An Ecocritical Study of Kiran Desai's Novel Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

Abstract The present research paper attempts to study Kiran Desai's novel Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard from the lens of ecocriticism. Ecocriticism is a new branch of literary theory, which studies the relationship between man and his physical environment. It is concerned with the portrayal of nature and man-nature relationship in literature. The paper examines how environmental issues are represented in the works of art and literature, exploring how human life has been adversely impacted by environmental loss due to man's nefarious and avaricious acts such as industrialisation, explosive population, urbanisation, deforestation, etc. It also critiques the anthropocentric attitudes of human society through the portrayal of the characters of the novel. Desai's novel Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, in which Sampat happens to be the protagonist, has ecocritical elements in ample measure, and it seeks to show that living in harmony with nature has become the need of the hour for humanity at large if the earth has to become a safe and happy place to live on. The paper attempts to analyse and appraise Desai's Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard against the backdrop of ecocriticism as well. Keywords: Nature, Environment, Ecocriticism, Anthropocentrism, Pollution