In the book Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, the themes of feminism and animal welfare are frequently interconnected due to the main character, Janina’s involvement in her community.

The first thing that needs to be analyzed is what makes a work a feminist piece of literature. Merriam-Webster Dictionary described the adjective feminist as “of, relating to, supporting, or compatible with feminism,” while describing feminism as the “belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). To put this into simpler terms, this book would be feminist if it challenged the inequalities seen between men and women within Polish culture.

Tokarczuk’s book is a feminist book with a focus on animal welfare because she challenges the inequalities depicted between men and women within Polish culture, along with exploring the experiences of women and seeking to empower women overall.

As women are already seen as minorities in most cultures, it makes sense that the author would complement feminism and animal welfare. Women are underrepresented, similar to animals since animals cannot fight for their rights. Connecting to the ecological standpoint, masculinity and patriarchy are tied together with dominance, similar to hunting and dominating animals out in nature.

One of the first points that Janina makes on gender and male dominance is when she explains men and testosterone. In this chapter of the book, Janina says that “with age, many men come down with testosterone autism, the symptoms of which are gradual decline in social intelligence and capacity for interpersonal communication, as well as the ability to formulate thoughts” (24). Due to the constraint reassurance and superiority complex that men receive from each other daily, they become unintelligent and narcissistic, thinking that they are all-powerful and always right. This constant approval of all men’s actions continues to input power into the patriarchy. Janina makes this inherent in Tokarczuk’s book through many things that the men do, such as mansplaining hunting to Janina.

Multiple times throughout this book, Janina tries to approach hunters to get them to stop. In return, she is met with this toxic male dominance while being mansplained about why they have the right to hunt innocent animals. Hunting has been historically associated with patriarchal power and dominance, which led to women leading the movement against hunting and other animal abuse in recent years (Omvedt, 368). Janina fights this patriarchal hunting society to make a difference in the world and to challenge the exploitation of natural resources by traditional masculine power. Along with making her voice heard, she is also giving her voice to the rights of these animals that are being hunted, abused, and eaten by men who couldn’t care less about them.

This brings me to the topic of Janina’s voice and having her rights and animals’ rights respected by the patriarchy. One instance where this is visible is when Janina tried to file a report about Big Foot’s animal abuse and illegal hunting. In response to Janina’s statement, the police officers called her a “crazy madwoman” (29). Men believe that if a woman shows even a little bit of emotion, she is hysterical and unreasonable. Later on in the book, Janina touches upon this mixed opinion on animal cruelty, saying that “if people behave brutally toward animals, no form of democracy is ever going to help them, in fact, nothing at all” (101). Janina respects animals because people who don’t show respect for the innocent don’t deserve respect reciprocated. When men disrespect and abuse animals, they do not deserve respect shown back to them. But, if women show respect toward animals, they should deserve respect and rights (except this isn’t seen in Tokarczuk’s book because the patriarchy leaves for too much male dominance and zero respect for women or animals).

Animal welfare can be interpreted as a feminist issue because historically animals have been associated with femininity and women have been responsible for caring for and nurturing them (Wills). Janina notes that “Man has a greater responsibility toward wild Animals—to help them to live their lives, and it’s his duty toward domesticated Animals to return their love and affection, for they give us far more than they receive from us” (105). This responsibility of men is not achieved within this book because men hunt wild animals and abuse their domesticated animals. Readers see this when Big Foot locks his dog in a shed in the middle of winter, with Janina coming to the rescue to feed and care for this abused and innocent dog.

Lastly, it is important to note the gender roles that Janina breaks throughout this book. As described several times throughout this book, Janina stands up for her beliefs which are already against the ideals of femininity (from a male’s perspective). Along with verbally standing up for herself and animals, she also takes it upon herself to become physical toward a man who was condescendingly speaking down to her. In response to his words, Janina “sprang forward and pushed the Man in the silly hat so hard that he fell onto the snow, completely taken by surprise” and said to him in a confident tone, “I am not a feeble girl” (64). This act of rebellion shows Janina’s independence and how determined she is to fight the larger forces that harm animals and the environment around her. In conclusion, the book Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk is a feminist book with a focus on animal welfare because she challenges the inequalities depicted between men and women within Polish culture, along with exploring the experiences of women and seeking to empower women overall in their fight for gender equality and animal rights. By portraying Janina as a determined, independent woman who refuses to be silenced or ignored, the novel encourages the audience to take action against injustice and to speak out for what they believe in. Ultimately, “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” is a thought-provoking and impactful work that raises important questions about our relationship with the natural world and with each other as human beings.