The Way Forward: Ecofeminism and the Creation of Society in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction

Abstract

This thesis uses an ecofeminist lens to analyze the patriarchal and anthropocentric ideologies presented in Joelle Charbonneau’s "The Testing" (2013), Scott Westerfeld’s "Uglies" (2005), and Suzanne Collins’ "The Hunger Games" (2008). The female protagonists of each novel reject the ideologies purported by their society in favour of redefining their relationships with nature and each other to create more hopeful futures; this thesis aims to illustrate that the overarching plotline these novels share are implicit critiques of the structures of our current society. Each novel also critiques additional aspects of current: "The Testing" confronts access to education and idealization of the past, "Uglies" confronts the high-valuation of and preoccupation with beauty within our society, and "The Hunger Games" confronts socioeconomic inequality and the role of the media in our society.