The genre of the dystopian novel
was traditionally adult-oriented. But recently, the age of interest has extended to children and
young adults and in fact seems to dominate these two particular markets. As a cliche (but in any case the truth!), the youths are the symbol of the future,
posterity. To have these age groups read and
experience such injustices and horrors tells something about contemporary
society: that we are concerned for our future more than ever.
In
his article “The Worst is Yet to Come,” Philip Reeve writes that “tomorrow isn’t
what it used to be.” The dystopian idea did
not appear out of nowhere. Utopias were
the “in thing” starting with Sir Thomas More’s Utopia (1516) in which the
writer describes the ideal world and way of living. That (and the fairytales which much of us are
so fond of) is what Reeve is talking about when he says that “tomorrow isn’t
what it used to be,” that there is no optimism at the ends of the contemporary
YA dystopian novel. But, let’s step back
and talk about the history of the genre first.
In the Dystopian Impulse in Modern Literature, M. Keith Booker1 says of the genre:
I maintain an awareness of certain special literary issues raised by dystopian fiction, including the relationship of the genre to the tradition of utopian fiction that precedes it and to literary movements like modernist and postmodernist that surround it. [...] I wish to underscore the role of dystopian fiction as social criticism. In particular, I emphasize throughout this study that treatment of imaginary societies in the best dystopian fiction is always relevant more or less directly to the specific "real world" societies and issues. As Andrew Ross usefully puts it, utopianism is based on a critique of the "deficiencies of the present," while dystopian thinking relies on a critique of perceived "deficiencies in the future.2
The above quote seems to ring true
almost two decades later, and especially now that more and more people are
becoming aware of the natural environment, the state of economies and the
politics of their nations. This is especially the case with older young adults who are starting to become involved with the political, social, and economics of the world of the adults. For example, in the Fall of 2008 when the stock market crashed and the world economies slowly with it, high school seniors began worrying about their financial situations in regards to attending college.
There
are multiple subspecies within the dystopian genre. The one we will be focusing
on is the totalitarian vein because this is the stem that The Hunger Games
grows from. There are three novels which define not only the subtopic of the
totalitarian dystopia, but in fact the entire genre of dystopias, and they are
(here on referred collectively as “the big three”): We (1924) by Yevgeny
Zamyatin, Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley, and Nineteen
Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell. All three are great reads, all three
are dystopias, but all three take different approaches. Most young
adults will have read at least one of these before finishing high school as
they are important in terms of literary history and themes the novels stress.
But, fast-forward to today, what makes The Hunger Games so interesting
is that it does not follow in the style of just one of big three: It
synthesizes taking a little bit from each and creating a story that is
uncannily relevant to what is happening around the world.
Let's talk about the totalitarian setting found these YA books. A young adult probably feels the oppressive nature of the school system. With said system entails requirements and expectations of these youths such as social diversity, academic excellence, and community involvement. They are under a lot of authority, even outside the home. They must face teachers who are indeed, on occasion, tyrannical. There are hierarchies among the students. In short, it is difficult for an Average Joe or Jane student who just want to get through life. Some students really feel that they go through high school like Jerry does in the Chocolate War where the universe seems to be against them. Or perhaps like Holden in Catcher in the Rye, where society is asking him to fit in and he does all he can to not succumb to a life of conformity, though it is something he truly and so greatly desires. In both cases these characters are afraid of what happens next, the "deficiencies in the future" as Booker says. For the young adult, the world is a place of competition. They have to compete for scholarships, compete for recognition, compete for acceptance into a college or university. And it doesn't stop there, they have to compete for a job after they complete their degrees, and sometimes even compete for love.
Let's talk about the totalitarian setting found these YA books. A young adult probably feels the oppressive nature of the school system. With said system entails requirements and expectations of these youths such as social diversity, academic excellence, and community involvement. They are under a lot of authority, even outside the home. They must face teachers who are indeed, on occasion, tyrannical. There are hierarchies among the students. In short, it is difficult for an Average Joe or Jane student who just want to get through life. Some students really feel that they go through high school like Jerry does in the Chocolate War where the universe seems to be against them. Or perhaps like Holden in Catcher in the Rye, where society is asking him to fit in and he does all he can to not succumb to a life of conformity, though it is something he truly and so greatly desires. In both cases these characters are afraid of what happens next, the "deficiencies in the future" as Booker says. For the young adult, the world is a place of competition. They have to compete for scholarships, compete for recognition, compete for acceptance into a college or university. And it doesn't stop there, they have to compete for a job after they complete their degrees, and sometimes even compete for love.
Suzanne
Collins takes the grim Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur (see mythology) and brings in the elements of
totalitarianism as depicted by the big three. Every year the adolescents of Panem are sent
into the arena to kill each other. This
is where the totalitarian aspect comes in.
