Anthropomorphism as an Embodiment of Natural Gothic and Man in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake

Abdalhadi Nimer Abdalqader Abu Jweid

Abstract


This essay examines anthropomorphism and gothic elements in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake (2003). Atwood offers several textual clues regarding animals and birds that represent ideal environment. Moreover, she reinforces the narrative descriptions of such animals by polarizing other natural elements, like trees and bird. She constructs the decisive improvement of the literary characters’ lives. These character resort to natural places to elevate their peace of mind by spending time in tranquility among environmental circumferences since countryside helps them to live peacefully. Here, Atwood’s narrative appropriation of animals and birds essentially relates to the environmental capacity to make the characters relived and contended with nature desired by the characters. The study will apply the concept of anthropomorphism which encompasses the sense of gothic elements. Animals are one of the basic environmental components of the story’s natural milieus. Atwood appropriates the view of the Animals through inextricable natural elements, birds, water, forests, and woods. As for birds, they function as the equilibrium of the ecological integrity tackled in literary works. Thus, the study tries to reveal the vital significance of natural biodiversity; and its literary function lies in offering implied textual insights on biodiversity depicted in the novel.

 


Keywords


Atwood; Anthropomorphism; Environment; Ecocriticism; Gothic fiction; Nature

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/12297

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