Enviromental Issue in Al-Hadiqah An-Nazifah short stories

Abstract

This article examines the short story al-Ḥadīqah an-Naẓīfah through the ecocritical perspective of Cheryll Glotfelty, which places the human environment relationship at the center of literary analysis. This approach emphasizes that literary texts not only represent human experience but also depict ecological dynamics and the impact of human behavior on nature. The analysis shows that the short story presents the garden as a living ecological space and a site of interaction among various beings, including humans, the bulbul bird, and the turtle. The environmental degradation caused by the children’s anthropocentric behavior becomes the core ecological conflict in the narrative. The animal characters function as an allegory of moral environmental voices that criticize human behavior and foster ecological awareness. The transformation of the children’s attitude from neglectful to responsible illustrates the formation of environmental ethics, as emphasized by Glotfelty, that literature has the power to move readers toward ecological consciousness. Thus, this short story not only provides entertainment but also offers a pedagogical message on the importance of preserving the environment.