Ecocritical Perspectives in Select Novels of Toni Morrison
An Ecocritical approach demands not just a scientific envisioning of the environment but also a Psychological, Sociological, Religious and Historical analysis of nature and its manifestations in the work at hand. Morrison weaves all of these strands together to produce a narrative history of African...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sarat Centenary College
2018-07-01
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| Series: | PostScriptum: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Literary Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://postscriptum.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pS3.iiManiklal.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818296980852441088 |
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| author | Maniklal Bhanja Stella Thomas |
| author_facet | Maniklal Bhanja Stella Thomas |
| author_sort | Maniklal Bhanja |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An Ecocritical approach demands not just a scientific envisioning of the environment but also a Psychological, Sociological, Religious and Historical analysis of nature and its manifestations in the work at hand. Morrison weaves all of these strands together to produce a narrative history of African Americans a history largely ignored by white society. For Morrison nature is extricating link with religion. All of her writings show the connection between the Biblical Garden of Eden, plagues and natural Catastrophe. The relationship between nature and religion in the novels will help to illuminate her proposals for societal healing from historical wounds. In her first novel The Bluest Eye the connection between nature and racial hatred can be seen very clearly. The Novel Sula is shown the women are nurturing, creative, and destructive powers, powers that at times reach almost godlike proportion. Morrison shows that the combination of mother and God leads to disaster, ‘Mother’ being a feminine force that traditionally represents creation birthing and nurturing, while ‘God’ embodies the masculine acts of violence and destruction.The words of Lao Tzu is apt here, ‘We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable’. African Americans continue to demonstrate Africa’s enduring power, its flexibility and vitality. Toni Morrison’s novel gives the readers great potential for healing and growth. Teachers serve a vital role in teaching students how to be the participatory readers necessary for Morrison’s novels. When they do participate actively, students discover that Morrison’s novels are healing texts-for black students who experience noble representation and for white students who are provided the opportunity to expand their understanding. In Sula, Morrison subdues the hostile environments destructive potential by giving her protagonist the power to leave it. In her novels, the values of a unity are the measuring stick for an Individual’s behaviour. Morrison’s corpus of work presents African Spirituality with its accompanying ideas of duties, emphasis on nature, representation of ancestor communication, and the importance of unity responsibility –core elements of spirituality and the backbone of African culture. Africans derived the idea of the natural world as a primary dwelling for the divine. Under the canopy of the natural world, one has access to God and to the source of one’s ancient properties. Morrison’s ecocritical work demonstrates her belief in the interconnectedness of nature, religion and African American identity. Without such an understanding, her works seem to tell a disjointed story of disappointment and destruction; and when we read ecocritically, it offers hope for creating a better future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T04:12:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb6ce05d56cf410eaee73eb32ec4468e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2456-7507 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T04:12:10Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | Sarat Centenary College |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PostScriptum: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Literary Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb6ce05d56cf410eaee73eb32ec4468e2022-12-22T00:00:00ZengSarat Centenary CollegePostScriptum: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Literary Studies2456-75072018-07-013ii16216910.5281/zenodo.1318961Ecocritical Perspectives in Select Novels of Toni MorrisonManiklal Bhanja0Stella Thomas1Tezpur CollegeDon Bosco College, ManipurAn Ecocritical approach demands not just a scientific envisioning of the environment but also a Psychological, Sociological, Religious and Historical analysis of nature and its manifestations in the work at hand. Morrison weaves all of these strands together to produce a narrative history of African Americans a history largely ignored by white society. For Morrison nature is extricating link with religion. All of her writings show the connection between the Biblical Garden of Eden, plagues and natural Catastrophe. The relationship between nature and religion in the novels will help to illuminate her proposals for societal healing from historical wounds. In her first novel The Bluest Eye the connection between nature and racial hatred can be seen very clearly. The Novel Sula is shown the women are nurturing, creative, and destructive powers, powers that at times reach almost godlike proportion. Morrison shows that the combination of mother and God leads to disaster, ‘Mother’ being a feminine force that traditionally represents creation birthing and nurturing, while ‘God’ embodies the masculine acts of violence and destruction.The words of Lao Tzu is apt here, ‘We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable’. African Americans continue to demonstrate Africa’s enduring power, its flexibility and vitality. Toni Morrison’s novel gives the readers great potential for healing and growth. Teachers serve a vital role in teaching students how to be the participatory readers necessary for Morrison’s novels. When they do participate actively, students discover that Morrison’s novels are healing texts-for black students who experience noble representation and for white students who are provided the opportunity to expand their understanding. In Sula, Morrison subdues the hostile environments destructive potential by giving her protagonist the power to leave it. In her novels, the values of a unity are the measuring stick for an Individual’s behaviour. Morrison’s corpus of work presents African Spirituality with its accompanying ideas of duties, emphasis on nature, representation of ancestor communication, and the importance of unity responsibility –core elements of spirituality and the backbone of African culture. Africans derived the idea of the natural world as a primary dwelling for the divine. Under the canopy of the natural world, one has access to God and to the source of one’s ancient properties. Morrison’s ecocritical work demonstrates her belief in the interconnectedness of nature, religion and African American identity. Without such an understanding, her works seem to tell a disjointed story of disappointment and destruction; and when we read ecocritically, it offers hope for creating a better future.http://postscriptum.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pS3.iiManiklal.pdfspiritualityinterconnectednesscanopyscientificenvironment |
| spellingShingle | Maniklal Bhanja Stella Thomas Ecocritical Perspectives in Select Novels of Toni Morrison PostScriptum: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Literary Studies spirituality interconnectedness canopy scientific environment |
| title | Ecocritical Perspectives in Select Novels of Toni Morrison |
| title_full | Ecocritical Perspectives in Select Novels of Toni Morrison |
| title_fullStr | Ecocritical Perspectives in Select Novels of Toni Morrison |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecocritical Perspectives in Select Novels of Toni Morrison |
| title_short | Ecocritical Perspectives in Select Novels of Toni Morrison |
| title_sort | ecocritical perspectives in select novels of toni morrison |
| topic | spirituality interconnectedness canopy scientific environment |
| url | http://postscriptum.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pS3.iiManiklal.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT maniklalbhanja ecocriticalperspectivesinselectnovelsoftonimorrison AT stellathomas ecocriticalperspectivesinselectnovelsoftonimorrison |