Women, Confinement, and Wilderness: An Ecofeminist Reading of Poems by Louise Bogan and Emily Dickinson

 

Women, Confinement, and Wilderness: An Ecofeminist Reading of Poems by Louise Bogan and Emily Dickinson

 

S. Preethi Shalina,

Assistant Professor,

Department of English,

Sona College of Arts and Science,

Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. 

&

Dr. M. Aravindh,

Assistant Professor, 

Department of English,

Sona College of Arts and Science,

Salem, Tamil Nadu, India.

Abstract: Ecofeminism is a perspective that highlights the interconnected oppression of nature and women under human dominance. Just as humans control and exploit nature, women are constrained by patriarchal society. In both cases, freedom, intuition, and wildness are denied, preventing them from existing authentically and fully. This article examines how these ecofeminist concerns are reflected in literature, focusing on Louise Bogan’s “Women” (1923) and Emily Dickinson’s “They Shut Me Up in Prose” (c. 1862), two poems written in different centuries yet united in their exploration of female confinement and social discipline. Through imagery of restriction, enforced stillness, and separation from nature, both poets reveal how women are denied access to independence and self-realization. While Bogan exposes the internalized effects of such oppression, Dickinson presents imaginative resistance as a means of escape. Together, these poems demonstrate how literary representations of nature serve as metaphors for female identity, agency, and liberation, anticipating key ecofeminist insights.

Keywords: Captivity, Wilderness, Patriarchal, Internalisation

 

Introduction

Ecofeminism is a theoretical framework that examines the links between environmental exploitation and the oppression of women. Scholars like Françoise d’Eaubonne, Carolyn Merchant, and Vandana Shiva argue that patriarchal systems treat both women and nature as passive, controllable, and subordinate, which then justifies domination over them (Buell 12; Mageed 33). Literature, particularly poetry, provides a space to explore these connections metaphorically, using images of nature to critique social norms and power structures. Louise Bogan’s“Women” and Emily Dickinson’s “They Shut Me Up in Prose” are prime examples of this kind of poetic exploration. Although written nearly sixty years apart, both poems deal with similar issues: the confinement of women, societal control, and the denial of personal freedom. Bogan presents a somber view of women’s lives, shaped by social expectations and emotional restraint, while Dickinson highlights the tension between physical or social confinement and the freedom of the imagination, showing that creativity can serve as a form of resistance. Reading these poems through an ecofeminist lens reveals how society both restricts women and domesticates nature, and how poetry can act as a space to challenge and resist these forms of oppression.

Confinement and Enclosure in Bogan and Dickinson

Imagery of captivity is a central feature in both Bogan’s “Women” and Dickinson’s “They Shut Me Up in Prose,” functioning as a powerful metaphor for the social and emotional control exerted over women. In “Women”, Bogan writes, “Content in the tight hot cell of their hearts / To eat dusty bread” (Bogan 3–4). The phrase “tight hot cell” conveys a sense of emotional restriction and self-imposed monitoring, suggesting that women internalize societal expectations and thereby limit their own freedom. Similarly, the metaphor of “dusty bread” implies a form of emotional deprivation, reinforcing the idea that a woman’s personal needs and desires are minimized, ignored, or dismissed within a patriarchal framework.

Dickinson’s poem echoes this theme of confinement, emphasizing both physical and social limitations. She recalls being “shut…up in Prose — / As when a little Girl / They put me in the Closet — / Because they liked me ‘still’” (Dickinson 1–4). Here, the “Closet” operates as both a literal space of seclusion and a symbolic site of enforced obedience, demonstrating how deviation from societal expectations is regulated. From an ecofeminist perspective, such images resonate with the ways in which nature is similarly contained and controlled. Just as women are restricted to socially prescribed roles, natural environments are often managed and regulated to serve human purposes, denying them their inherent freedom.

Both poets highlight that confinement is socially imposed rather than natural. While Bogan focuses on the internalized effects of restriction—how women absorb and perpetuate their own limitations—Dickinson emphasizes the external enforcement of social norms. Together, these works reveal a dual mechanism of control: internalized socialization on one hand, and external surveillance and restriction on the other, illustrating the complex ways in which patriarchal systems operate.

