Elif Shafak's The Island of Missing Trees through the lens of Félix Guattari's The Three Ecologies

The words of Wordsworth (1789, lines 21-24) “One impulse from a vernal wood / May teach you more of man, of moral evil and of good, / Than all the sages can”, no longer find their way to human hearts as the world is becoming anthropocentric where nature is seen just as scenery and people forget that it is the healing power for the human spirit. The present article aims to highlight the dynamic relationship between humans and the natural world through Elif Shafak’s novel, The Island of Missing Trees (2021), and Félix Guattari’s theory of Three Ecologies, whose approach extends beyond traditional ecological thinking by incorporating psychological well-being and social engagement. The article highlights the three triadic models of ecological domains, such as environmental, social, and mental, and studies how personal trauma, collective memory and ecological consciousness are interwoven in the character's journey toward healing and inner balance. Shafak’s choice of the fig tree as the narrator symbolises the deep-rooted connections between nature, identity and history and bridges the gap between individual consciousness, social cohesion, and ecological sensitivity, providing a literary embodiment of Guattari’s vision and illustrating how reconnecting and rediscovering a relationship with nature leads to harmony.