Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed female characters at the forefront of fantasy and dystopian works. Through Katniss Everdeen, Zélie Adebola, and Amari Olúborí, this work aims to illustrate how flawed female protagonists leading social change highlight modern issues and encourage readers to critically consider their relationships with the world. It also displays that interplay between readership and text lays the groundwork for social change by encouraging readers to confront and navigate societal flaws. Utilizing close readings of Tomi Adeyemi and Suzanne Collins’s books, the study analyzes protagonist portrayal, how protagonists reflect society, and how settings reflect the reality. It also employs comparative readings of these details. The fictional civilizations of Panem and Orïsha reflect struggles of real-world Western and African societies, respectively. These conflicts are reflected in the characterization of the books’ protagonists, as they navigate and overcome adversity, they encourage readers to consider their influence over change.
Publication Date
5-1-2022
Language
English
Faculty Mentor of Honors Project
James Warren
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Burnham, Kylie, "FLAWED FEMALE PROTAGONISTS AS FIGUREHEADS OF SOCIAL CHANGE IN TOMI ADEYEMI’S LEGACY OF ORISHA SERIES AND SUZANNE COLLIN’S THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY" (2022). 2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects. 10.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/honors_spring2022/10