“Ngu Ngon Thong” Tale: The study of the relationship between man and nature based on the Ecocriticism theory

Abstract

This research article aims to examine: 1. The relations between human and nature 2. The representation of nature 3. The literary merit of a tale by investigating Ngu Ngon Thong (gold-crested snake) by Mala Khamchan. The conclusion proved that there are two types of relations between humans and nature: humans being dependent on nature and humans being destructive towards nature. There are 3 types of representations of nature in Ngu Ngon Thong: the representation of nature as a direct or indirect benefactor towards humans, the representation of nature as a belief, and the representation of nature as a teacher to humans. From the investigation, there are 3 literary merits that Ngu Ngon Thong conveys: the value of being grateful towards benefactors, be it human or nature, the value of a supernatural tale in Thai culture, and the social value that portrays the social inequality of the North Thai minorities. All in all, it can be concluded that nature is woven into the customs of humans; thus, humans are to respect and be grateful to nature.