Turning East as A Protest to Western Anthropocentricism:

A Study on Jack Kerouac’s the Dharma Bums

Erna Cahyawati

Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Jember

Jalan Kalimantan 37 Jember 68121

sastraing.unej@gmail.com

Abstract

The study is aimed to discover Kerouc’s spiritual seeking for east as it is reflected in his novel The Dharma Bums. Library research is used and interdisciplinary approach that integrates literary, cultural, religious and historical aspects is applied. The result of the study shows that through The Dharma Bu, Kerouac stages protest to dominant western cultural and religious traditions that proclaim the idea of anthropocentricism or human dominion over nature. Kerouac disagrees with the mainstream thought that human has privileged status among all creatures and can freely utilize nature for his needs. For Kerouac, nature is not a supplier that is just used to satisfy human wants. Valuing the nature exclusively in term of its usefulness and benefits for humans can cause over exploitation and pollution that lead to the environmental destruction. Rejecting the western view, he seeks for eastern philosophy (Buddhism) whose precept saying that man is not separate and superior to all else but rather as a small part of the cosmos. Here, unlike western concept that put humans as stewards of the earth, eastern philosophy of Buddhism teaches him that there is no metaphor as ‘the trustee’ that suggest men to supremely control the nature. It means that there is no human domination over nature; man must live in good kinship and harmony with nature.

Keywords: anthropocentricism, environmental problems, Buddhism, east, west.