A Study Of Erdrich’s Justice Trilogy In Light Of Postcolonial Ecocriticism

As the pace of economic globalization accelerates,the links between humans and non-humans become stronger through environmental destruction,and this impact is more significant in former and internal colonies.Graham Hagen and Helen Tiffin are acutely aware that the abundance of natural resources and cheap labor in these areas make them victims of neocolonialism.Their book Postcolonial ecocriticism: literature,animals,environment,published in 2010,aims to reveal the consistency of the internal logic of racialism and speciesism and calls for intervention in social reality through the medium of literature,which is an important premise of this paper’s choice of postcolonial ecocriticism to study Erdrich.Through the excavation and reconstruction of Indian colonial history,Erdrich’s Justice Trilogy(The Plague of Doves,The Round House,and La Rose)traces the root causes of the loss of Indian rights,the encroachment on reservations,the deterioration of community living conditions and the poverty of Indian people.They highlight the writer’s concern for political issues such as justice and law,and express the writer’s strong desire for political participation.This paper focuses on the ecological and cultural colonization of the North American continent by white colonists in Postcolonial Ecocriticism.The paper consists of three parts: the introduction,the body and the conclusion.The introduction gives a brief account of Erdrich ’s creative experience and achievements,and outlines Postcolonial Ecocriticism theory and research at home and abroad.The main text is divided into three chapters,the first of which examines the irreparable damage done to the natural ecology of North America during the growth of the United States.The chapter chooses to explore three novels from the perspectives of the conquered wilderness,the disembodied buffalo and the oppressed woman to reveal the ecological crisis caused by the process of colonization within the United States.The second chapter interprets the colonial impact of white colonialists on Indian tribes from multiple perspectives.This chapter starts from three perspectives: cannibalism and carnivory,deprived of justice and forced assimilation of Indians,analyzing how white Westerners gradually implemented a policy of genocide against Indian tribes,revealing the Eurocentrism behind white discourse.The third chapter is a difficult exploration of the transition from conflict to integration between Indian culture and white culture.It begins with the transmission of the traditional image of the“Tricksters”,presents the concept of ecological justice in traditional Indian thought,and summarizes the efforts of successive generations of Indians to integrate into a multicultural society.Ultimately,Erdrich goes beyond the traditional theme of homecoming,beyond a single Indian perspective,beyond the centuries-old dichotomy between Indian and white culture,and boldly practices the cultural ecology of the community to explore the possibilities of an Indian future.The concluding section indicates that after the silence in The Plague of Doves and the violent rebellion in The Round House,Erdrich realizes that only traditional Indian ecology can save Indian tribes,and that adherence to the tradition of “Restorative justice” can bring about the ideal justice.It is time for Indians to step out of their tribes and participate in the writing of contemporary history.With her work,Erdrich reminds readers of the current racial dilemma and environmental crisis,inspires people to think about the complex relationship between humans,the environment and animals,to recognize the dangers of Neocolonialism in the era of globalization and the deep-rooted hegemonic logic of the white West,and also provides us with an Indian-style answer to the current development dilemma.Development that incorporates ecological concepts is a viable future,and this is the relevance of Postcolonial Ecocriticism.