what is a good thesis statement for the hunger games

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The Hunger Games Thesis Statements and Essay Topics

Below you will find four outstanding thesis statements / paper topics for “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins that can be used as essay starters. All four incorporate at least one of the themes found in “The Hunger Games” and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. These thesis statements offer a short summary of “The Hunger Games” in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of  important quotes from “The Hunger Games”  on our quotes page, you should have no trouble connecting with the text and writing an excellent essay.

Topic #1: Morality in  The Hunger Games

In the novel, there is a very clear sense of right and wrong. The Capital killing children and growing rich of the toil of the people is obviously wrong. Katniss does what she must to survive and does kill other competitors. Morality is defined as personal or cultural values, codes of conduct or social mores; it has neither a good or bad connotation on its own. For this essay argue the role that morality plays in the novel. How does Katniss’ sense of morality affect the way that she plays the game? Is there a clear representation of Good and Evil in the novel?

Topic #2: Setting in  The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games  is set in a dystopian future for North America, a world called Panem. The use of setting is used to not only give a sense of the dismal world that Katniss finds herself but also to give history into how North America became so vastly different from the world we know today. Give examples of how descriptions of the setting set the tone for the novel. What are we told about the history of Panem that gives a sense of North America’s dystopian future? A dystopia is a repressive and controlled state. In what ways is Panem a dystopia? Are there any ways that Panem is not a dystopia? Use examples from the novel to support your assertions.

Topic #3:  The Hunger Games  and Beauty

  There are two different perceptions of beauty presented in the novel, those of the people of Seam and those of the people in the Capitol. The Capitol prides the beauty that people tend to pride today, youth, a lean figure and facial beauty. Seam finds attractiveness in what shows survival and wealth, such as a large belly showing an abundance of food or old age showing strength and longevity. What do you think the novel is trying to say about today’s perceptions of beauty? Do you think the novel favors one version of beauty over the other? Use examples from the novel to support your conclusions.

Topic #4:  The Hunger Games  and Relationships

In the novel, Katniss forms strong relationships with Gale and Peeta. Gale is a symbol of strength that is born out of a lifetime in poverty. Peeta is an example of selfless kindness. Throughout the novel, Katniss finds herself confused about her feelings for both of them. What do Gale and Peeta signify for Katniss? What do they have in common with Katniss? How do Gale and Peeta shape Katniss’ participation in the games? Does the novel stress one quality or relationship over the other? Why? Use examples from the novel to support your conclusions.

54 Hunger Games Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best hunger games topic ideas & essay examples, ⭐ most interesting hunger games topics to write about, 📌 good essay topics on hunger games.

• Class Inequality in “The Hunger Games” The beliefs and norms of the people in Panem are centred on the self-interest; they are obsessed to acquire the comfort and lifestyle of the affluent people.
• Capitol and District 12 in “The Hunger Games” by Collins The primary objective of The Hunger Games is to provide entertainment for the residents of the Capitol and to establish their superiority over the people living in the districts. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Suzanne Collins: Inequality and Meritocracy in “The Hunger Games” The intense training depicts the importance of reward to the tributes. Further, the society is in touch with the preparedness of their tributes via media.
• The Hunger Games by Gary Ross – Film Study In the country, children between the ages of twelve and eighteen years are required to participate in The Hunger Games. In one of the districts, Katniss’ sister is chosen to represent the region in the […]
• The Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen’s Character The fact that her mother could not cope with the loss made Katniss to take the role of the head of the household.
• The Hunger Games Movie’s Marketing Strategies The centerpiece and the starting point of the Hunger Games marketing campaign were teaser billboards that appeared six months before the premiere. Tumblr is a social media that does not appear to the “public” and […]
• The Hunger Games: Book Versus Movie The film director, Gary Ross, presents the contents of the book in a film in concise way. This is in spite of the fact that the family relationship between Gale and Katniss is important.
• Women Objectification in Films: “The Hunger Games” and “Wonder Woman” She is bold enough to stand against the system of Hunger Games and offers herself as a candidate for the role of a tribute to shelter her sibling from the horror and the unfairness of […]
• Tradition in “The Hunger Games” Film and Jackson’s “The Lottery” The settings in both narratives are similar in many ways the village in “The Lottery” and District 12’s small town in “The Hunger Games”.
• Social Inequity in “The Hunger Games” by Collins Overall, Suzanne Collins highlights the social inequity between the residents of the twelve districts of Panem and the wealthier part of society in the Capitol, focusing on the cruelty of the so-called hunger games.
• Influence of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games The study is useful because it illustrates the importance of Harry Potter books within popular culture through the lens of improving young readers’ literacy.
• Panem’ Social Contracts: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The people in the districts forego the freedom of speech and expression so that they can live peacefully with the Capitol.
• The Hunger Games: Time and Space in the Movie The major themes of the story is that people can sometimes get more of what they bargained for in helping someone, that the reality of the world is very perceptive and individual, and that fiction […]
• “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins Literature Analysis In the beginning it seems that the main focus of the movie and the books is the game and surviving of the players, but actually, the basis and the causes of this brutal game lay […]
• Division and Control in “The Hunger Games”
• Connecting Cultural and Historical Ideas in “The Hunger Games”
• The Struggle Between Socialization and Individualism in “The Hunger Games”
• What’s Katniss’s Greatest Strength in “The Hunger Games”
• Social Control in “The Hunger Games”: Hunger, Class Conflict, Totalitarian Regime
• Similarities Between “Divergent” and “The Hunger Games”: Accomplishing Strength to Surpass Your Weaknesses
• Conflict Theory in “The Hunger Games”: Districts Do the Dirty Jobs That Capitol Doesn’t Want to Do
• Contrast Between Gale and Peeta and How Each Helps Katniss Succeed in “The Hunger Games”
• The Influences of Ancient Civilizations on “The Hunger Games”: Story of Theseus and the Roman Games
• Katniss’s Speech in “The Hunger Games”
• Why the Capitol Makes the Population of “The Hunger Games” Complicit in the Brutality
• Definition and Resistance of Female Stereotype in Charlotte and Katniss in “The Hunger Games”
• Two Different Perceptions of Beauty in “The Hunger Games”: A Large Belly or a Lean Figure
• Symbolism in “The Hunger Games”: “The Hanging Tree” Song and Mockingjays
• General Comparison Between “The Hunger Games” and “Today”
• Allyship in “The Hunger Games”: Teamwork Can Save You From Death and Get More People to Like You
• Connecting Cultural and Historical Ideas to Panem in “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins
• Survival Guide From “The Hunger Games”
• The Idea of Constant Surveillance in “The Hunger Games” and Foucault’s Concept of the Panopticon
• Events in the Past That Is Similar to “The Hunger Games”
• The Marxist Theory in “The Hunger Games”
• Katniss’s Growth in “The Hunger Games”: From “Indifferent Mask” to a Fuller Person
• Negative Influence of the Media on Society in “The Hunger Games”: Information, Independent and Freedom Are Restricted
• “The Hunger Games” All-Time Best Selling Series on Amazon
• Katniss Uses Her Moral Compass in “The Hunger Games”
• Collins’s Inspiration for “The Hunger Games”: Reality Television Programs and the Iraq War
• Breaking the Rules to Make a Difference in Society in “The Hunger Games”
• Prequel of “The Hunger Games”: “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”
• Why the BBC News Listed “The Hunger Games” on Its List of the 100 Most Influential Novels
• Similarities Between “The Hunger Games” and the “Maze Runner”
• The Main Themes in “The Hunger Games”: Friendship, Family, Freedom, and Oppression
• Director Gary Ross About “The Hunger Games”: Political Overtones, a Fantastical Setting, and the First-Person Point of View
• The Entertainment Industry and Governments as the Leading Causes of Poverty and Wealth in “The Hunger Games”
• “The Hunger Games”: The Novel That Exemplify a Totalitarian
• Real Message of “The Hunger Games”: The Ability and Desire to Survive
• The Most Dramatic Part of “The Hunger Games”: Rue’s Death
• Societal Narcissism in “The Hunger Games”: An Imaginary Place Where People Lead Dehumanized and Often Fearful Lives
• The Story of the Book “The Hunger Games”: A Post-Apocalyptic North American Mess
• “The Hunger Games” and Child Soldiers: The Sad Truth
• Comparison Between “The Hunger Games” and “Lord of the Flies”
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About the Book

Themes and Analysis

The hunger games, by suzanne collins.

As a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel, 'The Hunger Games' captures several intriguing themes including oppression and societal inequality.

Written by Neesha Thunga K

B.A. in English Literature, and M.A. in English Language and Literature.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has risen in popularity ever since its release in 2008. Part of the reason for its fame is the riveting themes that it captures, all of which are central to the post-apocalyptic and dystopian nature of the novel. Some of the themes that can be gleaned from the novel include the theme of oppression, inequality, appearances, celebrity culture, as well as violence.

The Hunger Games Themes

Oppression and inequality.

