“Unless we extend morality in this way we risk dooming our children to live in an unhealthy unappealing biotic community that will sustain them, if at all, in a miserable state” (Leopold 1). Aldo Leopold, one of the main founders of the American environmental movement, published A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There in 1949. A significant philosophical excerpt from the novel referred to as the “land ethic” strongly implies the admiration one should have for the natural world.
Leopold begins by stating that humans must refrain from seeing food, water, and soil as resources that can infinitely be supplied to the human population. Switching from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric paradigm will allow for the expansion of natural resources around the globe. Another grand theme that is present within the excerpt is sustainability, in which the biotic and abiotic communities need to be considered as essential as humans are. It is more likely that, as a functioning society, we would be more willing to note (industrial) obligations to protect community resources (roads, schools, etc.) rather than ecological conservation.
As expected, the interconnectedness between politics and the ecological conscience is remarked as social policy in the long run. However, it is quite difficult for some to think what action would be more beneficial for the future than for the demand in the present. It is stated that, “the content is substantially this: obey the law, vote right, join some organizations, and practice what conservation is profitable on your own land; the government will do the rest” (Leopold 18). People must reevaluate what are necessities versus what are desires. In order for this to be effective, the proper education must be implemented.
“Education must precede rules” (Leopold 22). More scientific evidence of climate change as a result of global warming is arising at an unprecedented rate. For example, “an international team of 27 scientists calculated that climate change increased chances of the extreme heat occurring by at least 150 times, but likely much more” (Borenstein 2). Humanity, as a whole, has a fixed mindset based on what is best for the economy. It all boils down to the morally acceptable actions versus human capital. Leopold says, “A system of conservation based solely on economic self-interest is hopelessly lopsided” (Leopold).
Yet another infamous nonfiction contribution to environmentalism in literature is the novel and film Radium Girls. The women in the story were constantly ingesting radioactive, toxic substances. Because of the detrimental human health effects associated with this, many of these women lost their teeth and had shattered bones. Unfortunately, many passed away as well. As a result, a group of teenage girls—the “Radium Girls”—advocated for safer working conditions without the exposure to these dangerous chemicals. In 1968, consumer products could not be made using radium from the ban on companies. However, there are still a multitude of harmful chemicals that are still affecting human health to this day including formaldehyde, mercury, and asbestos.
As time has progressed, scientists know now that “chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver or breast cancer” (EPA 1). Modern-day environmentalism calls for speaking out against poor working conditions, which fortunately is not as prevalent as it was in the late 1900s. Within the same realm, a tragic event occurred in a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York. Written by Richard S. Newman, Love Canal: A Toxic History from Colonial Times to the Present tells the true story of how the residents of Love Canal protested against the leaking of toxic waste dump in the acres containing 100,000 barrels of chemical waste. The overarching theme of the novel revolves around focusing on the environmentalist future and steering away from the industrial past.
Considered one of the greatest novels that inspired the environmental movement, Silent Spring expresses the effects of synthetic pesticides in the late 1950s. The author, Rachel Carson, reveals to her audience how the chemicals humans are applying to the environment are going to have detrimental results for humans in the long run. This piece of writing led to the ban of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), a toxic insecticide. Additionally, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created as a result of the universal paradigm shift. The information Carson provided to the world allows environmentalists and scientists to take human health into greater consideration than it previously was.
Moving more towards classic literature, How Green Was My Valley is a novel written by Richard Llewellyn regarding the dangerous coal mines in the South Wales Valleys. There is controversy over whether this is historical fiction or nonfiction because of the telling tale of the narrator, Huw Morgan, and the harsh realities he faced throughout his childhood. The personal and environmental impacts are both explicitly and implicitly described throughout the duration of the novel. From fatalities to respiratory consequences, the dangers of working to extract coal was a major problem even back in the day. As more of a modern-day approach, renewable energy can be used as an alternative for two primary reasons: to prevent human health consequences and prevent the depletion of natural resources. The primary motifs present in the novel are love, loss, capital, and change. Overall, many historical lessons can be learned from this classic novel concerning current environmentalism.
The conflict between nature and society is an evident theme present in the classic story of The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. The story consists of the two main characters’ attempts to emancipate themselves. Huck desires to break free from the constraints of the society he resides within, alluding to both the physical and mental aspects. However, Jim is trying to escape literal enslavement. In the novel, there are various descriptions demonstrating the relationship between Huck and nature. Nature is a recurring aspect of the world that helps Huck sort through his ideas and thoughts. He is enlightened by the freedom and joy within nature, which ultimately inspired him to flee from any city: “Not a sound any Where’s, just like the whole world’s asleep, only sometimes the bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe” (Twain). To further elaborate, Huck feels relaxed by the sounds of the river while looking at the stars. As the author, Mark Twain wrote, “So he watched out for me one day in spring, and catched me, and took up the river about three miles in a skiff, and crossed over to the Illinois shore where it was woody and there warn’t no houses, but an old log hut where the timber was so thick you couldn’t find it if you didn’t know where it was” (Twain). It is common that with every wonderful thing in life, there is always a downside present.
