A Study on Raising Environment Awareness in Arundhati Roy’s Select Novels “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” and “The God of Small Things”

Abstract

Arundhati Roy, a highly acclaimed postcolonial writer, has significantly contributed to eco- literature through her novels, notably "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness" and "The God of Small Things". Her works serve as a manifesto of environmentalism in the Indian socio-economic background. Roy's novel’s address pressing environmental issues such as the impact of dams on the environment and human life, the deterioration of rivers due to industrial waste, the extinction of endangered species, and the consequences of unplanned urbanization. Her writings strengthen her ecological concerns and serve as a call for readers to save the earth from awaiting dangers. She unties that most environmental degradations are the result of Euro-American ideology of ‘development’ project which is a veiled form of neo-colonialism and imperialism. Arundhati Roy’s novels play a significant role in raising environmental awareness through eco literature. Her works not only educate readers about environmental degradation but also inspire them to take action towards conserving our planet. This abstract provides an overview of how Arundhati Roy’s select novels: “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” and “The God of Small Things” contribute to the role of eco-literature in raising environmental awareness.