died of hunger and thirst, their bones were white” (Vo Thi Hao, 2005c) , the King ordered an altar to pray for rain, but the sky was still scorchingly sunny, not a cloud in sight. The decisive role once again belonged to Nhue Anh. The rain that God sent down to relieve the drought was thanks to the sincere prayer of nun Nhue Anh, not the irresponsible ritual of the king: “Nhue Anh did not set up an altar. Her altar was Heaven and Earth. She dragged her fragile body across the dry rivers, looked up to Heaven and sang to call for rain…” (Vo Thi Hao, 2005c) . The sound of ecological feminism is clearly expressed in the role and close relationship between women and nature. Nhue Anh brought about the revival of plants, trees, the earth and all people through her singing, through her small body without needing the knowledge of the world.

In the novel River , Nguyen Ngoc Tu has exposed to us that women and nature are both exploited, exploited and appropriated by humans (in this case, men). The abuse and destruction of the ecological environment leads to humans paying the price when faced with the violence of nature "three times blocking the dam three times breaking", they use women as scapegoats: " People drown many beautiful women in the river to offer to the water god" . The fact that people call the river "ba" not only shows the special connection between nature and women, but this detail is also a metaphor for the view between the process of exploiting nature and exploiting women. The Di River or the fate of women who are subjected to the patriarchal behavior of men will sometimes become dangerous, unpredictable and full of hatred, not always "patient and gentle, skillful and seemingly harmless". The practice of treating women as sacrificial objects is also mentioned in Vo Thi Hao's " Ngam Cuoi " . The cruel and unfair treatment of women by men is pushed to a climax in the detail of the village chief bringing Huong to the altar. When facing difficult situations or natural violence, men often use women as lucky charms. Huong was offered to the Left Prime Minister Trinh Tung because it was rumored that a god of fortune resided in her, and that she would bring luck to the people of Ben Van, because she was extremely beautiful and still a virgin. Then the mandarins also bought her to the death.

She was determined because “ welcoming Miss Huong back means welcoming the god of fortune hidden inside her... My business is having problems ”. And finally, she was taken away to be sacrificed to the sea god to pray for : “favorable weather, calm seas and calm skies” for the villagers. The tragedy of Miss Huong has its root cause in the tyranny and sinister cruelty of the village chief - representing the dominant ideology of masculinity. Her tragic death: “ stripped naked, hair disheveled, a large stone mortar tied around her neck. Tears streaming down... Four young men grabbed her tightly and threw her into the sea ” (Vo Thi Hao, 2006, p.170) is a wake-up call about the fate of women. From the perspective of ecofeminism, the journey to conquer and dominate nature is always associated with the domination and exploitation of women. The story of the Se San River God in The Lord's Denial is also a motif of women's self-sacrifice. When nature was acting up, “ It never rained. Many people died of thirst everywhere” and “Many people went out to find water to save the village but no one returned ”, Ly saved them. It was thanks to her natural beauty that radiated from her appearance: “Her long flowing hair was as black as a coal snake’s skin. Her skin was as shiny as the rays of the morning sun and her waist was like the back of a yellow ant” , from Ly’s benevolent heart that she awakened the water source. Her desperate plea awakened the River God: “ The rock under the girl’s feet suddenly cracked. And a stream of cool, blue water flowed around her. That was the incarnation of the Se-San River God. The God was moved by the girl’s beauty and revealed his true form. The girl happily bent down to drink the river’s water. The Se-San God caressed her skin ” (Vo Thi Hao, 1993, p.122). Ly, unable to bear the sight of the village dying of thirst, revealed to the villagers where the water source was. Telling where the water source was meant that she had broken her promise to the river god and she had to accept death as punishment from the river god. “ As the Se-san god had threatened, the water only flowed down her body and hair. Not a single drop reached her mouth. The beautiful girl died of thirst in the river full of water ” (Vo Thi Hao, 1993, p.123). The fact that women were taken over, used as sacrifices, and humiliated showed the injustice of their position in the family and society.

3.3.3.3. Women and the consequences of men's conquest of the "other"

gender

“Other groups” include other human groups (women, the poor,

people of color, children) and other terrestrial groups (animals, forests, land) are referred to as “peripheries”, occupying a subordinate position in the irrational relationships and systems between domination and the dominated: “The other becomes a means or resource that the center can use to satisfy its own needs” (Marina, DP, 2009). From the “periphery” position, is

Sacrificial objects, women not only have to live in humiliation, resignation, being taken over, becoming sacrificial objects, being treated like livestock, they are also the ones who have to directly bear the consequences in the process of conquering and dominating nature by men, for example: women are the ones who directly bear the consequences of unjust wars or the process of industrialization, urbanization...

