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Ecocriticism as a concept is corollary to Environmental ethics. It is a philosophy, which emerged with an intention to protect the environment and make it more sustainable. The underlying principles of environmental ethics is to drive the anthropocentric world towards ecocentric practices. As the Mother Nature is losing its sanctity day by day due to hedonistic consumerism; it is high time to reinstall the ecological equilibrium. Environmental ethics exercise great influence on different branch of disciplines such as environmental law, environmental sociology, ecology, ecotheology, environmental geography, and environmental literature. Ecocriticism as a school of thoughts adheres to representation of environmental ethics through literature. It is a study of literature and environment with a proposed environmental concern. Cheryll Glotfelty defined ecocriticism in a convincing way as per his words: “the eco criticism is the study of relationship between literature and environment.”⁶ It has got various trajectories of approch across the globe. Ecosophy, Eco Poetics, Environmentalism, Eco Politics, Deep Ecology and Green Literature are some of the synonymous phuyosophical branches where intellectuals and writers have profusely contributed towards the sustainability of nature. Works of Rachel Carson and Murray Bookchin massively impacted the minds of environmentalists in particular. The book Silent’s Spring by Rachel Carson depicted some dire consequences of human actions which will lead to the doom of the entire earth. Man forgets that he is inseparable part of the entire life cycle. According to Hether Eaton,

The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth, and all things are connected like blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth, Man did not weave the web of life he is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.” (Ecofeminism and Globalism,105)

Objectification of nature and utilization of it to the optimum level is the outcome of anthropocentricism. Both biotic and abiotic elements have been exploited to the benefit of human beings, which has led to environmental degradation. Earth is losing its sustainability. Human being as a part of the whole earth is also no exception to it. Global warming, low quality air, pollution and natural disasters are some of the dire situations human beings are struggling with. This paper aims to portray the clash of environmental ethics and ethnicity from an ecocritical prospective in Nadine Gordimer’s Novel July’s People. How a particular ethnicity colonized the entire nature and the native South Africans in an unethical way is highlighted through this paper. The colonization process was branded a civilizing mission by the Britishers who disapproved every other race of humans as lower breed. Aptherthet system of south Africa was an extreme case of such racial discrimination.

Nadine Gordimer a Nobel Prize recipient was an eminent figure in south Africa, she was a full fledged social activist and a tremendous writer who inched for the cause of black south Africans initially her writings were disapproved because of their boldness and righteous expressions these initial pauses could not stop her from heading towards the right cause.  She was considered as an epic writer. In the words of Afred Nobel, She have been a great benefit of humanity, her writings circumnavigated around racial issues. She being a keen observer of reality picturised society with utmost felicity. Gordimer’s family background had a political tinge. She was born in a small East Rand mining town adjacent to Johannesburg. She was born to Jewish migrant, her father, Ishidore Gordimer, was a watch maker from Lithuania near the Latvian boarder and her mother Hannah was an English. Gordimer’s enthusiasm in racial and economic disparity in South Africa was an impact of her parents. As it is said charity begins at home, her social activism was nourished at home. She was imbued by her mother’s attitude towards the poverty stricken blacks Africans. She was schooled by her mother entirely and was put into an ordinary school for minimal education for sake of qualification. she begin to contemplate reality from a very tender age. At the beginning of her writing career she attempted short stories at the age of fifteen she published her first story The Quest for Seen Gold. She has got many short stories to her credit. Many of her works were banned in South Africa due to her abject reflections on apartheid systems. Most of her provocative writings got published in South Africa’s local magazines. She compiled all her early publications and published once again naming it Face to Face. Her first novel was The Lying Days which was published in 1953. The Lying Days is a political fiction picturizing a young white woman’s political consciousness and her opposition towards racial divisions. Some of her works like Occasions for Loving, The Conservationist, Burger’s Daughter, A Spot of Nature and July’s People were banned under censorship by south African Government. This was because of her fearless say on apartheid. Despite several such repressions, she could not me muted. Such repressive steps strengthen her stand against apartheid. Writers like Bertolt Brecht, Albert Camus, Ernesto Cardenale, Millan Kundera, Czeslaw Milosz and Ivan Turgenev have influenced her thoughts. She was politically motivated by some other social and literary activists such as Walter Benjamin, Earnest Fischer, Antonio Gramsci and Gyorgy Lukacs. Almost all her works have a social cause and are politically driven. Her works got her recognition. 

