Abstract

In her fourth novel "Happiness" (2018), the Scottish–Sierra Leonean author Aminatta Forna (born in 1964) employed unpretentious references and straightforward language to convey a profound message: Humans must learn to accept one another’s differences and coexist with other creatures to live peacefully and harmoniously with their environment. The novel is set in London but uses analepsis and prolepsis to examine other places and narrate the story of Jean Turane and Dr. Atilla Asare. Jean is an American urban wildlife biologist who studies wildlife–human cohabitation in London and exposes the unjust treatment of foxes. Her ecological concern is paralleled by the unequal treatment of certain individuals and is portrayed in the novel through Dr. Atilla, a psychiatrist from Ghana who works in fact-finding committees during wartime. This study analyzes Forna’s "Happiness" from the perspective of social ecofeminism—as defined by American environmental historian and ecofeminist philosopher Carolyn Merchant—to trace not only the relationship between women and nature but also the various types of social inequality in this relationship. Accordingly, this study highlights the connection between all life problems by examining the effect of eradicating the culture of superiority on human satisfaction, thereby expanding the scope of ecofeminism.