Abstract:
There is often the approach that literature and maps are two separate entities; however, they are
more integrated than they first appear. When writing in the Young Adult genre, authors face a
decision: they can choose to use a pre-existing map to base their story on, or they can create their
own. Understanding the connections between a map and a literary piece will lead the reader to a
deeper understanding of the texts and the author’s intentions when writing the text. To fully
grasp the role a map plays in a work of literature, the reader must also look at the character’s
interaction with the map. This paper will take a closer look at the relationship between maps and
three YA novels: The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Percy Jackson. What roles do maps play in
these texts, and what impact do they have on both the characters and the readers. While on a
surface level it may seem as though the author made their literary decisions simply for
convenience, their decisions have a deeper impact on their text.
