The Winner is: Dystopia

Huxley. Orwell. Bradbury. All giants in dystopian literature. And in today's pop culture, their legacy and penchant for dystopia is writ large. Look around. Dystopia seems to be everywhere. Books, movies, music. Whether this a passing fad or a genre here to stay and make its mark, we must wait and see. Meanwhile, what is our course? The ostrich approach is neither fruitful nor realistic. Already, different journalists (See TIME and WORLD) and commentators are writing about the "dystopian craze." So, why add my voice to the din? Firstly, the written word possesses the ability to order my thoughts, and coherency is a worthy goal. Secondly, writing about a complex topic is wonderful.

Supposedly, it began in college. My freshman fiction class was assigned Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Within a few pages, I was hooked. As a child, I had lackluster feelings for The Giver, but Huxley's world changed my opinion of dystopian literature. Huxley led me through a world where people had given up freedom for pleasure and the oppressive government regime was all too happy to oblige. His prose was horrific and powerful. In similar a vein, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 impressed and challenged me. Not to be left behind, George Orwell (1984) and others will and are making their way into my "stack."

Two teen dystopias, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Divergent by Veronica Roth, passed through my stack in the past few weeks. And despite my doubts about both of them, they enthralled me. Engaging and exciting, these stories were well-written. Collins and Roth demonstrated their gift for story without neglecting moral philosophy. The stories aptly convey the sinful overreach of government and the tragic results that follow - whether in family or otherwise. Divergent, particularly, weaves a tale where virtues become vices when they are idolized. Both futures value the hero who is willing to die for others - who values other's lives more highly than his own. A virtue worthy of the highest praise for it reminds us of our savior. In these ways and others, Hunger's and Divergent's capacity for truth should not be underestimated.

But neither should it be overestimated. While establishing the sinfulness of man, Collins and Roth simultaneously confuse the reads with messages of protecting life and of destroying it. Which do they believe is right? Or is it supposed to be murky? This reader wishes she could agree with them more - if only their moral philosophy had begun with true wisdom. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." Proverbs 1:7a

Perhaps, I am not being fair. Afterall, I have only read one book out of each trilogy. My criticisms and objections could be answered in the next installment of each set. And I do hope so. For I admire a good dystopia, and I've enjoyed reading both primary stories. Even in those futuristic, dark worlds, full of sin, hatred, and oppression, one can find biblical truth. And in those bleak stories, the light shines more potently.  For what good is fiction, if it does not project the good, the true, and the beautiful? The dystopian genre can forcefully portray these ideals - even in the negative.