Man in the Anthropocene and His Transformation: An Ecocritical Reading of Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh

Amitav Ghosh’s novels have frequently addressed environmental issues and the current ecological crisis. In this regard, one of his most famous novels is The Hungry Tide, set in the Sundarbans. In his novel Gun Island, environmental themes are tackled with renewed strength and impressive imagination, granting the book the status of a fully-fledged ecocritical novel. This paper will investigate two aspects of man’s behaviour in the Anthropocene as portrayed by Deen, the main character of Gun Island. Firstly, his rationality and fear of the supernatural will be analysed and explained, by making reference to specific passages of the novel. The analysis will also revolve around some of his reactions to the legend of the Gun Merchant and will try to explain them by making reference to Deen’s behaviour towards the supernatural. The second aspect of interest is Deen’s tendency to marginalise nature and consider it a mere backdrop of his life. Therefore, by quoting passages of the novel, his attitude towards nature will be underlined and brought to the foreground. In addition, light will be shed on his multi-layered, gradual personal evolution throughout the plot, which changes his beliefs, certainties and behaviour. This paper will also highlight the importance that Deen’s metamorphosis may have on readers.