The Anthropocene and The Grapes of Wrath: An ...

The Anthropocene and The Grapes of Wrath: An Eco-Critical Reading of John Steinbeck’s Novel

Author Name : Mohit Balhara

Eco-criticism as a school of thought and as a method of textual analysis is perhaps more important now than ever given the current ecological problems that our world faces. The rapid rate at which the earth is losing its forest cover, the fast pace of glaciers melting and the gradual depletion of the ozone layer as only a few examples of environmental degradation continuously reinforce the need for sustainable development. Changes are no longer sought after only at the level of public policy but at the individual human level. Thus the analysis of human experiences with regards to the environment in texts, which is a core idea of eco-criticism, also becomes a fascinating field of study. An emerging area of interest within eco-criticism is the “anthropocene” which may be defined as Earth’s most recent and current geologic time period that began with the origination of major human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems that has led to significant environmental and problems and climate change. The first part of this essay seeks to engage with the idea of eco-criticism by tracing its history and then underlining its importance in the present day scenario. The second part of the essay attempts an eco-critical analysis of John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, which may be seen as one of the earliest examples of eco-fiction, in the light of the concept of the anthropocene.

Keywords – eco-criticism, environmental degradation, human impact, anthropocene, eco-fiction