On The Theme Of Environmental Justice In Linda Hogan’s Solar Storms

Linda Hogan, a Native American of Chickasaw decent, is widely considered as one of the most passionate, lyrical, and imaginative American environmental writers. She focuses on such issues as Native American history and culture, social problems and environmental protection. In particular, she pays close attention to environmental justice which concerns the crucial connections between social injustice issues and environmental degradation in the indigenous areas. Solar Storms, her second novel and her masterpiece, fully conveys her concern over environmental justice.This thesis explores the theme of environmental justice in Linda Hogan’s Solar Storms. It consists of three parts apart from the introduction and the conclusion.The Introduction presents a brief assessment of Linda Hogan’s literary achievements and her novel Solar Storms, conducts a literature review, and then discusses the theoretic basis and the outline of the thesis.Chapter One analyzes Linda Hogan’s thematic concern over environmental justice. It first gives a brief introduction to Linda Hogan’s environmental justice concern based on her background, especially focusing on three real environmental injustice events:the Osage Oil Rush, James Bay Hydroelectric Project and the Endangered Panther, all of which have great impacts on her. As a marginalized Native American woman, she has first-hand materials about environmental injustice which spur her to use her pen as a weapon to denounce injustice and fight for justice for the Native Americans. Then this chapter comes to analyze three of her major novels from the perspective of environmental justice and points out that the theme of environmental justice is extraordinarily prominent in Solar Storms.Chapter Two analyzes the environmental injustice disclosed in Solar Storms. Environmental injustice means the failure of environmental justice, and it is often the starting point for people to consider the issue of pursuing environmental justice. In this novel, it is by disclosing the lack of environmental justice and the disasters caused by environmental injustice that Hogan reminds the readers of the urgency to eliminate environmental injustice and restore environmental justice. In Solar Storms, due to the building of hydroelectric project, the local environment is damaged and the inhabitants’well-being is violated. Through the depiction of irresponsible abuse of land, the water flooding and endangered animals, Linda Hogan accuses environmental injustice fiercely. In her eyes, both the natural environment and the Native Americans are the victims of the Euro-Americans’wealth-seeking desire. The last section of this chapter explores the causes of environmental injustice. Only by finding out the causes can environmental injustice be eliminated fundamentally, which at the same time will show us the right way to reclaim environmental justice.Chapter Three focuses on the three strategies to reclaim environmental justice as displayed in Solar Storms. To be specific, the three strategies are as follows:the application of collective resistance, the reclamation of tribal land, and the adherence to indigenous culture. As united tribal communities, it is more effective for Native Americans to apply collective resistance rather than individual resistance. Besides, Native Americans usually have a strong attachment to their land, so reclaiming back the stolen land is a necessary strategy to regain environmental justice. What is more, Native American culture values the close relationship between humans and the natural world, so it has a lot to teach the Euro-Americans on how to get along well with the surroundings and protect the environment.The last part is the Conclusion:Solar Storms contains profound ideas about environmental justice. Through the depiction of the Native Americans living in a deteriorating tribal land, Hogan shows us how environmental injustice affects them and their territory severely. This enlightens us to examine and solve the environmental crisis from the perspective of environmental justice. People all over the world should attach more importance to the environmental crisis. It is time for the developed countries to take actions to liberate the marginalized people from the burden of environmental injustice and endow them right to share healthy environment and natural resources. If so, a safe, healthy and sustainable world will ultimately be realized.