Exploration of Belligerent Environments in the selected fictions of Amitav Ghosh: An Eco-critical Discourse

Abstract

Eco-criticism is a branch of literary scholarship that finds tangible connections between the environment and literature. The environmental problem is one of the most prominent issues of current generation. Climate crisis stands as a sole factor in the environment in view of ecological imbalance. This is an ever increasingly presence in our daily lives. The prominent causes of climate change are an increase of greenhouse gasses, deforestation to develop human settlements, excessive use of fossil fuels and so on. The Sundarbans is the world’s largest contiguous mangrove forest. It is internationally recognized for its unique biodiversity and ecological importance. Ecosystem impacts Climate change has already affected the Sundarbans significantly in terms of sea-level rise and resulting salinization of water and soil. In The Hungry Tide, Jungle Nama and Gun Island, Ghosh’s concerns about the existential crisis that may occur due to such negligence are depicted. Besides, natural calamities, pandemics can also paralyze the world which can occur due to ecological imbalance. He believes that only by caring for and loving other people, humanity will be able to care for and protect mother earth. In this paper, I would like highlight on eco-critical issues reflected in Sundarbans by focusing on the aforesaid works of Amitav Ghosh.