The Forest of Hands and Teeth

John Adam's once said: “Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.” This quote is perfect for describing how a dystopia might come to be. Oftentimes, dystopias are a fictional universe where the world has been distorted (What is Dystopian Literature?). Dystopian societies often include a shift in control and a hero who recognizes that this society is indeed corrupt (What is Dystopian Literature?). Generally there is an unresolved climax at the end of the story where the hero might fail to succeed, but gives hope to the future (What is Dystopian Literature). The dystopian genre is an interesting topic to type about. Each author has their own interpretation of a dystopian society, making this genre diverse and intriguing. Although many there are several different versions, every dystopia has similar characteristics.

A utopia is a community or society that posses highly desirable or perfect qualities (Definition Characteristics). “A utopian society is basically one where all the social evils have been cured” (Literary Devices: Utopia). The intent behind a utopia is political, social, and philosophical perfection (Literary Devices: Utopia). A couple examples of a utopia in literature include King Arthur's court at Camelot and Andraea's Christianopolis along with Plato's Republic, which is commonly referred to as the first example of a utopia. (Literary Devices: Utopia) In utopian novels, the authors make up new prefixes to show how the society is organized and set up. (Literary Devices: Utopia) Utopias are used for “exposing the flaws prevalent within an existing political structure” (Literary Devices: Utopia) and also as away of show...

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Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Salem, Massachusetts: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 180.

Jia. “REVIEW: The Forest of Hands and Teeth.” REVIEW: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. March 2, 2014.

“Literary Devices: Utopia.” Literary Devices. February 29, 2014.

Ryan, Carrie. The Forest of Hands and Teeth. New York, New York: Random House Children's Books, 2009.

“Teacher.” Scholastic Teachers. February 12, 2014.

“What is Dystopian Literature?” Dystopian Literature for Young Adults. February 14, 2014.