Instances of Environmental Concerns in Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom
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Abstract
Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom (2010) fictionally depicts instances of real environmental issues. It is the story of a Berglund family. The main character Walter Burglund fights for the protection of nature throughout his lifetime. A good section of the novel is devoted to describe Walter’s support for the Cerulean Mountain Trust, a group that works to save the endangered cerulean warbler by establishing a bird’s sanctuary in West Virginia. Walter is a lawyer who devoted his life for environmental causes. Vin Haven, a Texan, rich tycoon who is motivated by the noble cause, plans to undertake coal strip mining operation and then constructs the bird sanctuary as a corrective action. The article looks into the mindset of the modernity where people take up developmental project at the cost of nature.
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References
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