In the young adult dystopian novel The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, people with different colored abilities are categorized and treated differently by society. Those with yellow abilities have a complex and often misunderstood role in the story’s world.
An Overview of Abilities and Colors
In The Darkest Minds universe, a disease sweeps through children and teens, killing many of them and leaving the survivors with unusual abilities and powers. The government separates these survivors into camps based on the color that represents their abilities:
- Green – Super intelligent
- Blue – Telekinetic
- Yellow – Can control electricity and technology
- Orange – Can control people’s minds and memories
- Red – Can create and control fire
The most dangerous and feared children are branded as Orange and Red and either imprisoned, experimented on, or killed. Meanwhile, Greens are recruited to work for the government and Blues can live freely. Yellows occupy a more complex middle ground in this societal structure.
The Complex Role of Yellows
Yellows have the abilities to manipulate electricity, hack into computers and security systems, disrupt technology, and more. While this can make them very useful, it also means the government views them as a potential threat. Yet they aren’t feared or eliminated like the most dangerous Oranges and Reds.
Instead, Yellows in The Darkest Minds are forced to serve the government as hackers, engineers, and programmers. Their lives are still strictly controlled, but they are seen as an asset to society. However, this also leads to some complicated themes and questions around Yellows in the story:
- Are Yellows being exploited for their powers?
- Should they comply with the system or try to escape/rebel?
- Are they more valuable for their abilities or individual identities?
These questions leave Yellows in a precarious middle ground between being revered and feared in this society.
Examples of Important Yellow Characters
Several key yellow characters represent these themes and the complex role of Yellows in this world:
Chubs
One of the main characters in The Darkest Minds is Chubs, a Yellow who escaped the government camps. He serves as the logical, intelligent member of the group. His hacking skills help them bypass security systems. Some key traits:
- Highly intelligent and logical
- Expert hacker
- Somewhat arrogant about his abilities
- Feels confined by being labeled a Yellow
Chubs’ abilities make him vital to the group, but he also struggles with being valued only for those abilities or being seen as the “smart Yellow.”
Vida
Vida is a Yellow who works for the government using her electrical and hacking skills. She enjoys the intellectual challenges of her work but feels guilt over helping the corrupt system. Her traits include:
- Skilled programmer/hacker
- Conflicted over helping the government
- Lonely and isolated at work
- Seeks meaning beyond her abilities
Vida represents Yellows who are exploited by the government for their powers while longing for identity and purpose.
Liam
Liam is a powerful Yellow who escaped the camps at a young age. He uses his abilities to disrupt the government’s systems. His traits include:
- Tech savvy and excellent hacker
- Anarchist trying to take down the system
- Seen as a dangerous criminal
- Hopes to free other Yellows from exploitation
As a rebel force, Liam shows the potential power Yellows hold and how some strive to break free from the system exploiting them.
The Complex History of Yellows
To understand the contentious role of Yellows in this society, it helps to look at how they have been treated over time:
| Time Period | Yellow Status & Treatment |
|---|---|
| Before the disease outbreak | No abilities. Treated normally in society. |
| During outbreak years | Feared and imprisoned in camps. |
| 1-15 years after outbreak | Forcibly recruited to serve government with abilities. Controlled lives. |
| 15+ years after outbreak | Established role serving government. Some rebellion brewing. |
This history shows how Yellows went from being ordinary to feared, and then had their powers exploited. This complex journey shapes the uneasy role Yellows now occupy of being valued and used for their abilities while still facing some fear and restrictions.
Symbolic Meaning of Yellow
The color yellow takes on some symbolic meaning in the story as well. Yellow traditionally represents optimism, positivity, energy, and hope. But in The Darkest Minds, yellow represents skills that instill both hope and fear in this society. Some symbolic traits associated with yellow include:
- Energy – Yellows have electric, vibrant powers
- Intelligence – Yellows are ingenious hackers/programmers
- Warning – Yellows’ abilities make them seem dangerous
- Caution – The government treats Yellows carefully/controlled
- Change – Yellows have potential to disrupt/transform society
So while yellow is traditionally positive, in this world it takes on complex meanings touching hope, danger, exploitation, and change.
The Future for Yellows
At the end of The Darkest Minds series, the system that categorized children by color and ability is dismantled. Yellows are now free to live normal lives if they choose, although their abilities still set them apart. The outlook for Yellows moving forward contains uncertainty but hope:
- Life without government exploitation or control
- Freedom to make own choices and seek identities beyond abilities
- Chance to use powers ethically rather than for corrupt system
- Opportunities to build an equal society and redefine meaning of “Yellow”
By the story’s end, Yellows have a chance to shed the complex and controversial role they filled in this dystopian society. Their future is uncertain but finally full of optimism and choice.
Conclusion
In The Darkest Minds, Yellows occupy a complex middle ground where they are valued for their abilities but also exploited and feared. They represent intelligence, energy, and power but also caution and danger depending on one’s perspective. Their history has been twisted by tragedy and their symbolic meaning is multifaceted. But by the story’s end, their future is filled with hope rather than the controversy that once defined their role in society.