Human–Nature Interface and
Environmental Justice: An Ecocritical Study of Selected
Novels by Amitav Ghosh and Arundhati Roy
Aijaz Bhat, Dr. Nancy Paul
ABSTRACT
The ecological crisis of the twenty-first century
has intensified scholarly attention toward the relationship between
literature and the natural environment. Ecocriticism, as an
interdisciplinary field, explores how literary texts represent
ecological concerns and shape human attitudes toward nature. This
study examines the human–nature interface and the concept of
environmental justice in selected novels by Amitav Ghosh and
Arundhati Roy. The analysis focuses on The Hungry Tide (2004) and
Gun Island (2019) by Amitav Ghosh and The God of Small Things (1997)
and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017) by Arundhati Roy. These
novels portray diverse ecological landscapes—including the
Sundarbans, Kerala, Venice, Delhi, and Kashmir—thereby highlighting
the complex relationship between human societies and fragile
ecosystems. Using an ecocritical framework, the study analyses how
these texts depict climate change, environmental degradation,
biodiversity loss, and the socio-political consequences of
ecological exploitation. The paper argues that both authors
emphasize the disproportionate impact of environmental crises on
marginalized communities, thereby foregrounding the concept of
environmental justice. While Amitav Ghosh’s narratives stress global
ecological interconnectedness, climate change, and ecological
migration, Arundhati Roy integrates environmental concerns with
issues of caste, political conflict, and social marginalization.
Through a comparative analysis of these works, the study
demonstrates how contemporary Indian fiction contributes to
ecological awareness by critiquing anthropocentric perspectives and
advocating a more sustainable and ethical relationship between
humans and the natural environment.
Keywords: ecocriticism, human–nature interface, environmental
justice, climate change, environmental degradation, contemporary
Indian fiction, Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy.
