Critique of Anthropocentrism in Cameron’s Avatar
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Central Department of English
Abstract
This dissertation is an ecocritical reading on James Cameron’s movie, Avatar
The research argues that Cameron is worried about the future of the world due to
human encroachment upon nature and critiques the exploitation of nature throughou
the movie. In the movie, he presents a critical situation of future world when the
natural resources from the earth will vastly be exploited. The scientists, however, go
to the Pandora and start exploiting natural resources mercilessly destroying the
hometree of the indigenous creatures who are all living together. The dissertation
applies the theory of eco-criticism to study the devastating results of human
encroachment upon nature in the movie. As the focus of the research is an eco-critic
analysis, it mainly borrows ideas from Val Plumwood’s “The Blindspots of
Centricism and Human Self-enclosure”, and Cheryll Glotfelty’s “Introduction:
Literary studies in an Age of Environmental Crisis” among others whose theory on
eco-criticism will be the base for this study. The significance of this approach is to
show Cameron’s critique of nature exploitation and his call for reconciliation with
nature that Cameron appeals through his choice of the protagonist Jack Sully, who
loves nature and all the wildlife in the Pandora and even marries a Na’vi girl, Niyeti
Finally, the dissertation asserts that Avatar is a great epic literary work because it
warns human beings of the possible future situation due to energy crisis and calls for
nature conservation by reconciling with it as a solution.