On The Subjectivity Of Matter In A Tale For The Time Being From The Perspective Of Material Ecocriticism

Japanese American writer Ruth Ozeki’s works all contain,to a greater or lesser extent,reflections on existing ecological issues.One of her representative works,A Tale for the Time Being,is a work that carries the author’s profound ecological thoughts.This thesis will use a close reading of the text to interpret the subjectivity of matter in A Tale for the Time Being through the perspective of material ecocriticism in order to reveal the various crises faced by human and non-human matter under the influence of anthropocentric thoughts,and to explicate the agency of non-human matter such as water,animals,and marine organisms.In Ozeki’s works,the agency and subjectivity of nonhuman nature is vividly reflected.The introduction,the body,and the conclusion make up the three parts of the thesis.The first part is an introduction,which primarily introduces the author Ruth Ozeki and her work A Tale for the Time Being,a literature review,an introduction to the theory of ecocriticism,and the thesis structure.The second part is the main part of this thesis,which is divided into three chapters.Chapter one focuses on the existential crisis that both human and non-human matter are experiencing as a result of anthropocentric thinking,which denies the subjectivity of matter and views human as the only subject with agency.Humans harm wildlife and damage marine ecosystems under the influence of anthropocentric philosophy to exploit natural resources.The over-exploitation and competition for natural material resources triggers the alienation of human relationships and the breakdown of the human spirit.This thesis argues that anthropocentrism not only leads to the destruction of non-human nature,but also results in the deterioration of the human condition.The second chapter argues that nonhuman nature is also subjective being through an account of narrative agency,meaning generation,and dynamic ability of matter.First,the matter is a narrative place as well as a storied matter with narrative agency.The crimes committed by Japan during World War II are narrated by water,which also serves as a site for interactions between humans and nature.Second,intra-action between matters generates material entanglement,and material entanglement generates discourse meaning.Moreover,the interaction between animals and humans can also generate discursive meanings,narrating the “poisoning” of nature and the “revenge” suffered by humans in body and mind.And marine organisms such as catfish,oysters,and jellyfish have the dynamic ability to exert their influence on topographic feature as well as human behavior.Chapter three discusses how crucial it is to respect the subjectivity of matter in order to achieve the symbiosis of human and non-human matter and analyzes the respect of characters for the subjectivity of matter.They are deeply aware that the flow of matter between different bodies makes human and non-human matter interrelated and humans and non-human nature are equal material subjects.And the characters of the novel value and pay attention to the emotional value of natural substances,while the emotional connection with other people is further strengthened which help them achieve a harmonious symbiosis of human relationships.Because the “material self” is interconnected with the wider environment,they make the right choices in the face of nature and war,which not only assumes responsibility for the protection of other matter,but also refines their own spiritual world.Finally,this thesis concludes that the novel A Tale for the Time Being depicts various relationships between man and nature,man and society,man and man,and man and self.This presents the important role played by non-human matter in various relationships,expresses a strong sense of the subjectivity of matter,and criticizes anthropocentric ideas.The agency of non-human nature has a huge impact on humans and the ecosystem.The result of ignoring the subjectivity of natural matter and seeing it as a passively accepted object is inevitably a serious existential crisis for both human and non-human matter.Recognizing the subjectivity of matter and viewing the world as “entanglement” of human and non-human matter plays an important role in achieving the symbiosis of human and non-human matter.