An Eco-Traumatic Iraqi Experience in Sinan Antoon's The Corpse Washer: An Eco-Critical Perspective

Abstract

From the ancient time up to now, the concept of place and its shadow in literary milieu are not passive. This mutual interconnectedness between literature and place considers a complex relationship that weaves many notions within its context. However, in this present paper, the researchers focus on one of the most well-known Iraqi novel which is The Corpse Washer (2013), written by Sinan Antoon (1967-present). Through this novel, the researchers negotiate the traumatic experience of Iraqi people that stems from the trauma of place and its impact on the relationship between human being and environment where they live. By adapting Eco-trauma theory, which is set by Tina Amorok, the researchers conclude that the novelist creates a microcosm to examine the nature of relationship between human being and environment. Based on this fact, they find that Antoon has portrayed the relationship between environment and Iraqi individuals as unsettled relationship due to the traumatic experience that place causes upon Iraqi people. Thus, Antoon's symbolic depiction of the protagonist as a rebellious character comes from the influence of environment upon human beings which formulates their attitudes and understanding. This is clearly depicted by the protagonist Jawed, who always tries to break his relationship with the environment for the sake of achieving his dreams and be an independent man.