In Quest for Justice: Generational and Social Conflicts in Contemporary Dystopian Novels for Young Adults
The synoptic analysis of these trilogies enables to identify the renew the image of youth in the social debates. It replaces the classical vision of an age in which the individual is in search of his or her identity with that of a generation rebelling against the totalitarian system established by adults. Through an individual gesture that becomes a collective action, the main characters of these novels (Katniss Everdeen, Tris Prior, Thomas) revolt against a tyrannical power that is systematically justified by the calling for the restoration of order, the advent of peace, the salvation of humanity, and against the functioning of an illegitimate political, economic, and social system.
These dystopias depict a post-apocalyptic world devastated by human actions (genetic manipulation, nuclear war, climate change). They raise fundamental questions for sociologists about the place of young people and the possibilities of their empowerment in our societies in which democracy, equality and freedom are at risk. By inviting the reader to imagine a dystopian future, they address the consequences of the internal division of societies (called “districts”, “factions”, “age classes”), on the conflicts between dominant and dominated, adults and young people, rich and poor. In these novels, however, the revolution does not lead to a rosy future, and these dystopian societies remain unable to resolve the great generational divide that overwhelms them. These novels portray teenagers as disillusioned, pragmatic, without ideals but taking action all the same.