I’m a big fan of dystopian fiction, and regularly teach books like Parable of the Sower, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984 because they offer thoughtful, prophetic visions of apocalyptic futures: totalitarian governments that control the media and manufacture wars, societies destroyed by climate change, drugs, and pandemics. The protagonists may not succeed, or even survive, but they grow, learn, and change, and there is a sense at the end that their struggle is worth it.
Recently, one of my tutoring students decided to complete her summer reading assignment by reading The Death Cure, the final book in James Dasher’s Maze Runner series. By the end--and I apologize for saying something that may upset fans of the series--it seemed to me that the overriding message was one of futility: the characters’ suffering has been for nothing because no cure has been found for the virus that turns its victims into cannibals. The bulk of humanity is doomed. Thomas and the other survivors of the Trials escape to an uninhabited island where they hope to start anew.
Now, some readers and reviewers see the characters’ new start as hopeful, but it puts me in mind of the Star Trek episode in which the Enterprise crew lands on a planet where all the adults have gone mad and died; each of the surviving children faces a similar fate when they hit puberty.
Stories that pit kids against adults are perennially popular, especially when the adults are deliciously nasty and horrible. It’s fun when James’ wicked aunts are squashed by the giant peach. However, when the entire adult world is portrayed as irredeemable, should we worry that young people see the real world as similarly doomed?
Normally, I keep thoughts like this to myself. However, young people are suffering a mental health crisis. Their worldview has been shaped by the pandemic, social media, political dysfunction, culture wars, climate change, drug overdoses, and school shootings. Perhaps it’s time to balance--not censor--dystopian fiction with books that promote perseverance that’s worthwhile and a world that’s worth saving.
In an article about heavy rain and impassable mud at the 2023 Burning Man festival, New York Times columnist Zeynep Tufecki writes that “the common belief that civilization is but a veneer that will fall apart when authority disappears is not only false; the false belief itself is harmful.”
Some of the bleaker mainstays of high school English classes, such as Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, and Of Mice and Men exemplify this perspective and should be countered with stories that present a more positive view of humanity’s prospects. To put it bluntly, we need to include stories with happy endings. Characters who not only survive but thrive--like Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, or even Fiver in Watership Down--can excite and engage students because they depict heroes who are as optimistic, adventurous, and resilient, just as we want our students to be.
Elizabeth Breau, Ph.D. (she/her), is an award-winning writing coach and private English tutor. Her book, History According to SAT: A Content Guide to SAT Reading and Writing, won a silver medal in the teen category from the Nonfiction Authors Association. You can reach her at www.elizabethbreau.net.
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