July’s People, an eminent novel of Gordimer got published in 1981. In this text, Gordimer has succeeded to a greater extent in representing post apartheid scenario. How the over exploitation of South Africans has led to black revolution is picturised in this text. July’s People displays racial power-play in South Africa. Since the advent of colonization till 1990s, the process of racial othering was quite active and pungent. Slavery, oppression and exploitation of black Africans by white colonizers were common scenes to be witnessed. The retaliation of the blacks to the white racists was also equally violent.

The Negroes’ skin tone contrasts to the European skin tone. The physicality of these two kinds of human race is completely based on natural surroundings. The environmental aspects have an impact on living beings. The geographical location of South Africa is confined to South Atlantics and Indian Oceans. It has mostly temperate or tepid climates. South Africa lies in the middle latitudes which spans the tropic and the polar regions. This region generally has a warm weather and the climatic condition remains same throughout the year. The geographical location and the climatic condition of South Africa favor a rich biodiversity. The country is enriched with divergent flora and fauna. Sometimes the rare of the rarest species are found here. Thus human beings are no exception to nature’s design. Nature has designed and engineered the South Africans suitable to the ecological needs. Because of their morphological and skeletal traits the South Africans are historically grouped as negroids or congoids. The racial science and anthropometry categorizes human race into three categories. Those are Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid (Wikipedia). The negroids are nothing but a kind of biological classification. The craniofacial traits of these people are different which include a typify skull, a round nasal cavity, prominent jaw lines and dark skin tone. They have also a rectangular eye orbit, supraorbital ridge and large megadontic teeth. These features are generally identifiable from those of Caucasoid and Mongoloid. Negroes are considered to be one of the most efficient human species as far as their physical strength and mental agility are concerned. The German philosopher Hegel researched tremendously on the blacks (Negroes). According to Hegel:

As we have said before, the Negro represents natural man in all his savagery and unruliness; if one wants to understand him correctly, one has to abstract from him all human respect and morality. In this character there is nothing that reminds one of the human. This is perfectly corroborated by the extensive reports of the missionaries. Therefore the Negroes get the total contempt of human beings (Ecofeminism 178).

Skin pigmentation is not just found among Africans. It is also found in some other groups of humans which are historically not categorized as Negroes. Even in Asia, we find such human species. Colonizers couldn’t accept these natural differences and tagged them as natural deformities. According to Vandana Shiva’s analysis in the text Ecofeminism:

From all these different features we can conclude that the main characteristics of the Negro are his savagery and unbridledness. This character is not capable of development and education. As we see them today, so they have always been. The only connection the Negroes have ever had with Europeans and which they still have today is that of slavery (178-179).

Negroes are understated as uncivilized. They have no parallelism with the white colonizers. The native culture of Africa is subjected to rejection by white colonizers. In the words of colonizers Negroes can only be objectified as mere human resource for the cause of development. They are simply helping hands in the eyes of Europeans. The difference in body structure creates barrier among human species. Difference is the essence of nature’s creation. Abiotic features have an impact on biotic factors. This simple theory was underrated and relegated to fringes. These rigid ideologies of white rulers gave birth to apartheid system. Self-annihilation and over estimation are the reasons behind apartheid which means a state of separateness. As per Maria Mies’ observations on colonial culture in the text Ecofeminism:

Thus, white people are considered more valuable than brown and yellow and black peoples; men are considered more valuable than women; owners of means of production are considered more valuable than those who work these means. Everything considered as less valuable was defined as ‘nature’; everything that was valued higher was defined as ‘human’. And the human being par excellence is the white man; he has the right to rule over all ‘nature’ and to promote his own creation— ‘culture’.(178)

Apartheid is nothing but an institutionalized racism, that means discrimination on the basis of race, is a legal thing in South Africa. It existed from 1948 to 1990s. The white hegemony encouraged discrimination and exploitation of blacks, coloured, and Asian South Africans for their own benefits. Apartheid system has wide sociopolitical and economic impact on the natives. It is categorized into 2 sections such as petty apartheid and grand apartheid. These categories include segregation of public facilities including housing and employment opportunities. The minority rulers codified certain racial stratifications which included many vehement laws and acts. Prohibition of Mixed Marriage Act, 1949, which was renamed as Immorality Act of 1950 made interracial marriages and sexual relationships illegal. The Population Registration Act, 1950, was even more humiliating. It divided South Africans into 4 racial groups based on appearance, ancestry and status. The classifications were ‘black’, ‘white’, ‘coloured’ and ‘Indian’. Each category of people was given a land to reside and these residential areas were far away from the white residential areas. Millions of natives had been thrown away from their own lands. They were left in a state of destitution. These new homelands of the Indigenes were further divided into different tribal groups. Bantustan or Bantu homeland or in simple terms homes of black people is an example of it. Relocated natives lost their identity because they were no longer the citizens of South Africa which was under white supremacy. Repressive methods to eliminate and mute the voice of the natives was so intense that apartheid system sustained for half a century legally in South Africa. This relocating of population is called as slum clearance in the words of the civilizers. The black inhabitants in white residential areas were considered as black spots. For example, thousands of people from Western Cape Town were removed to Transkei and Ciskei just because Cape Town was over populated with white people. Transkei,   Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ceskei were the other states which were exclusively meant for the black Africans.  These lands were granted to the blacks by the white rulers. These (TBVC states) were not sovereign; rather they were controlled by the South African government. People of these areas had no easy access to South Africa. They were allotted with special passports on some special occasions. Without proper permission entry into South Africa was prohibited in the name of illegal immigration. Nevertheless we see so many references and depiction of apartheid and anti-apartheid in Gordimer’s writings.

