A Study Of Caramelo From The Perspective Of Environmental Justice

Sandra Cisneros(1954 —)is one of the leading female Mexican American writers,whose interracial identity provides rich original materials for her works,which are mostly focused on social problems,such as racial oppression,gender discrimination,and class gap.Caramelo(2002),her third novel,is one of her most outstanding works.After its publication,the novel has attracted great attention of scholars at home and abroad.So far,studies mainly concern its theme,identity construction and narrative strategies.Many scholars have discussed social oppression and exploitation while environmental injustice is rarely mentioned.This paper,therefore,tries to analyze environmental injustice based on environmental justice ecocriticism,which reveals the historical and cultural roots of environmental racism and intends to explore the multicultural approaches for environmental justice.From the standpoint of environmental justice,this thesis tries to analyze the novel from the following three levels.Firstly,the environmental injustice in the novel is disclosed.From the viewpoint of Mexican American culture,this paper explores the absence of environmental justice and its severe consequences,such as: increasingly deteriorated homeland,the alienated humanity,and the distorted aesthetic consciousness.Secondly,the thesis intends to reveal the cultural roots of the environmental injustice in the novel: the domination of nature by anthropocentrism,the exploitation of “the other” by utilitarianism,and the racial discrimination against Mexican Americans.Meanwhile,the thesis tries to prove the inner relationship between environmental degradation and racial oppression.Finally,the thesis proposes possible cultural approaches to eliminate environmental racism: constructing “mestizaje”,making "the silenced" heard,and building a spiritual home.Cisneros' detailed description seriously exposes and criticizes environmental racism,which calls for us to study the relationship among literature,race,and environment from the perspective of ethnic groups.We also need to explore possible cultural ways to solve social and environmental problems.Meanwhile,Cisneros encourages us to attach great importance to environmental justice.We should rescue those disempowered in danger of environmental harm,offer them the right to equally enjoy a healthy environment,and create a harmonious,sustainable,and beautiful world.