Awakening Ecological Consciousness in Conrad Richter's Ohio Trilogy

Abstract:The environmental concerns of Richter's fiction are the concerns of the early 20th century and many expressed in Richter's novels echo [Aldo] Leopold's own. Richter dramatizes the effects of deforestation, poor land management, predator control, and overhunting. Although the trilogy begins with a depiction of settlers' minds narrowing, as Leopold asserts, by the end, a transformation has taken place, not merely of the land but of Sayward, the trilogy's protagonist, who embraces a more ecological point of view. Ultimately, the trilogy argues for the need for ecological balance in our relationship with the natural world.