The story line of July’s People revolves around a white couple named Smales. Smales couple belongs to the upper middleclass white society. They witness a social turmoil in South Africa which was an outcome of apartheid policies. Black South Africans have waged a war against the white supremacy. As the story unfolds, we see intensified black retaliation. The rebellious black armies attacked the white people randomly. These kinds of unfavorable situations make the Smales leave their residence and move to a safer area and that safer area has been provided by their black servant named July. Maureen and Bam have a servant named July, who is a black African. They have a very uncommon and a cordial relationship with July and that cordiality paid them off at this very situation of national emergency. The Smales couple moves to July’s remote village and confirm their safety. The Smales having left with any other option accepted July’s humble offer. But the offer is quite tough to be handled. This couple was used to a kind of cozy and comfortable life, but their stay at July’s home was a contradictory one. Their life has changed drastically because the kind of adjustment they are undergoing cannot be a part of civilized life. The very surrounding and living conditions they have are entirely different from their own. The very first night of the Smales in July’s cottage is like an adventurous fun trip. But this adventure trip turns nightmarish gradually. The tribal culture, life style and food habit is a complete new experience for the Smales. The poverty stricken natives, the insanitary condition and most importantly their physical difference are reasons of astonishment for the Smales. The African native language and their broken English are not very convenient for them. Anyhow their circumstances compel them to make do with the situation. This engenders a kind of dissatisfaction in the Smales. The adjustment process is toughening day by day which creates a sense of gap between the Smales couple. Apart from their adjustment the fellow beings of July are also suspicious about the white people’s existence in their village. The blacks cannot comprehend July’s strategy. They are skeptical about the whites because of their past experiences. July’s mother is baffled with the thought of Smales staying with them. July’s mother exclaims:

His mother made the stylized, gobbling exclamations that both ward off disaster and attribute it to fate. What will the white people do to us now, God must save us.— Her son, who had seen the white woman and the three children cowered on the floor of their vehicle, led the white face behind the wheel in his footsteps, his way the only one in a wilderness, was suddenly aware of something he had not known. —They can’t do anything. Nothing to us any more.—White people. They are very powerful, my son. They are very clever. You will never come to the end of the things they can do.— (July’s People 25)

July’s mother ventilates her colonial experience by saying that, the white colonizers ventured into distant countries and lands for trading. Apart from trading, this business minded colonizers cunningly became the part of the foreign lands in the name of civilizing mission. They encroached the lands of the indigenes and tried to rule them in the name of trade and commerce. This is how they empowered themselves by oppressing and rejecting the native culture. The indigenous culture was considered to be nothing but savagery. They were considered as lesser breeds like other species. Toni Morrison speaks what it means to be black in the text Origin of Others: “The whites believe the point being that blacks are useful, not quite like cattle, yet not recognizably human (5)”. The Smales who landed in July’s land could not get a conducive atmosphere for interactions. The communication between them and the natives was an awkward one which is a combination of broken English and native language. The mud hut with no modern facilities surrounded by pets and muddy pits was a weird thing for Maureen. These existing circumstances at times filled the couple with seer helplessness. The Smales tried their best to adjust and be acquainted with the village traditions and customs. Maureen wanted to participate with other village women in cultivating spinach whereas; she was not allowed to do so by July. Arm chair reading was her preferred leisure time activity but in July’s village, women have no leisure for themselves. Women used to work around the clock for the maintenance of the family. According to Karen J Warren observes in the text Ecofeminist Philosophy:

In rural areas, women’s roles are those of the poorest-paid labourers–weeding, hoeing and carrying water and wood, combined with the traditional family roles of cooking, child care, health care and reproduction–without even the pay that a labourer expects. While consciousness of these traditional roles has fostered the idea that women are in some sense natural custodians of the environment in rural areas, there is no evidence of this notion and women in rural areas are largely ill-equipped for it. They are without training, status, access to community‑based organizations and cooperatives, land and property rights, capital or environmental institutions that make up the dense fabric of rural life and control its development.(5)