The teens are not sent in just because they feel like it, their
government known as the Capitol sends them there as a punishment for their
ancestor’s rebellion against the state. It is a requirement. This
is an annual reminder for the citizens of Panem that if they wish to rebel,
they must think again because their ancestors lost. The Games are the product of that insurgence. Collins references Nineteen Eighty-Four when she talks of surveillance, not being able to speak one's mind for fear of punishment, rebelling in personal ways. She brings in elements of Brave New World when she forces the Capitol citizens to consume, and to ignore the world outside the limits of the city, living a life of ignorance and luxury. She recreates the world of We when she has people refer to the adolescents within the arena as a Tribute only known by their District number. While these are only superficial references, what Collins does with the tone of the Hunger Games far more horrific than the tones of the big three. So why do teens enjoy this dark story?
For one, the main characters are their age. The main characters in the big three are men and much older, but in the Games, Katniss is a 16 year-old young woman who does not know what she wants in life and has much to live for. Like Ponyboy from the Outsiders, Lyra from the Golden Compass, or Marjane from Persepolis, Katniss is forced to grow up before the she comes to the right age. Here we are given a plain teenager who must illegally hunt for food outside the walls of her District to feed her starving mother and sister, and all of a sudden we find her fighting to the death in an arena as a punishment for her ancestor’s attempt to freedom. It is something about the dark world with a young hero that creates a fantastic image in our heads, that a youth, a symbol for the future, is fighting in a crumbled age-old world. They are faced with a task fixing the world that has tumbled to the ground because of the neglect and wickedness of the adults. Katniss’s story in the Games is exactly that. The novel, because of its particular usage of first person, is about Katniss's formation of a world view, albeit one that is potentially harmful to her well-being as it is a view rebellious to the Capitol's government. She, like other youths in the contemporary dystopian novel, slowly becomes aware of the injustices of the societies they inhabit. The novel Feed by M.T. Anderson portrays Titus as distracted and controlled by the Feed, thus unaware of his condition. But he gradually learns that he will lose himself to the Feed though he doesn’t fully realize it until the end. He did not come to this conclusion alone. He first had to be told about the injustices that are made to him and his peers by the awkward Violet.
For one, the main characters are their age. The main characters in the big three are men and much older, but in the Games, Katniss is a 16 year-old young woman who does not know what she wants in life and has much to live for. Like Ponyboy from the Outsiders, Lyra from the Golden Compass, or Marjane from Persepolis, Katniss is forced to grow up before the she comes to the right age. Here we are given a plain teenager who must illegally hunt for food outside the walls of her District to feed her starving mother and sister, and all of a sudden we find her fighting to the death in an arena as a punishment for her ancestor’s attempt to freedom. It is something about the dark world with a young hero that creates a fantastic image in our heads, that a youth, a symbol for the future, is fighting in a crumbled age-old world. They are faced with a task fixing the world that has tumbled to the ground because of the neglect and wickedness of the adults. Katniss’s story in the Games is exactly that. The novel, because of its particular usage of first person, is about Katniss's formation of a world view, albeit one that is potentially harmful to her well-being as it is a view rebellious to the Capitol's government. She, like other youths in the contemporary dystopian novel, slowly becomes aware of the injustices of the societies they inhabit. The novel Feed by M.T. Anderson portrays Titus as distracted and controlled by the Feed, thus unaware of his condition. But he gradually learns that he will lose himself to the Feed though he doesn’t fully realize it until the end. He did not come to this conclusion alone. He first had to be told about the injustices that are made to him and his peers by the awkward Violet.
This is what Reeve means when he says there is no optimism at the end of a YA dystopian novel, that by the last page of the book, the conflict is not resolved or at least not completely. The readers are, however, left aware of the injustices happening in their particular worlds. It's the realization of these evils done
that the writers of YA dystopias wish to stress. If their readers can understand what is
in the book and apply it to what is happening around them, that they will do something before it is too late. The characters in these novels realize the problem and by the end there is some hope for change. By contrast, in the adult versions, the main characters realize their conditions too
late, though they feel the wrongs from the beginning, and then they die not
having their chance to change the world. Here in the YA versions, they are given that opportunity whether they
succeed or not. Though many argue that the violence and the content of the book are grounds for not giving it to adolescents, we believe that the Hunger Games is a perfect for them not only because it introduces them to the literary tradition of the dystopian genre, but also because it will help them become attentive to social and political problems. It is the critical thinking during the reading of the novel that helps us understand what exactly is wrong with the world Katniss lives in. And if young adults, and even us grown-ups, are able to take this analytical skill from reading and apply it to real life, the world could potentially become a better place.
Other interesting information related to dystopias or the Hunger Games:
The debate over the dystopian genre goes on. The New York Times has a particularly fruitful and interesting debate called "The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction." Read what other writers think!
For further contemporary historical context of the novel, we recommend reading the Salon.com article "What Occupy can learn from the Hunger Games" which talks about how we, adults and young adults, can use literature to combat or at least respond to social and political injustices.
Modern writers on the what they feel the dystopian/utopian genre is:
1. Booker, M. Keith. The Dystopian Impulse in Modern Literature: Fiction as Social Criticism. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1994. 18-19. Print.
2. Ross, Andrew. Strange Weather: Culture, Science, and Technology in the Age of Limits. London: Verso, 1991. 143. Print.
