City Life and Ecological Alienations: An Ecocritical Study of Miguel Street
Keywords:
Ecocriticism, urban ecology, colonialism, environmental degradation, Miguel StreetAbstract
An ecocritical reading of V. S. Naipaul’s Miguel Street reveals the entanglement between the urban landscape of Port of Spain and the psychological and social conditions of its inhabitants, shaped by the enduring legacies of colonialism. The polluted, overcrowded, and deteriorating neighbourhood mirrors the emotional disarray and socio-economic stagnation of the characters, underscoring the environmental degradation caused by colonial exploitation and postcolonial urban neglect. Through the portrayal of characters alienated from nature and each other, Naipaul critiques the alienating effects of modernity, where human disconnection from the natural world compounds issues of poverty, identity crises, and ecological collapse. This study situates Miguel Street within ecocritical discourses to interrogate the environmental consequences of colonialism and urbanization in the Caribbean.
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