This thesis will show that Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy and Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy critically explore contemporary social concerns in modern-day America, such as the unfair...Show moreThis thesis will show that Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy and Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy critically explore contemporary social concerns in modern-day America, such as the unfair distribution of wealth, the potentially corruptive nature of power and the dual nature of identity. The trilogies also question the capability of both totalitarian and democratic political regimes to govern their people fairly. Both authors introduce their young-adult audience to such pressing socio-political topics by presenting them with two different prospective dystopian futures. Both the Hunger Games as well as the Divergent series present protagonists who are young adults themselves – making the storyline easier to relate to – and the novels critically explore socio-political themes specifically tailored for the young readership. Beyond these initial similarities, both trilogies exhibit a different vision regarding not only contemporary America, but its future development as well, giving relevance to their comparison. Whereas the Hunger Games series' social critique is mainly centered around governmental systems, the Divergent series focuses more on the controversy surrounding identity development, commenting on the precarious balance between a character’s free will to develop his or her own identity and an imposed identity constructed from various external social and economic forces.Show less
