Teenagers from 12 districts are fighting for their lives on national television with a female heroin as their only hope for change (The Hunger Games).

Teenage boys, with one token girl, are sent into the center of a maze with no memory of their former lives, are forced to find their way out with monsters and other hideous surprises within the maze (The Maze Runner).

A society divided into Factions, with teenagers having to choose where they belong; one girl along with a select few are different from the rest, they embody many unique qualities, this is known as being “Divergent”.

Can you see a pattern forming? Society in ruins and teenagers poised to save the world.

Why are people, especially teens, drawn toward these dystopian themes?

“I find the dystopian themes to be very interesting because a lot of today’s society envisions the world coming to an end with the sun exploding and the world getting swallowed up,” said Jakob Fanning, an RV sophomore. “The dystopian themes show us what happens when society crumbles.”

And the characters are of a similar age and possess similar interests and qualities as many high school students.

“I think that teens are more drawn to these themes because the main characters in the stories are teenagers and we can relate to that,” Fanning added. “Because we can’t really relate to this old grandma in the Hunger Games shooting down people with her bow and arrow, but we can relate to a 16 year old who has to protect her younger siblings and make sacrifices for her family.”

Senior Violet Mitchell has a similar take.

“I think the idea of dystopian themes being in the future, and seeing what we might be like one day is really interesting, but also scary at the same time,” Mitchell said. “I would not want things to get as bad as the Hunger Games or Divergent. However, these concepts are very interesting to read about and watch, and it’s nice to know that I don’t have to endanger myself in order to experience these ideas.”

No, Mitchell only has to experience the current day, and these books and films offer an escape.

“I think that we are drawn to these themes because society is starting to go downhill a little bit,” Mitchell said. “People are more interested in what the future holds rather than learning about what happened in the past.”

One of the most popular television shows on cable right now is “The Walking Dead”, a show whose storyline revolves around what might happen if a zombie apocalypse were to come.

Again, a concept that is so depressing, yet so popular.

“I watch (The Walking Dead) because of the human interaction between the characters,” Fanning said. “Today we’re all friendly and want to help each other out through hard times, but in the show they all try to kill one another for different reasons. I find it interesting to see this interaction.”

The idea of a zombie apocalypse is definitely trending.

“I think it’s so popular,” said Fanning, “because a lot of people believe that a Zombie Apocalypse might actually happen and people really enjoy the characters in the show.”

“I’m not really sure why it’s so popular,” Mitchell added. “Everyone seems to be going through a zombie phase right now, and I think people like the possibility of immortal life.”

In fact, one can even get college credit at Colombia College in Chicago taking the course, Zombies in Popular Media, which examines zombie movies and comics to explore societal issues like how people relate to and trust one another in times of need. (Time, 11-17-2014).

So what makes these themes so relevant today, and so prevalent to today’s teens?

The Giver (published 2002) was one of the early entrants to this dystopian theme and although popular, it was not as popular when compared to The Hunger Games book series.

“The Giver may not have been as popular as these other texts, but I feel like it was very popular for its time period, and everyone who read it loved it,” said Ms. Lara Vette, who teaches Honors English 9 as well as English 10. “However, I feel that the sudden rise in popularity for these themes may have something to do with the current state of the world.

“I think that one of the most beautiful things about literature is that it’s in response to the human experience,” Vette added, “and so maybe it has something to do with what people are drawn to in the immediate world around them.”

Between the The Hunger Games, Divergent and Maze Runner students showed a slight lean toward The Hunger Games.

“I would say that The Hunger Games and Divergent are my favorites,” Fanning said. “The two are very similar though. In The Maze Runner the writing just didn’t seem as good, and the author’s use of imagery was kind of awful.”

Mitchell leans toward Divergent.

“I think Divergent would have to be my favorite because I like the love story and different factions,” Mitchell said. “I enjoy the different qualities that the society values.”

Teens and Dystopian themes, it almost rhymes.

We gravitate to these themes not only for their entertainment value, but also to gain some insight for what the future might hold.