Whose Nightmare Is It? Addressing Human Embodiment Through Anger and Violence in Young Adult Speculative Literature

Abstract

As the Dobbs decision has led us to return to dystopian texts, we must remember the larger issues of bodily autonomy. If the bodies of women and queer people are only discussed through the narrow focus of reproduction, then how can we unpack the assumption of the “correct” use of their bodies? Young adult literature has seen a trend in addressing bodily autonomy through the anger and violence of women and queer people. Often, these are narratives written by authors who are either late Millennials or Generation Z. This essay uses Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (2021) as a case study. The novel is centered on the premise of male pilots using mechas against an alien invader. Boys are paired with girl co-pilots, also called “concubines.” Zetian, however, refuses to allow her body to be used and discarded. Through Zetian’s story, the novel considers the implications of the gender binary on social structures and the lengths the government goes to exploit women and queer people’s bodies. But when are they allowed to be angry? When are they allowed to be violent? Do these responses code them as hero or villain? I examine the way young adult texts approach human embodiment for an audience growing up in a time where their right to bodily autonomy is under attack. Because rage doesn’t lead to a dismantlement of the system, authors seem to suggest that anger and survival is enough.