Hungry for 'The Hunger Games'? Dr. Thomas Morrissey Discuss the Popularity of the 'Hunger Games' Trilogy

Hungry for ‘The Hunger Games’?

By Dr. Thomas Morrissey

What accounts for the enormous popularity of Suzanne Collins' ”Hunger Games” trilogy and books like them?

Collins' novels are outstanding examples of young adult — or YA — dystopian fiction.  Like their adult counterparts, these books critique the social flaw.

Pathways to a Better World

Unlike dystopias for adults, the YA versions must offer at least a ray of hope. They most often do this by positing dynamic characters like Collins' reluctant heroine Katniss Everdeen — teens who reject, resist and reverse the ignorance and cruelty of their adult rulers. Sometimes young rebels like Katniss topple unjust authority; sometimes, as in M.T. Anderson's brilliant satire “Feed,” the resisters' failure nevertheless suggests to readers a plausible pathway to a better world.

Katniss lives among the coalfields of District 12, a powerless region ruthlessly ruled from the Capitol; her nation, Panem, is built on the ruins of what was once America. Social injustice and the misapplication of technology are major issues in the trilogy.

YA dystopian authors (more often women) often suggest that our most successful evolutionary adaptation — intelligence — will lead to misery and even extinction unless we employ the greater wisdom and enhanced ethical awareness that their young protagonists often display.

Alternatives to Hopeless Dystopias

At their best, YA dystopias pre-write a better future by conveying to teen readers a sense that some adults actually get it, that they too reject the status quo and that, most of all, it is not too late for the young to enact humane values that could alter the course of history.

YA dystopias are being read by adults as well as teens. These fictions attract older readers who want entertaining and positive alternatives to the often hopeless dystopias written for adults. If you hunger for “The Hunger Games,” you are in good company.

English Department Chair Dr. Thomas Morrissey specializes in adult and young adult science fiction and dystopias. He holds both a B.A. and an M.A. from SUNY Binghamton and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. In addition to being a SUNY distinguished teaching professor, he is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

 

Contact Information

For more information about the SUNY Plattsburgh alumni newsletter, please contact:

Michelle Marasch Ouellette
Director of Public Relations and Publications
Phone: (518) 564-3095
Email: michelle.ouellette@plattsburgh.edu

Alumni can subscribe to Calling Card by joining the Plattsburgh Alumni Community (PAC).

Read previous issues of the alumni newsletter.