| Following the work of Eric Tribunella, who argues that American children's literature uses the traumatization of characters to show how these characters become mature adults, I show how young adult dystopian fiction likewise portrays trauma as necessary to character growth. The protagonists' sacrifice and loss of innocence is necessary to create a democratic society. By engrossing readers in the trauma that the characters undergo, readers learn to be more sympathetic to people and situations different from them, and in turn to engage themselves in democratic change. I also show how educators can utilize these texts to guide students through the reading of dystopian fiction and promote the development of empathy, fostering a focus on the common good rather than individual good. |
