A Spiritual Ecological Interpretation Of The Protagonist In G.

John Berger’s novel G. won the1972Booker Prize, for its profound thought andpoetic language. It is one of Berger’s most successful novels. This novel tells thestory about the protagonist G.’s spiritual journey. Under turbulent socialcircumstances, G. feels lonely, for he lacks parents’ care. However, his accidentalwitness two poachers’ killing of a horse makes him live in the shadow of fear. Inorder to keep the fear of death away from him, G. decides to alienate himself fromothers and from society. He then becomes more and more aloof. From the spiritualecological perspective, this thesis attempts to examine G.’s spiritual plight andanalyze causes of his spiritual problems.This thesis consists of three chapters in addition to the Introduction and theConclusion.The Introduction gives a brief account of John Berger and his novel G., thereview on the studies of this novel, and the significance and purpose of this thesis.Chapter One introduces the background and development of ecocriticism, thebackground of the criticism of spiritual ecology.Chapter Two examines G.’s spiritual problems. G. is lonely. Although craving forothers’ love, G. spiritually isolates himself. Lonely and aloof, he gradually alienateshimself from the society and escapes from reality. Finally, the abnormal family inwhich he grows up makes him a moral degenerate.Chapter Three uncovers the causes of G.’s spiritual plight. G. grows up in anabnormal family, which has a great influence on his spiritual development. He lives inthe shadow of fear, after accidentally witnessing two poachers’ killing of a horse. Inaddition, the turbulent social environment is also the root of G.’s spiritual problems.The last part is the conclusion of the whole thesis. The protagonist G. has a tragiclife resulting from turbulent social circumstances and abnormal family. Hisindifference to lives, his alienation from others and society, and his moraldegeneration are all the evidence of G.’s spiritual wasteland and the sign of his tragic end. This novel can be regarded as Berger’s warning to modern people: only byrespecting lives, by keeping a harmonious relationship with others and thesurroundings, can human beings achieve the real peace of mind.