Abstract
In her fourth novel Happiness (2018), the half Scottish and half Sierra Leonean author Aminatta Forna employs unpretentious references through straightforward language to convey a deep message: humans must learn how to coexist with other creatures and to live in tune with nature. The novel sets in Britain and travels backward and forward through various places to tell the story of an American urban wildlife biologist, Jean Turane, who studies wildlife-human cohabitation. Specifically, Jean studies changing habits of urban coyotes and foxes to capture one way of ecological change: the urbanization of wildlife. Such ecological change moves in parallel with the psychological changes that happen to soldiers after war and to refugees. This psychological change is portrayed through Dr. Atilla Asare, Jean’s boyfriend, a psychiatrist from Ghana who works in the war zone. This study aims at studying Aminatta Forna’s Happiness in the light of socialist ecofeminism to trace the connection between, on one hand, the oppression of women and nature and, on the other hand, psychological problems resulting from social injustice. Moreover, applying understanding from socialist ecofeminism enables more insight into, not only, women-nature relationship, but also, the various techniques humans employ to adjust to unequal treatment.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Happiness, Aminatta Forna, Socialist Ecofeminism, Paradox of Happiness, Oppression
