THE INFLUENCE OF ECO-HUMANISM ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND BEHAVIOR IN THE HUNGRY TIDE AND THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

Abstract

This research paper investigates the effect of literary eco-humanism on environmental consciousness and behavior through an analysis of Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide (2004) and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997). Both novels are investigated for their eco-dystopian fundamentals, portrayal of governmental strategies, and the modes in which the authors align individual dispositions with collective perception to accentuate environmental and social issues. The aim of this premise is determining the narrative that current writers have been and can hypothetically incorporate eco-humanism themes and impact social perspectives and behaviors. The premises demonstrating the mutuality of humans and nature stimulate greater ecological consciousness and pre-emptive exertions to safeguard the environment. The increase in environmental degradation witnessed the emergence of eco-humanism in literature in the decade of the 1990s. Ecocritical studies focused on literary analysis of texts with an environmental lens, and how environment and human interactions are represented (Glotfelty, 1996). With the evolution of ecocritical studies, eco-humanism emerged to the forefront of literary criticism to establish human responsibility towards environment and promote sustainable existence (Buell, 2005). The paper aims to explore the narratives of environmental integration in literary texts like The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh and The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. The paper also aims to explore the importance of empathy, sustainability, and justice in addressing the complex challenges of the Anthropocene, making them essential contributions to eco-humanist literature. Through a comprehensive evaluation of both novels, this research emphasizes the role of literary eco-humanism in emphasizing anthropogenetic anxieties, fostering environmental governance, and tackling the entropic experiences of contemporaneous environmental emergencies.