This thesis briefly introduces the principles of ecocriticism and uses it as a basis for an analysis of Vonnegut’s novel Galápagos. The main focal point of ecocriticism is literary representation of man’s relationship to his environment, which includes both nature and society. The novel is distinctively critical towards society and destruction of nature, and as such suitable for such an analysis. In addition to mankind’s view on nature, the thesis explores how humans are separated from nature due to intelligence and the capability of moral valuation, and how they remain connected to it in their origin. The thesis focuses on ethics, which the novel simultaneously relativizes and affirms. With its appeal to a more acceptive ethical perception, Galápagos can contribute greatly to ecological and environmental awareness of a morally susceptible reader.
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