Ecological Implications In Life Of Pi And The High Mountains Of Portugal From The Perspective Of Ecocriticism

Yann Martel(1963—)is a contemporary Canadian writer,who is widely known for his novel Life of Pi(2001).His representative novel Life of Pi takes the ocean as the ecological environment and it takes a boat on the ocean as the living space.It describes the process of the struggle and interdependence between Pi and the tiger for survival.Pi finally discovers that the law of symbiosis between him and the tiger is restriction and balance.Another novel of him is The High Mountains of Portugal(2017),which takes the high mountains and the jungle as the ecological environment,and it adopts the three-act drama structure to construct three characters who face the anxiety of spiritual belief.They hope to seek and rebuild new beliefs.In the process of re-examining the relationship between Jesus,man,and animal,they doubt and deconstruct Christianity and reason,which are the two cornerstones of Western civilization.At the same time,the novel overthrows anthropocentrism and establishes the ecological concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.From the perspective of Eco-criticism,this thesis analyzes in detail the changes in faith,reason,and ecological view in the two novels.In the part of reason and belief,this thesis explores the influence of multiple beliefs and reasons to Pi.And it declares the loss of faith and deconstruction of the reason for Thomas in The High Mountains of Portugal.In the part about nature,it explores the difference of ecological environments,social backgrounds presented by the two novels.Finally,the thesis analyzes the relationship between man and nature,and it advocates that human beings should re-examine their development.It appeals to create an ecological utopia.And it echoes inhabiting on the Earth poetically.Eco-criticism theory has developed rapidly since the rising in the 1970 s.It has become an important theoretical system for exploring literary issues.By criticizing anthropocentrism,Eco-criticism advocates that human beings should return to nature and solve alienation.It stimulate the awareness of environmental protection and establish a correct ecological view.In this way,we can achieve the goal of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.And then we can resolve the ecological crisis effectively.Life of Pi and The Mountains of Portugal show the inseparable relationship between man and nature by describing the faith of common people in different places at different times.And only by adhering to the harmonious coexistence between man and nature is the foundation and hope of building a spiritual home.