Contesting Anthropomorphism: Ecocritical Analysis of Zakes Mda’s The Whale Caller

Abstract

The majesty and sheer size of whales have always enchanted and fascinated human mind resulting in many fables, legends and stories of human encounter with this huge mammal of the ocean. The curiosity about these massive creatures has led to a flourishing industry of whale watching in modern times. Zakes Mda’s The Whale Caller deals with the lonely existence of Whale Caller, his inevitable but tragic attraction for the whale which he names Sharisha and his ill-fated relationship with a woman named Saluni.

This paper will attempt an ecocritical reading of The Whale Caller and will question man’s interference into the animal world and will further interrogate the very assumption of man to have understood the emotions and behaviour of the non-human world. The paper challenges the human tendency towards anthropomorphism as it critiques Whale Caller’s notion of reciprocity of love by the whale Sharisha.