A term often used to explain the relationship between literature and the physical environment is “ecocriticism”. It calls for the collaboration between life scientists, authors, editors, historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and more. This collective effort first appeared in 1960. It revolves around reality with both socioeconomic and environmental factors. A primary goal of ecocriticism is to observe how individuals in a society behave and react in terms of nature and ecological aspects. Specifically, this category of literature is a necessity because it demonstrates our world through a different lens for the majority of the human population. Typically, emphasis is placed on linguistics or on the cultural and social background in literary theories. With ecocriticism, all of the weight is on the ‘nature’ and alludes to the fact that nature exists as a force which affects evolution directly as a society. With increased technology and industrialization, there is a stronger emphasis on environmental destruction around the world. As a result, the late 20th century has been enlightened on the subject of ecological disaster, such as “nuclear war, depletion of valuable natural resources, population explosion, proliferation of exploitative technologies, conquest of space preliminary to using it as a garbage dump, pollution, and extinction of species (though not a human problem) among others.” Literature began to address these types of issues as a part of academic discourse.
A tactic frequently used in school to write or take note of within books is the vivid descriptions. Occasionally, these vivid descriptions allude to naturalistic aspects of the world. For example, the first 4 lines of the infamous novel Romeo and Juliet begin with “Two households, both alike in dignity (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean”. This translates to “In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes place, a long-standing hatred between two families erupts into new violence, and citizens stain their hands with the blood of their fellow citizens.” (Shakespeare 1). Although not directly nor explicitly intended when written, the description of Verona was implemented because of its naturalistic beauty. Because this was written in the late 1500s, nurturing nature was not as adamant as it is in the 21st century due to the uprising regarding climate change.
In the near future, literature involving environmentalism may appear to be more evident because of the current climate crisis the world is gradually experiencing. According to Lawrence Buell in Writing for an Endangered World: Literature, Culture, and Environment in the U.S. and Beyond, “The success of all environmentalist efforts finally hinges not on ‘some highly developed technology, or some arcane new science’ but on a ‘state of mind’: on attitudes, feelings, images, narratives. That the advertising budget of U.S. corporations exceeds the combined budgets of all of the nation’s institutions of higher learning is crude but telling evidence that trust in the power of imagination is not a literary scholar’s idiosyncrasy” (Buell). Environmentalism itself comes from the facts presented from environmental science in attempting to reform the way humans affect the surrounding ecosystems. The subjectivity of this matter can ultimately be implemented into literature using forms of creativity and opinion. Historical passages, excerpts, folklore, and novels have revealed how much nature is utilized in describing facets of life. However, literature and environmentalism will soon shift into describing the dire need for change to restore the beauty of nature and the planet as a whole if action is not taken soon enough.
References and Further Reading
Administrator. “Literature and the Environment: Fictions of Nature, Culture, and Landscapes.” Australian & New Zealand Environmental History Network, 14 Dec. 2013, www.environmentalhistory-au-nz.org/2013/12/literature-and-the-environment-fictions-of-nature-culture-and-landscapes/.
Alhilfi, Firas Abdulkadhim Sadeq. “The Natural Environment in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.” International Journal of Literature and Arts, Science Publishing Group, 5 Apr. 2016, article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/html/10.11648.j.ijla.20160402.12.html.
Alok Mishra. “EcoCriticism Theory in Literature: Introduction & Analysis.” Alok Mishra, 4 Feb. 2020, alok-mishra.net/eco-criticism-theory-literature-introduction-analysis/.
Borenstein, Seth. “Study: Northwest Heat Wave Impossible without Climate Change.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 7 July 2021, apnews.com/article/climate-climate-change-science-environment-and-nature-935be069af34aad472074d42097af85e.
“Celebrating the Radium Girls' Fight Against Forever Chemicals This Women's History Month.” Sierra Club, 9 Mar. 2021, www.sierraclub.org/articles/2021/03/radium-girls-womens-history-month.
EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclide-basics-radium#radiumhealth.
“The Land Ethic.” The Aldo Leopold Foundation, 1 June 2020, www.aldoleopold.org/about/the-land-ethic/.
Mambrol, Nasrullah. “Ecocriticism: An Essay.” Literary Theory and Criticism, 15 Dec. 2018, literariness.org/2016/11/27/ecocriticism/.
“Memories From Mining Country: How Green Was My Valley.” Planète Énergies, www.planete-energies.com/en/medias/cinema-literature-and-energy/memories-mining-country-how-green-was-my-valley.
Purdue Writing Lab. “Ecocriticism // Purdue Writing Lab.” Purdue Writing Lab, owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/ecocriticism.html#:~:text=Ecocriticism%20is%20an%20umbrella%20term,a%20difficult%20term%20to%20define.&text=But%2C%20%E2%80%9Csimply%20put%2C%20ecocriticism,environment%E2%80%9D%20(Glotfelty%20xviii).
SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/huckfinn/plot-analysis/.
SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/.
Taylor, Paul. “'Silent Spring' Triggered an Environmental Movement.” The Permaculture Research Institute, 20 June 2016, www.permaculturenews.org/2016/06/20/silent-spring-environmental-movement/.
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