A Study of Human Alienation and Environmental Despair in Chantal Bilodeau's Sila: An Eco-critical Study

Mukhlif, Ayat Ayied; Hussein, Zainab Abdullah

doi:10.25130/Lang.10.1.P1.22

	A Study of Human Alienation and Environmental Despair in Chantal Bilodeau's Sila: An Eco-critical Study
Journal of Language Studies
Volume 10, Issue 1, Part 1, March 2026, Pages 415-436 PDF (695.82 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.25130/Lang.10.1.P1.22
Authors
Ayat Ayied Mukhlif; Zainab Abdullah Hussein
Abstract
The study examines Chantal Bilodeau’s play Sila by applying the principles of deep ecology, which critiques anthropocentric views, highlighting how these views led to feelings of alienation and environmental despair, while at the same time advocating for the close relationship between humans and nonhuman creatures. In a world marked by climate change and environmental upheaval, theatre becomes a powerful medium for reflecting ecological issues. The play exposes the consequences of human actions on nature and the characters’ inability to acknowledge and engage with the natural world. Despite greater awareness of ecological issues, there is a deficiency in how narratives capture the sense of alienation and despair in the environmental crisis. This study further investigates how Sila represents these feelings and demonstrates how theatre can serve as a platform for increasing awareness of ecological crisis. Furthermore, it investigates the characters’ accountability to future generations. Through the analysis of the characters’ actions and the thematic elements, this research underlines how Sila successfully discovers a lack of deep ecological principles, promoting the idea of interconnectedness between humans and the natural world.
Keywords
anthropocene; deep ecology; environmental despair; human alienation; sila

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