Ecology, Technology and Dystopia: an Ecocritical Reading of Young Adult Dystopian Literature

This study discusses how contemporary young adult literature portrays the condition of nature in dystopian setting of time. This article attempts to describe the
representation of ecology and technology in three dystopian novels entitled The Hunger Games (Collins, 2008) and Divergent (Roth, 2011) by using Garrad’s theory of ecocriticism and Basu’s perspective on dystopian literature. The result of discussion confirms that the novels draw a formulaic portrayal of dystopia by taking post-apocalyptic natural condition as the setting of time and place. Here, the damaged environment is the result of natural disaster or war, and the advanced technology takes
control in every aspect of human’s life. As part of a larger discussion of the close relationship among literature, nature, technology and youth culture, the analysis is intended to be a twofold analysis which not only illustrates the representation of ecology and technology in the novels, but also reveals the motive behind their production by directing the attention to the young adult as the protagonist characters who have a positive vibe in responding the challenge of dystopian society.

KEYWORDS: Ecology, Technology, Ecocriticism, Young Adult Dystopian
Literature