Human–Nature Relationship In Mary Oliver'S The Summer Day And The Sun: An Ecocritical Analysis

Abstract

Poetry often depicts nature as a key element reflecting the relationship between humans and the environment. This study identifies the meanings of natural symbols in Mary Oliver's poems The Summer Day and The Sun, and explains how the two poems construct the relationship between humans and nature. Using Cheryll Glotfelty's ecocritical perspective as an interpretive lens and a descriptive qualitative method, the data consist of words, phrases, and lines containing natural symbols, analyzed through close reading and textual interpretation. The findings show that these symbols carry ecological and existential meanings rather than merely decorative ones. In The Summer Day, the grasshopper, swan, black bear, and grass symbolize vigilance, the value of non-human life, and humanity's closeness to nature, while in The Sun, the sun, sea, horizon, clouds, and blackness symbolize survival, generosity, and the natural cycle of existence. Four dimensions of the human–nature relationship emerge from the analysis: nature as a space for self-discovery, nature as a teacher of moral values, interdependence and mutual belonging, and ecological awareness through everyday experience. The study concludes that both poems depict nature as an active presence that shapes human understanding of life and invites readers to develop a deeper awareness of their relationship with nature through daily interaction.