The Portrayal of Weird Weather as a Psychological Trigger to Act Against Climate Change: An Exploration into the Concept of ‘Anthropocene Uncanny’ in Kingsolver’s 'Flight Behavior'

Abstract

Sigmund Freud coined the term Das Unheimliche to describe a phenomenon that evokes the feeling of the uncanny by interweaving the features of familiarity and unfamiliarity. In climate fiction, this concept resurfaces when nature and weather conditions that once were regarded as stable, predictable, and cyclical phenomenon suddenly become animate and inanimate at the same time because of disruptions to their perceived stability. This duality is prominent in Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, where unexpected weather events evoke the feeling of discomfort and unease in Dellarobia Turnbow. By employing Freud and Nils Bubandt’s theories on the uncanny, this study delves into Flight Behavior, arguing that the Anthropocene uncanny, as a psychological state, motivates the characters to address climate change. Furthermore, by unraveling the impact of societal norms, gender discrimination, class disparities, rural marginalization, economic factors, and religious beliefs on characters’ psyches, this analysis underscores how personal experiences shape the characters’ responses to climate change, either taking action or remaining passive. In conclusion, this article finds that certain characters, despite experiencing a feeling of the uncanny, were unable to act against climate change due to societal norms and economic constraints.

Keywords

• anthropocene uncanny
• climate change
• weirding
• flight behavior