MATERIAL ECOCRITICAL PERSPECTIVES IN THE PILGRIMS OF DARKNESS

Abstract

Material Ecocriticism refers to an understanding that acknowledges non-human entities as participants and reveals the mutual relationship between nature and humans as well. It has emerged as one of the major environmental humanities. Through a Material Ecocritical lens, this paper analyses The Pilgrims of Darkness by Dhruv Bhatt showing nature as a protagonist, not merely background characters. It is through these themes of material agency, storied matter, ecological memory, and the non-human agency in nature, the study uncovers the various ways forests, rivers, mountains, landscapes, and animals interacted with the tribal communities in the novel to shape the cultural heritage, the spiritual values, and the everyday lives of the people. It is clear that Bhatt depicts the ecosystem as a dynamic entity whose interaction creates the experiences among the people while it also carries forward, ecological memory and indigenous knowledge. The novel displays through examples such as sustainable living an ethical awareness that in the end will bring humans and nature into more harmonious relation with each other. The Pilgrims of Darkness is a major eco-critical novel, which through a strong depiction of indigenous ecological ethics and questioning human-centered ways of view, makes the human and environmental relationship a central theme in today's discourse.