As it is known, survival in adverse conditions that threaten the life of a living being rarely depends on only the strength or intelligence of this creature. When it comes to survival, the ability to protect oneself from danger and adaptation to the conditions that are dangerous for the lives and well-being of an organism play a very important role. In The Origin of Species, Darwin said that in nature those individuals survive who “are best fitted for their places in nature” (Darwin, 1861, p. 93). So, the initial stage of natural selection is the development of some traits that help to live in the current environment and the extinction of those traits, which prevent the existence of the living creature ("Evolution and Natural Selection", 2010). This theory is quite evident in the two worlds created by Charlotte Wood in the book The Natural Way of Things and Susan Collins in The Hunger Games. In these books, the characters found themselves in unfamiliar for them, stressful situations that threatened their lives. However, their ability to adapt and protect themselves helped them to survive, and it is these skills, according to Darwin, are the most important in the preservation of the species as a whole and its representative in particular.
The adaptation of the organism to new conditions, as well as changing the psychology and mentality as a way of survival is most clearly represented in the Charlotte Wood’s The Natural Way of Things. This book describes the life of the ten girls who were held hostage somewhere in Australia and were forced to eat poorly, work hard and endure abuse from their cruel guards. In their past lives, they were ordinary people. However, now they have to suffer from the sun and hard work when their new boots mercilessly rub their feet (Wood, 2015, p. 10, 20, 26). In such circumstances, the human body either give up or change and adapt. So, the fact that all these girls eventually become accustomed to such life and how they have changed, also confirms Darwin's idea of the processes in nature. Natural selection got rid of such traits as delicate skin and sensitivity to the sun, which helped to get used to this kind of life, and the body to be in a satisfactory condition. Just as one generation of living beings is different from the previous generation, these women differ from their contemporaries living in a different environment. Being in a comfortable environment, where there is high-quality food, clean water and comfortable clothes, such features as rough skin and endurance are unnecessary, so they die out. But, when these features are needed, the organism has developed them and keep them until they are required. So, nature chooses what suits it and dismisses what it does not need.
Also, body’s physical condition is not all that demanded changes. The mental component also plays a huge role in the pursuit of the individual to survive. So, at first, they hoped for salvation, but many eventually accepted the existing conditions. Some, in order to maintain a desire to live, devoted their mind to what would help them continue to live as they do. It was a defensive reaction of the body necessary to maintain mental balance. So, Verla believed in a white horse, which she saw in her dream (Wood, 2015, p. 60). Also, Yolanda dedicated herself to the hunt and, as Verla mentioned, became “the only one who looks healthy” (Wood, 2015, p. 73). The activity made Yolanda live, her mind was now adapted to killing animals and skinning them. This is another trait that the organism of the girl developed to adapt. Also, this episode showed another idea of Darwin's natural selection. It is the fact that individuals who possess the most suitable features for these conditions are likely to survive and give offspring ("Evolution and Natural Selection", 2010). In other words, the ability of Yolanda to get food made her the most powerful of all the girls and, as a result, potentially able to give birth to stronger children. It is the feature that is appropriate to the situation, that helped her to adapt better and faster and to create favorable conditions for her. So, the girls from the world of Charlotte Wood are examples of how natural selection works. They have adapted to the new and hostile to them conditions, both physically and mentally, developed new essential traits and get rid of old, unwanted and harmful ones in their new life.
As for The Hunger Games, its main characters had literally to survive in in wild nature. This is a story about two teenagers Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark who were forced to survive in the so-called Hungry Games where twenty-four tributes from twelve districts were fighting in the arena in order to define a single winner. This story shows how people are changing, according to Darwin's ideas, to stay alive. In contrast to the girls from The Natural Way of Things, Katniss and Peeta were more prepared for new severe conditions. Katniss shot a bow perfectly and felt confident in the forest (Collins, 2010, p. 5), and Peeta always got, unlike the many others of their peers, adequate food, and is very strong (39). These traits were the advantages that these two needed in the arena. Moreover, as soon as they knew their fate, they immediately began to act in order to save their lives. For example, from the beginning, Katniss tried to behave in front of the cameras so as not to show her potential opponents her weaknesses (Collins, 2010, p. 22). In other words, the girl began to adapt to the changed conditions immediately.
In addition, she and Peeta were not the only ones who showed Darwin's idea of natural selection in practice. One of the components of Darwin's theory of natural selection refers to the struggle for resources ("Evolution and Natural Selection", 2010), and that is exactly what happened in the games, especially at the beginning. In the arena, there was a Cornucopia which contained all the necessary resources for survival, including food and weapons. And this is where a fierce battle took place (Collins, 2010, p. 144). It was won by the strongest, who took possession of the necessary things for survival. However, despite the fact that Katniss did not take part in the struggle, is also a manifestation of natural selection. According to Darwin, the organism produces certain behavioral traits that are needed for survival ("Evolution and Natural Selection", 2010). Thus, this her decision likely saved her life. In general, throughout the book, she never attacked first. This shows that the defense can be just as effective as an attack.
Peeta was also forced to build his behavior so as not to be killed on the first day. He teamed up with strong and experienced tributes to save his life (Collins, 2010, p. 153). In addition, he tried to help Katniss, diligently demonstrating in front of the cameras his affection for her. So, he protected her as a representative of the opposite sex, as Darwin says in Origin of Species (1861, p. 93). Also, the ability to defend and hide rather than attack made its contribution into the actions of the minor characters, such as Rue and Foxface. The former was also able to live in the forest, like Katniss (Collins, 2010, p. 190-191). The second was quite tricky, constantly hid and managed to stay alive almost until the end of games (Collins, 2010, p. 235). It illustrates that the attack is not always the best means to survive and emerge victorious from the contest. So, the book also serves as an example of how protective tactics, along with the ability to adapt, to produce and develop the necessary skills play a key role in the survival in stressful situations.
References
Collins, S. (2010). The Hunger Games (1st ed.). Retrieved 29 December 2016, from http://www.pdforigin.net/the-hunger-games-pdf/
Darwin, C. (1861). Origin of Species (3rd ed.). Darwin-Online.org.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2016, from http://darwin-online.org.uk/Variorum/1861/1861-93-c-1866.html
Evolution and Natural Selection. (2010). Globalchange.umich.edu. Retrieved 29 December 2016, from http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/selection/selection.html
Wood, C. (2015). The Natural Way of Things (1st ed.). Allen & Unwin.