Wilderness as Freedom and Female Identity

The denial of wilderness is central to Bogan’s critique of female experience. The poem’s opening line, “Women have no wilderness in them,” asserts that qualities such as freedom, adventure, and self-expression are largely inaccessible to women (Bogan 1). Nature—depicted through vivid imagery such as “cattle cropping red winter grass” and “snow water going down under culverts / Shallow and clear” (Bogan 5–8)—exists fully and vibrantly, yet women are excluded from this world. They neither perceive nor engage with these signs of vitality, symbolizing the deprivation of autonomy and life experience. This depiction aligns with ecofeminist theory, which emphasizes how societal structures restrict access to spaces, experiences, and freedoms that are more readily available to men.

In Dickinson’s poem, natural imagery represents imaginative and intellectual freedom. The imprisoned bird and the star convey boundless movement and autonomy. Dickinson writes, “Himself has but to will / And easy as a Star / Abroad the mental Bars / He ranges —” (Dickinson 9–12). Here, the speaker contrasts her physical confinement with the unrestricted freedom of the mind, illustrating that, unlike the body, the imagination cannot be fully controlled. From an ecofeminist perspective, the bird symbolizes the natural, instinctive qualities that patriarchal society seeks to dominate, yet which remain inherently uncontrollable (Zuo 118). Both Bogan and Dickinson link female identity to wilderness, showing how social oppression parallels the domestication and restriction of the natural world.

Stillness, Order, and Patriarchal Control

Stillness and rigidity serve as key tools for social control in both Bogan’s and Dickinson’s poetry. In “Women,” Bogan observes that women “wait, when they should turn to journeys, / They stiffen, when they should bend” (Bogan 9–10). The imagery of waiting and stiffening conveys a substitution of passivity for action and adaptability, reflecting societal expectations that prioritize obedience and emotional restraint over exploration and self-expression. Ecofeminist theory draws a parallel here: just as nature is tamed, structured, and confined to meet human purposes, women are disciplined to fit rigid social roles, with spontaneity and wildness suppressed (Buell 45).

Dickinson similarly critiques enforced stillness, though her focus is on external enforcement. She recalls being confined because others “liked me ‘still’” (Dickinson 4), equating quiet compliance with virtue. Yet this stillness is not inherently peaceful; it is a mechanism of control, restricting movement, thought, and creativity. Both poets reveal that societal norms valorise passivity while constraining autonomy. Bogan emphasizes the internalisation of this control, illustrating how women absorb and enact the expectations placed upon them. Dickinson, on the other hand, highlights the external imposition of restrictions, demonstrating the ways authority figures seek to regulate behaviour. Together, these works illuminate the dual mechanisms of patriarchal domination: one that operates internally within women themselves, and one that functions externally through social surveillance and enforcement.

Silence, Voice, and Expression

The control of women’s voices is another important site of critique in both Bogan’s and Dickinson’s poetry. In “Women,” Bogan observes that culturally coded feminine traits such as kindness, patience, and selflessness—qualities often celebrated as virtues—become mechanisms of control: women’s benevolence is exploited, and their voices are effectively silenced (Bogan 11–12). Within a patriarchal society, women are often spoken for rather than allowed to speak, and their labor, emotions, and perspectives are undervalued. Ecofeminist theory draws a parallel between this dynamic and the exploitation of nature, which is similarly managed, controlled, and denied its agency (Mageed 38).

In contrast, Dickinson demonstrates how imaginative expression can serve as a means of resistance. In “They Shut Me Up in Prose,” prose symbolizes the social pressures that demand conformity, whereas poetry allows the mind to “range” freely beyond imposed boundaries: “Himself has but to will / And easy as a Star / Abroad the mental Bars / He ranges —” (Dickinson 9–12). Even when physically or socially confined, the speaker’s imagination cannot be fully restrained. From an ecofeminist perspective, the unrestricted mind mirrors the natural, instinctive qualities that patriarchy attempts to dominate but cannot entirely control (Zuo 118).

