The Inuit Searching for “Place” in The Ice Whale

Abstract

Place theory is an emerging theory in the field of ecological criticism, emphasizing the psychological attachment, emotional connection, and self-identification of people to specific natural areas. The Inuit in Jean Craighead George’s The Ice Whale are deeply connected to the Arctic Ocean, and the Inuit region becomes a “place” about where the “self” is. Technological violence that some humans have inflicted on nature and the excessive pursuit of the economy has destroyed the marine ecology and plunged the Inuit into a state of “non-place.” The author reconstructs the ”place” by imagination, aiming to arouse children’s love for the ecological environment through the beautiful conception and call for the construction of a community of shared future for mankind.