HUNGER GAMES
Battling for survival, rebelling against a ruler, and living through unimaginable hardship are just a few of the tropes of the post-apocalyptic novel. These types of stories seem almost too dark and gritty for teens and tweens to be reading, but ever since the success of the page-to-screen blockbuster The Hunger Games, this popular genre of young adult novels has continued to grow in popularity.
When Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series first hit the shelves in 2008, it took the young adult community by storm. In 2012, the film adaptation released, propelling the series and its stars into the spotlight. Many marveled at how a book filled with children murdering other children for sport managed to be so successful. Audiences and readers alike fell in love with the complex characters that Collins had created. Strangely, they were able to empathize with their plight against a controlling and morally wrong governmental system. The success of this particular series opened the door for other novels that take place in the not-so-distant future; in Veronica Roth's Divergent, a corrupt government takes over. Similarly, in James Dashner's The Maze Runner, a horrible plague hits. Regardless of the vehicle, all of these post-apocalyptic novels share a common theme: humanity is heading for destruction.
The theme of a bleak future in a young adult novel isn't new. Lois Lowry's The Giver fits this category and was written more than twenty years ago. However, there has been a surge in the books and movies based on this genre in the last decade. This brings about the question: what has changed in society to make these storylines so compelling?
Books, movies, music, and other popular media serve as snapshots of society. Over the past ten years, there has been a huge societal shift in the books and films that are popular with young adults. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, in popular music, movies, books, and even fashion, it's rather hard to find a popular post-apocalyptic trend. Instead, the trend leaned toward the futuristic. Shows and music videos were set in the bright, metallic, bleach-tipped future. Fashion went down this road as well. Silver and reflective clothing were most definitely in. New technology was coming out; computers were becoming more and more accessible. Creative outlets celebrated a shiny new future, full of possibility. Disney Channel movies such as Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century were all the rage. Zenon's future consisted of living in space, where the government was a friend and not a threat. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter was on the bestsellers list. Yes, the books do get dark, but in the end, love and magic help defeat the darkness and the characters always have hope.
During the turn of the century, society's outlook on the future, judging by popular media, seemed to be rather bright. In America, everything was going fairly well: the economy was steady, the country was in a time of peace, and technology was flourishing. People had hope for what the future would bring. Soon enough, that hope was diminished. In 2001, the 9/11 attacks startled the country and society began to shift towards a darker popular image. It was now a time of war. By 2007, the magical and imaginative world of Harry Potter came to an end, at least in book form, and was followed by the recession of 2008. Popular media, sans the Harry Potter films that were finishing up, began to reflect a much bleaker image of the world. Fashionable clothing was no longer brightly colored, and instead was filled with neutrals. Around this time, The Hunger Games first released and began taking readers by storm.
In the last decade, society seems to have permanently shifted to the darker themes in popular media because now, more than ever, society is becoming more aware of the ills that plague it. Pollution has ruined the planet, the country is in debt, war is just getting worse, and nuclear fallout is once again a real threat. Kids and teens, especially, are more aware of the issues taking place in society, therefore, these post-apocalyptic novels resonate. Many of these books have a hero or group of heroes who are trying to fix and clean up the mess that the older generation created. Dystopian stories also display the dangers of technology and the lack of privacy that results. In today's world, it is almost impossible to go somewhere and not find a person holding or using a device of some kind. Machines have become part of our community could easily be used against people.
Society is filled with a constant anxiety over the future. These novels help to address this unsettled feeling, but in a way that is removed enough that it becomes entertaining and relatable. Dystopian novels speak to today's youth, who understand that society is not as stable as it once was, and scrutinize a government many more feel as though they cannot trust. Post-apocalyptic novels might be more popular now because they serve as a mirror that reflects society back to its youth. Long gone are the days where stories reflected a stable and optimistic future. Instead, they have been replaced with dark depictions such as the popular young adult series The Hunger Games. The only hope, it seems, is to wipe the slate clean with an apocalypse and begin to tell a more hopeful tale, one where humans have survived the bleakness of their own cultural imagination.
Morgan Temple is a junior English major with a minor in History. She enjoys cliché horror films and toy hunting.
