The paper presents an ecocritical exploration of the representation of the Kelantanese Malay identity and connectivity to the land in The Rambutan Orchard, an anthology of short stories by Che Husna Azhari. Although ecocriticism is a well-established theory, its use to study the female Kelantanese Malay storyteller’s portrayal of the environment in the Malaysian state of Kelantan is under-explored. Applying the pastoral approach in analysing the stories, the researchers uncover the representations of rural life, the characters’ interactions with their surroundings and the consequences thereof with regards to the construction of identity. The ecocritical reading of the orchard in The Rambutan Orchard illustrates Che Husna’s authorial-defined social reality as she narrates the multiple significations of the orchard in the lives of this fictional Kelantanese village. Subsequently, the anthology is framed within the quintessential Kelantanese Malay psyche and connectivity to their land of birth. The study finds that the orchard provides distinctiveness in the narrator’s identity, symbolises her yearning for her place of origin and teaches her lessons on social hierarchy and personal worth. Finally, the orchard nurtures her self-efficacy by becoming a place of solace in her memories, consolidating her identity as a Kelantanese Malay in the world at large.
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