AGENTIC LOCUS: AN ECO-CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF QURATUL AIN HAIDER’S FIREFLIES IN THE MIST

Abstract

The study examines agentic spaces through the lens of ecocriticism in Haider’s novel Fireflies in the Mist, set within a postcolonial framework, highlighting the distorted status of the locality as well as the oppression and exploitation of both genders but the clear images of subjectivity prevail in the novel as the struggle for free life commences. The predominant aspect of the narrative is on female agency, facilitated by an ecocritical perspective, empowering the female characters, especially the central character, to navigate their circumstances and transcend marginalisation, ultimately becoming autonomous agents. Consequently, the agentic personalities transform into subjective beings. This research examines the phenomenon of subjectivity in Haider’s selected novel through the lenses of postcolonialism and ecocriticism, illustrating how the protagonist navigates various aspects of oppression, marginalisation, and subjectivity, ultimately becoming a prominent character means agentic one and the agentic locus is created. The primary conclusion of the research is that the environmental shelters in the book have contributed to the achievement of this trajectory.