Together, these poets reveal contrasting but complementary approaches to voice and expression. Bogan exposes the ways in which women internalize silence, becoming complicit in their own marginalisation. Dickinson, by contrast, highlights the potential for creativity and imagination to resist constraint, suggesting that autonomy and self-expression remain possible even under restrictive circumstances. Both perspectives emphasize the interplay between oppression and resistance, linking women’s voices with the vitality and freedom of the natural world.

Internalisation versus Resistance

Bogan and Dickinson offer complementary perspectives on how women respond to social constraints, illustrating the tension between internalisation and resistance. In “Women,” Bogan emphasizes the internalisation of patriarchal norms. Women absorb societal expectations, regulating their own behavior and emotions, and in doing so, perpetuate their own confinement: “Content in the tight hot cell of their hearts / To eat dusty bread” (Bogan 3–4). Here, the imagery of self-imposed restriction underscores the subtle yet pervasive influence of internalized control. Ecofeminist theory suggests that this process mirrors how nature is domesticated: once considered wild, it is reshaped to meet human needs, just as women are moulded to meet social expectations (Buell 12).

By contrast, Dickinson focuses on imaginative resistance as a form of liberation. In “They Shut Me Up in Prose,” the speaker’s mind transcends imposed boundaries: “Himself has but to will / And easy as a Star / Abroad the mental Bars / He ranges —” (Dickinson 9–12). Even when constrained physically or socially, creativity and imagination remain unconquerable. From an ecofeminist perspective, this mental freedom parallels the natural instinctive qualities that resist human domination, highlighting the possibility of autonomy despite external control (Zuo 118).

 

Gender, Nature, and Power

Both poems highlight the parallels between societal expectations of women and humanity’s management of the natural world. Control, containment, and order define what is deemed acceptable for both women and nature. Bogan and Dickinson demonstrate that these restrictions are not inherent but socially constructed, imposed to maintain hierarchies and enforce conformity. Ecofeminist theory suggests that true liberation requires rethinking these hierarchies, fostering relationships based on reciprocity rather than domination (Buell 52).

By connecting female identity with natural imagery, the poets critique the mechanisms of social control while emphasizing the enduring potential for freedom. Concepts such as wilderness, movement, and imagination are portrayed as essential not only for ecological balance but also for personal autonomy, reinforcing the ecofeminist insight that the oppression of women and the subjugation of nature are interconnected and mutually reinforcing.

Conclusion

A close reading of Louise Bogan’s “Women” and Emily Dickinson’s “They Shut Me Up in Prose” through an ecofeminist lens illuminates the intertwined oppression of women and nature under patriarchal norms. Both poets critique systems that prioritize control, stillness, and obedience over freedom, creativity, and self-expression. Bogan emphasizes the internalized effects of such confinement, showing how societal expectations shape women’s own perceptions and behaviours, while Dickinson demonstrates that imaginative and intellectual freedom can resist external restrictions. Together, these poems underscore the continuing relevance of ecofeminist concerns, revealing that liberation—whether of women or the natural world—requires challenging entrenched hierarchies and reclaiming autonomy, voice, and connection with the wilderness.

 

Works Cited

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Bogan, Louise. “Women.” Body of This Death: Poems, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968 (first published 1923). https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Women_(Bogan).

Buell, Lawrence. The Environmental Imagination: Thoreau, Nature Writing, and the Formation of American Culture. Harvard University Press, 1995.

Dickinson, Emily. “They Shut Me Up in Prose –.” The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Reading Edition, edited by Ralph W. Franklin, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1999. Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52196/they-shut-me-up-in-prose-445. Accessed 30 Dec. 2025.

Mageed, Rania Mohamed Abdel. “An Ecofeminist Interpretation of Selected Nature Poems by Emily Dickinson.” IJRDO Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, vol. 2, no. 10, 2017, pp. 31–46. DOI: 10.53555/sshr.v2i10.3815. https://www.ijrdo.org/index.php/sshr/article/view/3815.

Zuo, Jiaxin. “A Gendered Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s Poetry and Her Feminine Consciousness – Taking They Shut Me Up in Prose as an Example.” Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 21, 2023, pp. 117–121. https://drpress.org/ojs/index.php/EHSS/article/view/13172.