Imagination, Ecology, and Peace: A Comparative Study of Roverandom and The Hungry Tide as Literature for Moral and National Awakening

This paper explores how J.R.R. Tolkien’s Roverandom and Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide reveal literature’s capacity to shape moral consciousness, social responsibility, and a collective vision of peace. Though distinct in genre and narrative approach, the two texts converge in their ethical engagement with human behaviour and coexistence. Roverandom employs fantasy as a subtle form of moral instruction, encouraging ethical imagination and nurturing values such as empathy, humility, and responsibility in young readers. In contrast, The Hungry Tide, situated within ecological and socio-cultural realities, foregrounds themes of environmental ethics, intercultural understanding, and the tensions between violence and harmony in marginalised landscapes. Through a comparative reading of fantasy and ecological realism, this study illustrates how literature contributes to the formation of compassionate, ethically aware individuals. Ultimately, the paper demonstrates that both imaginative and realistic narratives play a significant role in fostering peace consciousness and supporting the broader process of national awakening and social harmony.