THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND NATURE IN ANAK BAKUMPAI TERAKHIR BY YUNI NURMALIA AND FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN BY EDWARD ABBEY: AN ECOLOGICAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

This article discusses the relationship between humans and the nature in two novels, Anak Bakumpai Terakhir written by Yuni Nurmalia and Fire on the Mountain written by Edward Abbey. While the first deals with Indonesian setting, the latter deals with America’s New Mexico. The two literary pieces reveal how individuals in the two societies behave and react to nature. Human behavior to nature is central to assessing either harmonious or disharmonious relation between human being and nature. The research applies a comparative study regarding environmental issues and humans’ attitudes towards nature in the novels. It serves to see various human’s approaches to nature eventually bringing about a more understanding of complex relation between humans and nature. The concept of eco-criticism is used to explore the damage of ecology resulting from by humans’ anthropocentric view in which humans’ interests sacrifice those of other and non-humans. The damages of forest, sea, river caused by illegal logging and mining waste bode ill to Dayak’s life in Kalimantan and the society of New Mexico. The exploitation occurs because of human greed eventually resulting in the disharmony between humans and nature. The natural destruction is inseparably linked to human beings’ inability to adopt an environmentally-friendly behavior to the nature. Keywords : eco-criticism, anthropocentric, comparative literature, humans and natur