Authors use dystopian fiction to look at current society with a critical eye. In Gathering Blue, Kira's society reflects the possible outcome of human culture if some aspects of modern culture remain on their current trajectory. Euthanasia is something that some people today advocate for, and the formerly held moral beliefs about these forms of taking life are becoming less clear for some.

For example, The Netherlands legalized physician-assisted suicide in 2002, two years after Gathering Blue was published. 

Lowry also creates a post-Christian society where members pay outward obeisance to a "Worship-Object," a cross, without knowing what it stands for. The people have no sense of morality as defined by the Golden Rule; instead, they seem to live in a dog-eat-dog manner where they only...

(The entire section contains 379 words.)