Women and the pain of war

Growing up in the post-war period, many female writers were aware of the serious consequences of war, especially the pain, sacrifice, and loss of women. A series of works such as: The Remnant of the Laughing Forest, The Earthly Anchor, The Blood of the Leaves (Vo Thi Hao); Sparrows Flying Across the Forest, Lying Down, In Cold Water (Vo Thi Xuan Ha); On the Roof of a Woman (Da Ngan); And When Ashes Fall (Doan Minh Phuong); There Is a Night Like That (Pham Thi Minh Thu), The Sound of the Forest (Hien Phuong); Proud Bird (Do Bich Thuy)... show that war is no longer the sacred land of men alone, but also the persistent and silent pain of women.

The countless tragedies of women are portrayed by the author as a way to directly expose the pain of the female essence. That is the injustice of Mai in The Proud Bird by Do Bich Thuy. Carrying the blood of Chung - her revolutionary husband in a secret meeting, she suffered so much bitterness and humiliation from her mother-in-law's suspicion and the scorn of the villagers. Mai was cleared of her name when her child was born, but the injustice of Tu Nam ( In the Cold Water ) could not be resolved because she carried the blood of the enemy. As a victim of appropriation, Tu Nam finally kept her loyalty by returning to the country to be cleared of her name, to end the hatred. Niem (Tu Nam's daughter) is the result of the mother's prolonged pain, unable to bear the terrible trauma from the arbitrary, selfish, and cruel ways of the world, she finally returned to nature, immersing herself in the river to "see her mother". Along with the invasion of land, territory, and resources, men also caused countless scenes of killing, assaulting, and taking over women. Many women were forced into sexual slavery during wars. This reality is reflected in the pain of being raped by Tu Nam and Niem in the novel In the Cold Water - Vo Thi Xuan Ha: “I felt the weight of a body other than my own. I felt a heart-wrenching pain. My flesh seemed to be torn, torn, and soaked with wet rain. My scent was diluted by the heavy and earthy scent of men” (Vo Thi Xuan Ha, 2016, p.223).

Not the scene of death and separation, in the eyes of female writers, the mental pain of the post-war period is even more devastating to people. Thao in The Remnant

The laughing forest (Vo Thi Hao) also suffered heavy mental aftershocks when leaving the war. It was the obsession with hysteria, present through: "the distorted, wild laughter of war". It was the painful death of her comrades, the loss of heart, loneliness and helplessness in the very love that her entire squad once admired and expected. Returning from the fierce war, what did the female soldier have but mental trauma and a devastated body. Not directly going to war, the status of women in the rear was also pushed and destroyed. In The Sea of Salvation, The Green Moss Wind, Hell Dance, Virgin Soul, Black Widow (Vo Thi Hao); Small Family (Da Ngan); Women's Novel (Ly Lan) ... closely depicts the pain of waiting, making a living, and making sacrifices of countless female faces in the rear of the war. In a country at war, women have to bear permanent mental trauma because the pain they suffer does not end when the guns stop firing, but its consequences still linger.

The theme of war in women's prose also reflects the relationship between women and nature, seeing their fate and attachment to nature during and after the war. Nature carries contemporary consciousness, it is not only the background of war but also has real life, fate, personality, soul. The pain of women and nature blend together. Writers feel the damage of the natural world, sympathize, listen to the strange voice of nature and connect with them with a deep love, in return they also find salvation from nature in the painful, loss-filled moments of war. Ly Lan expressed regret and sorrow at the ultimate destruction of humans and nature. The pain of the next generation of women compared to the life of Mrs. To Moi in The Novel of Women is explained from the perspective of people losing their “safe haven” – “ At that time, the forest had not yet been turned into plantations or hunting grounds for the West, nor had it been destroyed by defoliants and napalm bombs from the US. The forest still had enough fruits for both animals and humans. The forest was Mrs. To Moi’s home. She was born and raised in the middle of nature, existing comfortably and happily in the middle of nature ” (Ly Lan, 2008). She does not carry the sadness, the helpless appearance of someone who has been driven to despair because "she has not lost the forest", "never lost her freedom". In war, nature is attached to humans as well as a living being, destroyed by bombs and bullets and carries "human pain". Vo Thi Xuan Ha realizes: "war is like a cause of disease, war does not spare human life, let alone plants and trees... Mixed in the green trees, in the villages. Their blood stains the fields. Paints the rivers. Paints the clouds piled high in the sky." (Vo

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