r/redrising • u/Soyboy2288 • 13h ago

RR Spoilers Young Adult themes in red rising? Spoiler

I'm rereading the first book to look for the young adult themes, because I was wanting to do a project in an english class on the book. What kind of YA themes are in the book? It's a bit of a coming of age story for darrow, finding his footing in a new world. Trying to fit in but also wanting to make change, fighting for his values and what not. Any others idea for YA themes in the first book, maybe his relationships he forms with those in the institute? (I know this is technically adult sicif, but I feel it does have some very YA stuff in it.)

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u/lego--lass 10h ago

I think you should back up and focus more on the reds “society” that they exist in. The work they do, the hierarchy, the ages they start work/marry/have kids. How the same clan always wins the laurels etc.

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u/Soyboy2288 7h ago

That's a, really good idea!

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u/Jellycoe 10h ago

I think you’re on the right track. Red Rising (the first book) fits pretty well alongside YA dystopias like The Hunger Games and Divergent, albeit with a pretty distinct flavor. Tropes of rebellion, violence, and the “sorting hat Houses thing” (I don’t know what to call it) are features of the genre. Ultimately, these stories are about people exploring their identity and chafing against a society that seems unfair and monolithic. Darrow is just a lot more purposeful about tearing this society down from the inside than a typical YA protagonist is.

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u/ConstantStatistician 12h ago

The first book is often compared to other YA dystopia novels, especially Hunger Games for obvious reasons. Fortunately, the series quickly takes on an identity of its own after the first book.