In Balaka Basu’s, The Pleasure of Being Sorted in Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Basu states, “Whatever else they may do, all heroes of young adult fiction- and by extension, their readers- are eventually asked to consider the two great questions of adolescence; ‘Who am I now? And who do I want to be when I grow up?’ As they do so, they inevitably embark upon a quest for identity, an apparently innocuous pursuit that lies at the very core of the genre.” (The Pleasure 19) In each of the three books, the reader can see individual or groups of young adults having to unite to achieve a certain goal. In class Professor Walker discussed how rebellious many young adults become as they reach their mid-teens and twenties. Becoming rebellious as a young adult is often seen by our parents as a reckless, impulsive eruption of emotions from within that allow rash decisions to be made. However, in each of the young adult, dystopian novels being reviewed, the main characters are considered rebellious by the law makers and rulers even though they are pushing for change in their unjust society. This essay will discuss three dystopian young adult novels, Divergent, The Hunger Games and Unwind and how each of them reflects on possible futures for humanity and the way young people are called to respond to the changes in the worlds they live in.
Before getting started with the novels themselves, getting a brief overview of dystopian societies in Young Adult fiction is necessary. In, Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults: Brave New Teenagers, the authors examine young adult dystopian societies, “YA dystopias can uphold that tradition of optimism, embrace a more cynical vision, or oscillate between the two. All these questions underscore the negotiation between often conflicting literary influences, political ideologies, and intended audiences that these texts must undertake.” (Brave New Teenagers 2) Most often dystopian novels portray made up cultures meant to be read as “inferior” to the readers own society they are actually living in. Carrie Hintz states, “But instead, the dystopia often functions as a rhetorical reduction ad absurdum of a utopian philosophy, extending a utopia to its most extreme ends in order to caution against the destructive politics and culture of the author’s present.” (Brave New Teenagers 3) Researching further into the definition of, reduction ad absurdum, meaning the disproof of a proposition by showing that it leads to absurd or untenable conclusions we find dystopian civilizations in young adult novels often relying on the young adults themselves to obtain order. NEED MORE ABOUT DYSTOPIAN SHIT!!!!!!
Coming right off of Hintz’ statement above about dystopian societies being “extreme outcomes of destructive politics and cultures of the civilizations we live in right now,” Unwind is a great example of societies taking things too far for the “greater good.” In Neal Shusterman’s, Unwind, the very opening of the book begins with “The Bill of Life” that was passed: “The Second Civil War, also known as "The Heartland War," was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue. To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as "The Bill of Life" was passed. It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies. The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively "abort" a child… on the condition that the child's life doesn't "technically" end. The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called "unwinding." Unwinding is now a common, and accepted practice in society (Unwind 2).” This is the most horrific thing any young adult could possibly be told. “Not to worry little boys and girls, you’re going to be safe until you reach your prime, then you will be cut up and used as parts until we can’t find any more ways to abuse you, then you will be free to start your boring life in our great society.” Looking deeper into Unwind, the reader can really see how Neal Shusterman formed a powerful story about the terrors of humankind and the lengths young adults will go to outlast the laws passed by their leaders. Unwind paints a picture for young adults to educate themselves not on just what they believe in but on other opinions for different ideas too. Not only to become more polished on the mindsets of others, but to maybe change the way their mind works as well. All too often adolescents are almost “brainwashed” by their parents and elders to believe that the certain ideas and principals, known as the “law,” are the correct and only ways to handle situations. Shusterman uses Connor and Risa as great examples of not only “underdogs” coming out on top, but also as two opposite people learning how to work together and accomplish the tasks at hand.
Feeding off of Neal Shusterman’s Unwind, Veronica Roth’s, Divergent, is a great example of two strangers coming together to overcome adversity by making way for the greater good in support of the dystopian society they live in. Basu gives a brief overview of Divergent by stating, “Divergent takes place in a dystopian future Chicago that ironically believes it is still a utopia; its society has divided itself into factions, each of which is dedicated to the cultivation of the single virtue felt by its members to be the fundamental element in the eradication of war and other societal evils. Each faction is responsible for a specific function: the government is run by Abnegation (the selfless); the law by Candor (the honest); education and invention by Erudite (the intelligent); caretaking and social services by Amity 9(the kind); and defense and security by Dauntless (the brave).” (The Pleasure 23) Much like a lot of other dystopian based young adults, the children are allowed to grow and live with their parents until a certain age. In Divergent, kids are allowed innocence until the age of sixteen, then they undergo testing to see which “faction” they are fit for. Tris, the main character and heroine, goes through the testing and realizes she contains all of the five divisions and is forced to go into hiding. Not only does the use of a young sixteen year old allow readers of Divergent to relate to the story more, Roth also uses a female as the protagonist. This is important to young adult fiction because all too often it is males coming to the rescue. The way Tris responds to “the changes in the world she lives in” is very empowering. “Every faction conditions its members to think and act in a certain way. And most people do it… But our minds move in a dozen different directions. We can’t be confined to one way of thinking, and that terrifies our leaders. It means we can’t be controlled (Divergent 441-442).”