Predation and Agency: Deconstructing Anthropocentric Metaphors in An Abundance of Wild Roses

This paper examines the deconstruction of anthropocentric metaphors in Feryal Ali Gauhar’s novel, An Abundance of Wild Roses (2024), focusing on the shifting dynamics of predation and agency between human and non-human worlds. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of ecofeminism (Val Plumwood), new materialism (Jane Bennett), and the "animal gaze" (Jacques Derrida), the research explores how Gauhar subverts the traditional hierarchy that positions nature as a passive resource for human mastery. The analysis first addresses the novel’s radical narrative intervention: the displacement of human subjectivity by a collective, non-human "We" the Spirit-Beings who act as moral witnesses to the "devastation and despair" wrought by the inhabitants of “Zameen Par”. Furthermore, the study investigates Gauhar’s deployment of material agency, wherein the landscape and physical tools emerge as sentient actants capable of judging and responding to human ecological transgressions. By contrasting the Spirit-Beings’ ethics of restraint with the predatory "orgy of greed" inherent in human engagement, the paper highlights a significant inversion of the "beast" metaphor. This is exemplified through the character of Bhura Reechlo, a bear whose capacity for "regret and repentance" exposes the inherent cruelty of the human "merciless hunter." Ultimately, the paper argues that Gauhar’s work calls for a post-humanist ethics, positioning the landscape as a sovereign moral authority whose self-nurturing resilience outlasts human heedlessness.