Ecocritical Analysis of “Where The Crawdads Sing by Dlia Owens”

Abstract

Eco-criticism is a theory that discusses the relationship between literature and the physical world. It elaborates on earth-centered approaches to literature, which focus on the natural aspect and its importance in human life. This study has explored the approaches of ecocriticism to understand its usage in literary genres. In order to explore the natural aspect, the research focused on the ecocritical approaches used in the novel. The data has been collected from the text of the novel, which demonstrates an ecological sense to the reader. The study has used a qualitative research method, taking quotations and examples from the text to seek data. Different quotations have been taken to analyze the novel through the lenses of ecocriticism, such as wilderness, pastorals, and ecofeminism. The study reveals that the text portrays nature and natural elements in different chapters. The pastorals, wilderness of nature, and societal wilderness towards the protagonist have been depicted using language that highlights the behavior of humans in relation to their environment. While other researchers have used the theory to investigate the natural aspect of poetry, this study investigates the application of the theory on the novel. The study examines the ways in which nature and its elements are used by the writer to highlight the importance of nature and the environmental crisis and issues discussed in the novel. The study demonstrates the different natural elements in the novel, for which the ecocritical theory is applicable.