Dystopia in the Hunger Games and Divergent Series

TOMORROW’S HEROINES FIGHTING TODAY’S DEMONS: DYSTOPIA IN THE HUNGER GAMES AND DIVERGENT SERIES by Marianna Gleyzer A Doctoral Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL May 2018 Copyright by Marianna Gleyzer 2018 ii TOMORROW'S HEROINES FIGHTING TODA Y'S DEMONS: DYSTOPIA IN THE HUNGER GAMES AND DIVERGENT SERIES by Marianna Gleyzer This dissertation was prepared under the direction of the candidate's dissertation advisor, Dr. Susan Love Brown, Department of Anthropology, and has been approved by the members of her supervisory committee. It was submitted to the facultyof the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements forthe degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Michael J. rswell, Ph.D. Dean, D rothy F. SchmidtCollege of �s�Arts& Letters Khaled Sobhan, Ph.D. Interim Dean, Graduate College lll ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express sincere and utter gratitude to her chair, Dr. Susan Love Brown, for all her vigilant guidance and encouraging support through the entirety of this dissertation process. Also, a great special thanks to her committee members, Dr. Steven Blakemore and Dr. Stephen Charbonneau, for their patience, persistence, and encouragement. The author is also grateful to FAU’s English department, for all their brilliant professors and counselors that help spark ideas and carry them through. As well, a thanks to the Graduate College, who helped so kindly and patiently, in figuring out all the formatting secrets there were left to uncover. Lastly, the secret weapon of the Comparative Studies Program, Ms. Gabrielle Denier, without whom, no forward progress could ever be made in our program. iv ABSTRACT Author: Marianna Gleyzer Title: Tomorrow’s Heroines Fighting Today’s Demons: Dystopia in The Hunger Games and Divergent Series Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Chair: Dr. Susan Love Brown Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2018 Through a close analysis of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series and Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, it will be shown that these two-current young adult dystopian book-film crossovers pose several relevant parallels to contemporary real-world problems. By deciphering a pattern on what garners their popularity, and most importantly analyzing the aspect of why they reached such levels of recognition, we can then begin to close in on just how important these two series are in representing the 21st century young American mindset. Taking into the equation also, how the overall-arching genre of dystopia has evolved with the times and has now adapted to reflect contemporary anxieties and fears. Looking into several elements such as a newfound desire for strong female roles, persuasive antagonists that are inspired by realistic historical precedents, and an unsettling desensitization towards violence and gore, we can then see that the successful equation of The Hunger Games and Divergent series reflects mainstream interests evocatively and effectively. It is not just an v intervention into the encompassing utopian/dystopian tradition, but into today’s sociology. vi DEDICATION This manuscript is dedicated to my family, they are the stars that guide my night sky, keeping me always on track. No matter what life throws at us, we never give up on each other, making even the most difficult days conquerable. Family is everything, especially when they define everything for you. TOMORROW’S HEROINES FIGHTING TODAY’S: DYSTOPIA IN THE HUNGER GAMES AND DIVERGENT SERIES INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: FROM UTOPIA TO DYSTOPIA ......................................................... 6 CHAPTER TWO: LET THE HUNGER GAMES BEGIN ................................................ 18 CHAPTER THREE: DIVERGENT UNLEASHED.......................................................... 37 CHAPTER FOUR: HEROINES’ HISTORY IN METAMORPHOSIS, STARTING WITH KATNISS ....................................................... 53 CHAPTER FIVE: CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF BEAUTY WITH TRIS ............... 67 CHAPTER SIX: DICTATOR SAYS, DICTATOR DOES WITHIN THE HUNGER GAMES ...................................................................... 85 CHAPTER SEVEN: VICIOUS CYCLES NEVER END IN THE HUNGER GAMES .............................................................. 103 CHAPTER EIGHT: DIVERGENT DOESN’T DEVIATE ............................................. 122 CHAPTER NINE: GENETICALLY PURE AND PROUD IN DIVERGENT .............. 142 CHAPTER TEN: HUNGER FOR WAR, HUNGER FOR VIOLENCE IN THE HUNGER GAMES .................................................................. 