GRAMMATOPHOBIA AMONG THE ENGLISH UNDERGRADUATES IN TIRUNELVELI DISTRICT
September 30, 2023SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF SCHOOL GOING ADOLESCENTS WITH VISUAL CHALLENGES
September 30, 2023NAVIGATING THE PATH FROM INNOCENCE TO EXPERIENCE: AN ECOCRITICAL READING OF RUSKIN BOND’S OUR TREES STILL GROW IN DEHRA
*Shilpa Kumari, & **Atal Kumar
*Ph.D. Scholar, P.G. Department of English & Research Centre, Magadh University, Bodh-Gaya, Bihar, India.
**Associate Professor, Department of English, Gaya College, Gaya, Bihar, India.
Abstract
The present paper is an ecocritical reading of Ruskin Bond’s famous short story anthology, Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, focusing mainly on the transformative journey of the characters from innocence to experience. It aims at exploring embedded ecological causes interwoven into the narratives, through an investigation of the natural world. It also throws light on the shared relationship between human development and the manner in which the environment impacts it. The paper manifests the ecological dimensions within the narrative of Ruskin Bond’s Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra through the lens of Ecocriticism, a theory propagated by Cheryl Glotfelty. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and examine this theory from Indian flora and fauna and its impact on the human psyche. Especially those of the impressionable children. It also examines the path from innocence to experience, conducting an in-depth analysis of the ecological elements in order to explore the role of nature in forming the protagonists’ experiences and personal growth. Hereto, the study applies various research methodologies including qualitative, ecocritical, thematic, and textual analysis in order to trace the portrayal of nature and its metamorphic impact on characters. Thus, the analysis unveils how Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra as an eco-allegory, wherein the growing relationship between the protagonists and the natural world is a symbol of the journey from innocence to experience.
Keywords
ecocriticism, human psyche, innocence, experience.
References
Bond, Ruskin. The Cherry Tree. Puffin, 2012.
. Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. Penguin, 1991.
Glotfelty, Cheryll and Fromm Harold. The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. University of Georgia Press, 1996.
Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra by Ruskin Bond: Book Review. 2023-02-07. bookIndex.in
To cite this article
Shilpa Kumari, & Atal Kumar. (2023). Navigating the Path from innocence to Experience: An Ecocritical reading of Ruskin Bond’s Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. John Foundation Journal of EduSpark, 5(3), 28-41.