Between Power and Human Nature

 

Supernatural elements include religious figures and activities, fictional beings, and anthropomorphized animals; they have been used throughout the literature history. Thus, supernatural elements have been useful in developing themes that reflect the nature of humanity. Supernatural elements are often used to outline and comment on conflict and power struggles: both within the plot of the work and within society at the time of the work’s publication. These otherworldly components are also commonly used to adapt, expand upon, and make a work of literature more applicable to its settings."

Supernatural elements depict religious figures and activities, fictional beings, and anthropomorphized animals, and it has been a literature component from its origins in oral folktales, to Shakespeare’s plays, and up until today. They are often used to convey messages that reflect the nature of humanity and outline and comment on the material and spiritual understanding of the world.

In the Shatter Me series, Juliette, the protagonist, strives to figure out the truth about her world and supernatural powers, which are the main of focus of the first book. Our attention is drawn mostly to the struggles the main character has faced throughout her entire life because of her inhumane features, and what those feature lead her life up to.

Juliette, an often disregarded and looked down on teenager, struggles to find life and independence through her powers. Additionally, her inner conflict of where she stands in her life is constantly brought to life, which is a major element repeatedly viewed using different themes of otherworldly concepts.

Juliette's powers highlight the major question of the novel: how is she seen, and how does she want to be seen? It is her paranormal ability to kill everyone she touches that leads people, especially those in charge, to view her as a weapon and an instrument of war, even when she had no intention of developing such abilities, ones which she, once, viewed as a curse.

In this novel, not only the protagonist represents their supernatural world, but also multiple things inexplicable by the scientific laws of nature were shown through different characters.

Shatter me includes references to different supernatural features, such as magic, which is played by the roles of Sara and her twin sister, whom Juliette learns have the ability to heal. Another feature is parapsychology. "Parapsychology is the study of psychic events. These phenomona involve the exchange of information between a person and their environment, without the use of the five senses. They include extrasensory perception (such as telepathy), influence of mind on matter (psychokinesis), etc." (Henry, 7-8)

In Shatter Me, telepathy is introduced by Emmaline, Juliette's sister, whereas Castle, the leader and founder of Omega Point, represents the power of psychokinesis. All of these supernatural abilities are part of the identity of each character, and it contributes highly in their personalities, growth, and actions throughout the events of the novel.

Therefore, many forms of relating human relations to otherworldly elements have been drawn meticulously throughout the book, highlighting essential conerns of the human minds and nature, and how humans seem to navigate their ways through life differently according to what they have been gifted or provided.


                       Works cited:
Jane Henry (2005). Parapsychology: Research on Exceptional Experiences, Routledge. https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural