Teen opinion: how bleak should dystopian fiction be?
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Version 0 of 1. Anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses have become an increasing issue for young people in today’s society. These aspects of life are often belittled or ignored, but what society doesn’t always understand is that mental illnesses really are life-altering and even life-threatening, and can cause serious damage to individuals without there being any obvious cause. Many of these aspects are reflected specifically in young adult dystopian books, but are they in fact making mental illness worse rather than helping to alleviate to the pressure on teenagers and young adults? Dystopias often show young people surviving in a harsh world where there is little help or reassurance available, leaving our protagonist in a very bleak and isolated situation. On the one hand, that lets readers connect to someone in a similar mental state whilst at the same time allowing some escapism from our own situation, especially as it is set in the near future allowing a slight separation from our own reality. It gives us someone we can relate to, who understands how we feel and who embodies our own isolation within society, without the judgment that we might face from our peers, or preaching from adults. We are given the invaluable impression that we are not alone. Equally, such a storyline can help us to feel that our own situation may be small and irrelevant in comparison; after all, we are not facing a cruel oppressive government or a disintegrating world, which can also help to change our perception of our own state of wellbeing. But at the same time the risk is that it makes us feel as though we are unable to justify our depression or anxiety as we are not living in a war-torn country or facing danger everyday. Yet the issues we face still have huge impact on our lives, and are felt much deeper than people perhaps realise. Another reason why dystopian books may be adding to the strain and stigma surrounding teenage mental illness is that they show extremely terrifying, yet ultimately realistic aspects of our society. They are often things that are hard to comprehend, with the notion that they could soon become a very real problem, adding to the the pressure that young people already hold within themselves. How are teenagers meant to cope with their own issues when the pressure of society, now or the future, is being placed on their shoulders? The most typical characteristic of a dystopian book is the bleakness of the corrupt world that our protagonist must face, and amongst all these negative sides of society, there is little light shown in the surrounding darkness. When young people are already suffering with their own existence, the desolation in dystopian books can sometimes be just enough to tip them over the edge; if there is no joy in the world of books, how is real life meant to be any better? However, where there is darkness there is light. Showing protagonists cope in bleak times allows us to see that we can come back from the darkness and see the light in our lives. More often than not, friendship and love are found by our protagonists when they are at their worst, and it is this that brings them back and gives them the strength to deal with whatever life throws at them. It gives a beacon of hope within the novel that they have someone to rely on and help to carry them through the bleakness, which we can take and use in our own lives as a way of seeing the good amongst the bad. Dystopian books need to address these issues and work on bringing a sense of assurance to their readers without dragging them down into despair. They must show the positives of being young in society and what it means to be part of the future to come, with no added pressure or weight of the world. If dystopian novels are used as a way of escaping our own lives, they must continue to show the light and shade of the world and give hope to the adults of the future. Is there a topic you’re just burning to write about? Join the Children’s Books site and you could do just that! Also see Delve into Dystopia, a teen blog about YA dystopian novels and their authors. |