166 CHAPTER ELEVEN: DIVERGENT’S NEW GENERATION OF SOLDIERS ........... 189 CHAPTER TWELVE: SURVEILLANCE CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY IN BOTH SERIES .................................................................. 210 CHAPTER THIRTEEN: FORGIVING CRUELTY IN BOTH SERIES....................... 228 viii CONCLUSION: CULTURAL DECAY AND ENLIGHTENMENT ............................ 253 WORKS CITED.............................................................................................................. 275 ix INTRODUCTION “Since I was young, I have always known this: Life damages us, every one. We can’t escape the damage. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other” (Roth, Allegiant 526). The Hunger Games trilogy (2008, 2009, 2010) by Suzanne Collins and the Divergent trilogy (2011, 2012, 2013) by Veronica Roth are emblematic of American culture since the rise of worries over terrorism since September 11, 2001, and the most recent financial insecurities due to the stock market crash of 2008. Add to this anxieties over a surveillance-led environment reminiscent of totalitarian governments, and the books of these young adult dystopias create a shared experience between authors, characters, and fans. Eventually, the strong response generated by this shared experience translated into film adaptations, which in turn created a full-blown world revolving around fan communities, the film industry, and interactive venues such a board games, video games, and multiple websites. This phenomenon brought forward record-breaking sales and film receipts, reflecting the prominence of the young female heroes, a shift in gender norms from earlier young adult fiction, and surpassing male-focused young adult dystopias. This dissertation explores The Hunger Games and Divergent as representations of a changing perspective in gender role models in the United States, as well as revealing historical lessons, cultural concerns, and social anxieties about dystopias and the heroes who rescue us from them. 1 To see clearly just how crucial this phenomenon is to an understanding of how these two trilogies and the films that followed served as a creative outlet, using the dystopian notions of human suffering, order, and revolution to assist in bearing the real- world problems in the United States, and the harbingers of potentially new gender role models, it is necessary to appreciate how unusual they were in surpassing previous young adult book and film series and creating new female protagonists who are trail-blazers for their strength and determination. Suzanne Collins’s first novel of her trilogy was published in 2008 and would go on to become a ground-breaking set of works. It broke records for Scholastic, its publisher, and made bestseller lists multiple times and even out-sold Harry Potter on Amazon (Gaudiosi, “Hunger Games Trilogy Beats Harry Potter...”). The success of Collins ushered in a renewed fascination for young adult fiction. The Hunger Games trilogy paralleled the earlier Twilight saga (2005-2008) of Stephanie Meyers, which had also enjoyed a widespread success. Collins, however, would go on to be a strong contrast to Meyers’s series, which had one particular flaw that many critics zoned in on: “It perpetuates outdated and troubling gender norms, because its main protagonist, Bella Swan, is portrayed as a weaker and more fragile feminine character” (Hall 27). Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of The Hunger Games, holds more appeal as a trailblazer for gender roles due to the journey she takes that changes not only her life, but the entirety of her country as well. Before the popularity of The Hunger Games trilogy began to fade out with its finale in 2010, Mockingjay, a new bestseller rose up – Veronica Roth’s novel, Divergent, was published in 2011. Continuing with the powerful use of dystopia, Roth creates a 2 different storyline set upon the same problems of totalitarian governments, social control, and a fiery female protagonist to incite revolution. While Collins depicted a mesmerizing portrayal of a Girl on Fire in the revolutionary Katniss, Roth answers the same call for a strong, female protagonist in the form of Beatrice Prior (better known as Tris), the brave divergent revolutionary. Both of these young women headline two different young adult dystopias. Katniss and Tris take on ground-breaking roles that break the mold on gender constrictions. They do not merely surpass the masculine position of influence and power, they redefine what it means to be a hero or heroine. Even though strong female characters already existed, and had for some time, the problem was to challenge and expand this already defined but limited category:

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