As per Maureen’s estimation, the village she was in was miles away from development. The role of male and female in day to day survival was quite different. All domestic activities such as washing the clothes, cleaning the pans, arranging food and looking after the children were undertaken by women in July’s village. These things were an unusual practice for Maureen. As per the situation’s demand Maureen wanted to extend help to Martha, July’s wife in these activities. July never allowed mistress to be the part of these ordeals. Instead, July dictates Maureen to keep herself at bay from these activities. Bam’s equation with the village folk was not that appreciable. The modernized life of Bam transformed into a rustic one. Being an architect, he involved in various developmental programs but here in July’s village, Bam is learning primitive survival skills. Often, he used to go for bird hunting to satisfy his desires but now he is using gun to hunt animals for flesh. He goes to shoot wart hogs with his gun and helped to supply meat to the villagers. He extended help to July for mending the farming tools and other aids. Apart from that, he made his own efforts to facilitate the villagers with water tank for better water supply. Bam’s indulgence in these activities was acknowledged by the village men. Children followed Bam throughout the day as they saw other children accompanying the father. Unpredictable things were turning up in the Smales life. Bam and Maureen’s comfortable and cozy life came to an end. For days, they could not reciprocate properly. The subtleness of a conjugal relationship is lost. They feel dispossessed with their life. The only possessions they were left with were a mini truck and a gun. The adjustment process was toughening day by day which created a sense of gap between Bam and Maureen.

Initially July was quite obliged and generous to the Smales family. Gradually his attitude towards the family started changing. It was the high time to understand that their servant is no more a servant rather he has turned their master by giving them shelter. Though many things were unacceptable for them but they were trying hard to cope-up with. As the Smales had taken shelter in July’s house, they had to abide by certain norms and conditions. They were feeling the change of power flow in their relationship, because July was not as obedient as before. The mini truck named Bakki was frequently used by July for his own trips. July used to take their vehicle without permission, which was a matter of annoyance for them. This signified their state of dependence and their power reversal. Ironically there is an alternation in master slave relationship. On one fine occasion Maureen sent his son to go to July’s hut and asked him to meet her. July responded Maureen differently by sending a message to Maureen that he is ready to receive her in his hut. July’s reluctance to obey Maureen demonstrates his sense of superiority over them. These small incidents accumulated anger in Maureen. She was not used to such kind of reactions. It was a cultural shock for her that whites being ruled by blacks. Maureen expresses her anger regarding July’s activities:

You’ll profit by others’ fighting. Steal a bakkie. You want that, now. You don’t know what might have happened to Ellen. She washed your clothes and slept with you. You want the bakkie, to drive around like a gangster, imaging yourself a big man, important until you don’t have any money for petrol. There isn’t any petrol to buy, and it’ll lie there, July, under the trees, in this place among old huts, and it’ll fall to pieces while the children play in it. Useless. Another wreck like others.(153)

With the theft of gun, Bam and Maureen’s troubles worsened. Maureen ventilated her anger at July and accused him for his past misappropriations as well. Maureen after several vain attempts to adjust in this tribal village was disgusted with the persisting conditions. Similarly Bam transforms from an optimistic person to a helpless and passive individual. Maureen and Bam lost love and intimacy between them because they were in a state of identity crisis. They are no longer what they were used to be. They were lost somewhere in the radical practices of blacks because now blacks were uncontrollable .In the words of native Africans:

—It’s a war. It’s not like that, anymore …The blacks have also got guns. Bombs (miming the     throwing of a hand grenade). All kinds of things. Same as the white army, everything that kills. People have comeback from Botswana and Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia, from Moçambique,           with guns.— (142)

July’s friend Daniel had stolen the gun of Bam. Despite the Smales interrogation to July, he remained silent. This very theft was just to let know the white couple that blacks are able enough to fight back and empower themselves. It is a way to liberate themselves from the clutches of the white supremacy. In a state of topsy-turvy, Maureen chases the helicopter’s sound .Without a second thought, Maureen leaves the hut crossing the river and gliding the huddles, she wishes to be rescued. She forsakes all her responsibilities of being a wife and a mother. Instead she flees from the black land where she had landed out of compulsion. Maureen identified herself with the white culture eventually.  Her quest for identity made her leave the place and the loved ones behind. The cultural and natural difference between whites and blacks is so wide that it is hard to overcome it at once. The resentment the blacks nourish against the whites is quite natural because the long oppressive system has transformed them.

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