I was watching the last Hunger Games movie, The Mockingjay, Part 2 with my husband. I've loved the Hunger Games and have read the book several times. If you haven't read the books or the movie, the Hungers Games takes place in the future with a controlling government. At this point in the story, Katniss is involved in a rebellion to overthrow the capitol and its leader, President Snow. The conflict between Katniss and President Snow starts to build in the second book. As I'm watching Katniss and President Snow make moves and countermoves against each other on the silver screen, a thought hit me.
I don't have a dictator in my book.
In my book, I have an oppressive government, the enemy to my hero Skylar Driven. She too is involved with the Opposition, trying to create a world free from United World Government. However, there is no leader of United World that is driving plot. My villain is a scientist, and while she is mailutive, she has no political or milarity power.
I considered adding a dictator. After all, it is a common trend in the real world communist countries, where the leader is celebrated like a god.
But I choose against it, and here's why.
If you have a dictator, he/she is the solo source of the evil in that country. If you assassinate the dictator, you save the country from evil. Even if another evil dictator comes in, the problem is sill a dictator, not society. The civilians becomes helpless onlookers and victims.
In my book, I wanted society to be the problem. The world Skylar lives in see humans a resources. As a result, they don't value individuals or belief in inherent human rights. You have rights...if you are a benefit to society. If you are a criminal, the gloves come off, and anything goes; torture, human experiments, painful executions, re-using corpses as fertilize, the list goes on. There isn't one leader who is pushing this while everyone else can only watch in horror; everyone in this society believe this and is alright with it. My villain is a manifestation of this society. She's in charge of Eternity Project and has no problem testing and killing humans for this experiment.
Skylar, who grew up in this society, must learn how to value human life since she has learned that every human is made in the image of God. This becomes her inner journey.
What books do enjoy that have or don't have a dictator? What other behind the scenes would you like to read about? Comment below--I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I don't have a dictator in my book.
In my book, I have an oppressive government, the enemy to my hero Skylar Driven. She too is involved with the Opposition, trying to create a world free from United World Government. However, there is no leader of United World that is driving plot. My villain is a scientist, and while she is mailutive, she has no political or milarity power.
I considered adding a dictator. After all, it is a common trend in the real world communist countries, where the leader is celebrated like a god.
But I choose against it, and here's why.
If you have a dictator, he/she is the solo source of the evil in that country. If you assassinate the dictator, you save the country from evil. Even if another evil dictator comes in, the problem is sill a dictator, not society. The civilians becomes helpless onlookers and victims.
In my book, I wanted society to be the problem. The world Skylar lives in see humans a resources. As a result, they don't value individuals or belief in inherent human rights. You have rights...if you are a benefit to society. If you are a criminal, the gloves come off, and anything goes; torture, human experiments, painful executions, re-using corpses as fertilize, the list goes on. There isn't one leader who is pushing this while everyone else can only watch in horror; everyone in this society believe this and is alright with it. My villain is a manifestation of this society. She's in charge of Eternity Project and has no problem testing and killing humans for this experiment.
Skylar, who grew up in this society, must learn how to value human life since she has learned that every human is made in the image of God. This becomes her inner journey.
What books do enjoy that have or don't have a dictator? What other behind the scenes would you like to read about? Comment below--I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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