Lisa Rowe Fraustino claims that children’s fiction has been dark for some time now, going as far back and further than Robert Cormier’s novels like The Chocolate War and I Am the Cheese, as well as works such as “The Outsiders” that came out somewhat earlier. The most successful and enduring works written for young adults are and have historically been fairly dark. The popularity of the dystopian novel in particular is due, at least thematically, to the desire create a dark shadow that exacerbates the problems that are apparent in our contemporary lives. Fraustino feels that the ultimate goal of this kind of dystopic fiction is to allow us to follow the protagonist that “makes us feel hope for humankind,” and to fight that force that creates jadedness and provide it with a kind of mascot for individuality and hopefulness.

I think Fraustino has a point, especially in regards to how readers feel about these heroic figures. There’s something incredibly fascinating and relatable about the character that stands up and fights in the face of something like a dystopia. I would go so far as to say that readers, even full aware of the unpleasantness and unhappiness in their fight, want to be those kinds of characters. It’s nice to have something to be willing to fight and die for.

I think Fraustino’s point about the desire to follow the individual is most relevant to The Giver. I remember reading the book when I was in middle school, and that was what I remembered the most. I remember looking at Jonas and being pleased about the actions he’d taken to do what he felt he must do. My favorite part of the book has always been when Jonas makes the decision to no longer take his Stirrings pills and throws them away. This moment was always incredibly significant for me, especially as a young reader. It’s really one of the few things we see Jonas do that’s truly for himself and no one else. He’s not trying to save someone or make a positive change for The Community, he just likes the way he feels without them. It’s that kind of action that’s so effective at endearing these characters to readers.

Fraustino argues that young adult literature has always been dark and that authors like Cormier and Hinton pushed the envelope of what was acceptable for young people to read. While their novels, which could be considered precursors of the apocalpytic, dystopic YA novel, took place in the present, with their teen protagonists struggling against the demands of their challenging but by no means dystopic worlds, modern novels of the genre often feature protagonists faced with Herculean feats and much higher stakes. Fraustino argues that this is because people, including teens and young adults, are more aware than ever of the peril the world is under, from war to climate change, so that it’s not only their own domestic issues they’re facing but those of the world. This leads to a sense of uncertainty that can only be quelled by the sense of hope a dystopic YA novel features, where it suddenly becomes possible that one person, and a young one at that, can affect change and fix or maybe even save the world.

I agree that this is largely the appeal of dystopic YA novels. In a world saturated by media capturing every bleak moment the world has to offer, it’s become easier to see the world as being dystopic. And when these problems seem so mounting and irreversible, it’s seductive to read a book in which a world much worse than our own can be fixed by the sheer will and triumphs of a teenager. These novels justify teenagers’ fears of growing up while assuring them that they can and will come out on top.

This explanation relates to The Giver in many ways. Jonas’s world is arguably an extension of our own, one of constant surveillance and powerful governments; for many young readers, the community’s demanding sameness, the endless rules, and the grouping of people into categories must seem all too familiar. But Jonas is one young person who sees injustice and decides to take a stand; although the ending is ambiguous, we believe that Jonas’s world does change for the better because of his efforts. There’s also something seductive about a world with no hunger or warfare or pain, but young readers soon see the downfalls of such a system.

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Article Title: “Pure Escapism For Young Adult ReadersThe author’s opinion to the questions posed, “Why do bestselling young adult novels seem darker in theme now than in past years? What’s behind this dystopian trend, and why is there so much demand for it?” differs from the average, standard response. According to the author, the standard response is similar to the idea that “these dark, pessimistic times with the economy and culture; the darkness of the subject matter reflects those fears.” However, she believes quite the opposite. The dark novels that are becoming continual bestsellers today are not because these novels reflect the world of young adult readers. Instead, Stiefvater believes that the love for dystopian themed novels are because young adults aren’t facing these issues; because of that, they lack the ideas of what is right versus what is wrong: “Teenagers want to be able to fight for what is right – but finding out what’s right is now 90 percent of the battle…with the dystopian novels, we know just what we’re fighting for” (Stiefvater). With the complex world we live in today, young adults are satisfied with the choices presented to them through dystopian themed novels.

