NATURE’S FRAGILE SCRIPT: AN ENVIRONMENTAL READING OF POWERS’ BEWILDERMENT
Keywords:
Ecocriticism, Anthropocentrism, Environmental Degradation, Ecological ConsciousnessAbstract
Literature has been a potent tool of influencing human opinions on nature and the environment therefore, this paper provides an environmental analysis of the recent published novel Bewilderment by Powers within the present environmental discourse that challenges anthropocentrism, ecological anxiety, and the ethical demands of interspecies coexistence. Through the relationship between Theo Byrne, an astrobiologist, and his neurodivergent son, Robin, Powers constructs a profound reflection on grief, ecological awareness, and the precarious continuity of life on Earth. The shift in the story between the cosmic speculation and the care of the family members, reflects the conflict between the cosmic and the human. This paper argues that Bewilderment redefines the environmental crisis as a scientific work and an emotional obligation by analyzing how Powers at once criticizes environmental degradation and how he restores the natural world by using awe and wonder. At last, the novel introduces a vision of nature that is delicate and strong, always being in danger of human exploitation, but always being able to provide new ways of living together. By doing so, the novel addresses the readers directly, calling upon a new ecological responsibility.
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