Storying the Climate Crisis: Allegory and Environmental Consciousness in Amitav Ghosh’s The Living Mountain: A Fable for Our Times

Abstract

Climate fiction reflects society’s changing attitude towards climate change and encompasses a broader range of themes and storytelling approaches that include speculative fiction exploring potential solutions to climate change. It focuses on the human dimension of climate change, with stories that delve into the social, political, and economic impacts on individuals and communities from diverse cultural perspectives to offer nuanced portrayals of climate-related challenges and responses. Amitav Ghosh’s The Living Mountain: A Fable for Our Times serves as a poignant exploration of climate fiction (cli-fi), weaving ecological themes into a narrative that critiques anthropogenic environmental degradation. This paper aims to shed light on the often overlooked facets of climate change, environmental degradation, and the sustainable management of natural resources how Ghosh employs allegory, symbolism, and interdisciplinary research to highlight the interconnectedness of human actions and ecological consequences. Through the lens of postcolonial ecocriticism, the study reveals the text’s emphasis on deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate instability, while underscoring the urgency of sustainable practices and attempts to underscore their profound yet frequently unnoticed impact on our lives. The paper encodes that The Living Mountain: A fable for Our Times is a significant contribution to cli-fi, offering both a cautionary tale and a call for collective environmental stewardship.