Children as Environmental Envoys in Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind

Children as Environmental Envoys in Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind
Musarrat Shameem

Abstract

This study examines children’s perception of nonhuman nature, contrasting it with that of adults, as portrayed in Rumaan Alam’s novel Leave the World Behind. The central argument asserts that, despite being largely overlooked in global ecological decision-making, children possess an instinctive understanding of nature that often surpasses that of adults. This article explores this theme through the lens of the novel, focusing primarily on the character of Rose and her brother. It contends that children not only grasp the intricacies of nature better than adults but also have a deeper awareness of ecological challenges. Utilising existing discourse on children and ecology, the study addresses issues such as eco-anxiety, resistance, rights, and the intrinsic value of nature. Building on theories regarding children and the environment, the article highlights significant insights from the novel’s omniscient narrator. Given that the novel concludes with the same ambiguity that lingers throughout, this study remains speculative as well. It underscores young people’s concerns about environmental degradation and their frustration at being inadequately recognised when expressing their anxieties, as articulated in contemporary children–ecology social theories. A parallel examination of these theories and the destabilised world presented in Leave the World Behind is also undertaken.