Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Amasya Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, cilt.2, sa.2, ss.246-259, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids (1951) occupies a central position in the subgenre of the "cosy catastrophe"—a term popularised by Brian Aldiss to describe apocalyptic narratives in which the world ends, but polite, middle-class protagonists survive with relative ease. Set against the backdrop of Cold War anxieties, the novel imagines a world devastated by mass blindness and the emergence of mobile, carnivorous plants known as triffids. Drawing on apocalyptic and ecocritic theories, this paper argues that Wyndham’s catastrophe functions as both a metaphor for post-war disorientation and a vehicle for ideological reflection. The analysis begins by situating the novel within the Cold War context of early 1950s Britain, highlighting the cultural paranoia surrounding scientific progress, bioengineering, and the fragility of modern society. It then considers the triffids as ecological and biotechnological metaphors—embodiments of human hubris and colonial anxiety—and explores how mass blindness disrupts notions of human supremacy. The paper further examines competing responses to the catastrophe, particularly those offered by Beadley’s technocratic colony and Coker’s collectivist experiments, arguing that Wyndham ultimately favors a conservative, middle-class vision of social rebirth. Through a rational protagonist and restrained narrative tone, the novel reaffirms traditional values while subtly critiquing the ideological failures of modernity. In conclusion, The Day of the Triffids emerges as a work that navigates between despair and reassurance, offering a vision of apocalypse not as radical rupture but as a controlled return to familiar order.