This paper examines nature representation and ecological depictions in Jamaica Kincaid’s Mr. Potter. The first part of this paper starts with a summary of the novel then a definition of ecocriticism and some of the goals of this literary approach. The second part examines the Antiguan setting of the novel and shows the ecological depiction and the use of ecological language. The paper shows Kincaid’s mastery in writing about ecology and nature. There are so many ecological aspects found in the novel like food, smell, fauna, flora, landscape, natural sublime, etc.
Mr. Potter (2002) is the fourth novel by Kincaid in her fictional literary output. It has a myriad of nature representations and family dynamics. This novel is considered a semi-autobiographical novel of Kincaid’s father. In her book Jamaica Kincaid: A Literary Companion, Sondgrass states that Mr. Potter is “a quasi-biographical novel” (32). Braziel states “Mr. Potter is seen as an autofiction novel” (a hybrid genre intermingling fiction and autobiography) (175). The narrator, Elaine Mr. Potter, was born in 1949, the same birth year as Kincaid. The name of the narrator’s mother is Annie Victoria Richardson, the same name as Kincaid’s mother. Moreover, the real name of Kincaid’s father has Potter in it. Not only are the names and the dates, but many events in the lives of Mr. Potter and his daughter in the novel are similar to those in Kincaid’s real life.
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