Environmental Justice in the Select Works of Henry David Thoreau and Arun Joshi

Abstract

Literature plays a vital role in the lives of every human. It focuses on every aspect of human life. Through literature one can identify his cultural tradition. It not only brings out positive and negative changes made by human from the ancient time but also gives remedy for the problems of the people in their daily life. Protecting environment is one of the main focuses in environmental literature. From nineteenth century onwards people witnessed enormous growth in environment literature that tried to create environmental awareness among the people because literature can be a powerful medium for creating awareness for the existing environmental crisis. Environmental criticism has alternative names as Ecocriticism and Green studies.“Ecocriticism was a term coined in late 1970s by combining criticism with a shorten form of ecology the science that investigates the interrelation of all forms of plant and animal life with each other and with their physical habits”.1 This present study aims to bring out the importance of nature in human’s life and show a path to return to nature. In order to escape from this giant environmental crisis the American writer Henry David Thoreau and Arun Joshi an Indian writer provides a comfortable solution. Thoreau’s Walden and Arun Joshi’s The Strange Case of Billy Biswas represent the significance of nature and both insist that one can never lead a peaceful life by destroying nature. This present study aims to bring out the importance of nature in human’s life and show a path to return to nature.