I must say that I agree with the author. We are living in a complex world where morals aren’t black and white. Trying to decipher what is good versus what is bad can become complicated. Dystopian novels lay a clear path for young adult readers to make choices on what they choose to fight for. As Stiefvater stated in her response, “Teenagers want to be able to fight for what is right – but finding out what’s right is now 90 percent of the battle.” However, with dystopian novels, what’s right and wrong is clear. There’s no battle in trying to figure it out. These novels don’t reflect our society as young adult readers, but they sure do satisfy it.

The author’s commentary is directly related to The Giver. The Giver is another dystopian novel where the morals are laid out in black in white, simple enough for a young adult reader to grasp. Jonas, the main character of the story, is an example of a young adult who can’t see right from wrong until he is exposed to dystopia – a world outside of the world he knows. It’s from this knowledge that Jonas is able to fight for what he believes is right. This idea is directly correlated to the author’s point of view of dystopian novels giving us an idea of exactly what we’re fighting for. The Giver is so widely popular, not because it reflects our society, but because it’s so simplified that it satisfies our desires to want to fight for what’s right – in fact, it’s so black and white (the idea of a controlled, robot society versus a society of emotions and memory) that we are able to fight for what’s right; there’s no battle in trying to figure it out.

Fraustino believes that the struggles experienced by protagonists in distopian literature compel us not only because they give us “hope for humankind,” but also because we can relate to their struggles to stay true to their goodness and not succumb to the pervasive darkness of the world around them. I agree with this statement. I believe that a large part of the appeal in distopian literature is to demonstrate the struggle between giving in to the challenges that surround us–which often inspire the exaggerated evils in distopian worlds–and triumphing over them through resistance. Jonas experiences this throughout the novel, but in particular while he is escaping. We see him wishing for an easy way out of his situation–to return home and try to live a “normal” life. But due to his morals and newfound worldview, giving in to the distopian society would not even be what he could consider “living” any longer. His virtue dictates his actions and choices rather than his inherent desires.

In my article Maggie Stiefvater says that dystopian fiction is an escape for teens not because they make a connection between the society they live in and the society the characters live in, but because they are wanting a simple story of good vs. evil in contrast to their own world where “evil” is hard to define. While I agree with Stiefvater’s idea, I believe this is because young readers are attracted to the stories because the character takes agency of their own lives when it seems impossible. I feel that young adult readers can identify with the common goal of these characters: To change their world and gain their freedom. From the discussion in class today we realized as adult readers, the society Lowry builds is a dystopian society, but it is difficult to place the blame on the people of the society. The black and white of the struggle for good vs evil is not as clear as contemporary novels, but the character’s general goal remains the same.

I chose Andrew Clements’ response to the NY Times question about what was causing the rise of darker themes in young adult works in recent years. Basically, his opinion is that in our current rapid information age, where all the terrible things that happen are disseminated to us in full color, rapid fire news segments, something must be dark indeed to put the darkness of our real lives in perspective. As he says, he “enjoyed the sharp contrast between [his] safe and normal… life, and the horrors… of [his] reading life.”

I definitely agree with him. I feel like the children of today are exposed to way more horror than children of the past were, at least in a visceral way. World War II may have been the most horrendous war in history, but kids didn’t have access to all the news about it so suddenly and vividly.

Clements’ point can be related to The Giver in a couple of ways. Obviously at the time Lowry wrote the book this kind of ultra-saturated media content was beginning to take its toll. Another more thematic way that it ties in, though, is in that the characters in The Giver are purposefully protected from the kind of truth that the children of today are receiving. It is interesting to consider what the characters in the book would think of a dystopian novel… I imagine they would have no context to weigh it against (all of them apart from, of course, the Giver himself). It is helpful in perceiving why young adult books from earlier times were not so arresting as they are now.

– Chris Kimsey

Abate states that YA has always focused on avenues to address social, cultural, societal, and emotional issues. She also points out that the true root of criticism of YA literature is actually based on whether children should be open to addressing these issues or ultimately saved from having to take on the adult responsibility these issues require.

Personally, I think she’s right. Further, I think that these novels are an excellent way to educate the audience in a “safe” way. The readers feel the emotions of the story and are given responsibility to consider these dilemmas; However, the author still protects and leads the readers through the problems– a moral guide, so to speak.

The Giver applies to Abate’s argument as a liberal piece of YA literature. It encourages readers to reconsider what they find (and what they are taught to find) comfortable, to challenge norms.

By Chelsea Cooper