Art as Environmental Activism in Richard Powers’ The Overstory: Analysis of Nicholas Hoel

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the development of Nicholas Hoel and analyse how his role as an artist contributes to the portrayal of human-tree relationships and environmental themes in Richard Powers’ novel The Overstory. The thesis consists of an introduction, a literature review, an empirical analysis part, and a conclusion. The introduction provides brief background information on the author and a summary of the novel. The literature review consists of an overview of environmental discussions in literature, the role of art in conveying environmental issues, and the existing research on The Overstory in the context of environmental discourse. The empirical part explores Nicholas’ character development within the novel’s narrative framework. This part also analyses Nicholas Hoel’s artwork and its evolution throughout the novel. The conclusion presents the summary of the thesis’ findings.