Capitalism, Animal's Eyes, and the Environment : An essay about the environmental effects of industrial capitalism in Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People

This essay explores the correlation between industrial capitalism and environmental damage in Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People. The thesis argues that the grave pollution of land, water, and people in the novel stems from capitalistic exploitation of biophysical resources. The novel is analyzed through an ecocritical perspective with eco-Marxism and Social Ecology as the main tools for the analysis. The main findings are that it is capitalistic values, where money and influence are prioritized over the environment, that are depicted as the fundamental reason behind the contamination in Khaufpur. The essay also includes a pedagogical section where Animal’s People is suggested as a basis for an environmental education agenda in a Swedish EFL classroom. The focus would be how environmental pollution may be related to industrial capitalism and to discuss the student’s own thoughts and reflections regarding the issue.