Reverence, Stewardship and Divinity: An Eco-spiritual Insight into Selected Novels

Abstract

This research explores the attributes like reverence, stewardship and divinity in the selected novels under the theoretical influence of Joanna Macy’s “Works That Reconnects” to scrutinize the pathways to self-discovery and the divine. The focus is to analyze. The characters from diverse cultural and regional backgrounds in order to deal how each character’s road leads inwards, with their spiritual alignment or indifference ultimately shaping their experience of despair and fulfillment. The influence of personal experiences and the signs from the environmental consequences makes one ponder into the deep reality of the world around him and the creator of this world. Macy deals with the individual experiences as well as the collective circumstances of the human relationship with nature and brings forward the practices like reverence, acceptance, gratitude and stewardship. The novels under evaluation are A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007) by a Pakistani author Khaled Hosseini, Siddhartha (1992) by a German writer Herman Hesse based on Indian culture and The Meursault Investigation (2013) by an Algerian writer Kamel Daoud highlighting Algerian take on the absurd situations. The research focuses on the contrast analysis of a character's journey towards self-actualization under the umbrella of Macy’s defined stages of gratitude, honoring the Pain, seeing with new eyes and going forth. The individual struggle and the ecological influences on one’s character development will be the center of the study whether their take on the experiences makes them close to or away from God. The research employs a qualitative, theoretical approach, utilizing close textual analysis guided by Macy’s framework. The research provides a way to ponder on the individual experiences as well as the environmental contribution in shaping one’s inner self. As the study deals with the experiences it will be open for all other perspectives.