The authorities in the Capitol maintain their positions of power through wealth, fear, and rivalry. All districts in the totalitarian nation of Panem are kept under varying degrees of poverty and are routinely pitted against each other in the form of the Hunger Games. The wealthier districts have a distinct advantage over the poorer ones in the Games. For instance, the tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 make it their mission to train specifically for the Games – and are even known as “ Career tributes .”

The status quo is maintained by “Peacemakers,” who, hypocritically, ensure that the control remains in the hands of the capital by any means necessary, including violence. Those who rebel are either obliterated or silenced to become Avox , i.e., people who have had their tongues cut off and are now acting as servants at the Capitol .

The censorship of the media is another way to maintain control. The districts are not allowed to contact one another, and they have no access to information other than what is provided to them by the authorities. 

Appearances and Celebrity Culture

Appearances are extremely important in Panem. Those who live at the Capitol show off their wealth and power through their appearances. They wear gaudy clothes, ostentatious accessories, and bright colors to demonstrate their money, power, and influence at the Capitol.

Appearances are vital in the Hunger Games. To gain sponsors for life-saving gifts during the Games, each tribute must make himself/herself appealing to the public. Thus, the tributes are all provided with a bevy of stylists and advisors who dress them up in fashionable costumes and teach them the ways of the wealthy. The better the appearances of the tribute, the larger the chances of sponsors. This is similar to celebrity culture in real life – who need to keep up appearances for the sake of lucrative deals and sponsors. 

Katniss understands the importance of appearances and decides to play the part of a star-crossed lover for the cameras. Peeta complies, having always been perceptive about the significance of appearances and making lasting impressions. Although Peeta genuinely harbored feelings for Katniss, he decides to reveal his feelings at a strategic moment – only to gain sympathy and affection from the public.

Violence 

Violence is a recurring theme in The Hunger Games . The authorities of the Capitol are not averse to using violence to maintain the illusion of “peace” in the nation. The Peacemakers routinely punish those who rebel and do not hesitate to exert their power over the people from the 12 districts.

Moreover, the very notion of the Hunger Games is violent. Children are dehumanized from an extremely young age – and are taught to maim and kill other children to survive.

Analysis of Key Moments in The Hunger Games

• Katniss’s sister, Primrose Everdeen is picked as the female tribute from District 12 for the Hunger Games. 
• Katniss volunteers herself instead and is joined by the male tribute, Peeta Mellark as they head to the Capitol.
• Katniss and Peeta convince their drunk mentor , Haymitch Abernathy , to take his duties seriously.
• The duo wins the affections of the public during the opening ceremony, with the help of the flaming costumes designed by Cinna .
• Peeta reveals that he is in love with Katniss during the pre-Games interview.
• The Games begin, and Katniss flees the Cornucopia . She finds out that Peeta has teamed up with the “Career” tributes.
• An artificial fire is created to push Katniss towards the Careers. She hides from them in a tree.
• Katniss and Rue drop a nest of tracker jackers to escape from the Careers. Peeta comes back to help Katniss escape.
• Katniss and Rue blow up the supplies of the Career tributes. Rue is killed by another tribute.
• A rule change is announced, allowing two tributes from the same district to emerge as victors . Katniss and Peeta team up.
• The duo becomes romantically attached, and emerge as the two remaining survivors.
• Another rule change is announced, stating that there can only be one victor for the Games.
• Katniss and Peeta decide to kill themselves together when the Games are hurriedly ended and they both emerge victorious.
• Katniss recuperates for days at the Training Centre, after which she is informed by Haymitch that she’s in danger for her acts of rebellion.

Writing Style and Tone

The writing style employed by the author is simple and precise – easy for young adults to comprehend. The tone is blunt, dark, and often horrifying, reflecting the seriousness of the novel. The novel is written from the point of view of the heroine, Katniss Everdeen , who acts as an unreliable narrator.

I can’t win. Prim must know that in her heart. The competition will be far beyond my abilities. Kids from wealthier districts, where winning is a huge honor, who’ve been trained their whole lives for this.

Symbols, Motifs, and Allegory

Families are given tesserae (food rations) each year by the Capitol. This is one of the most important ways in which the Capitol maintains control over the districts. Families are also given extra tesserae for entering the names of their children more than once in the annual reaping for the Hunger Games – an act that increases their chances of being picked for the Hunger Games.

The Mockingjay Pin

The Mockingjay Pin symbolizes Katniss’s individuality and free spirit. The pin captures the Mockingjay bird, i.e., a hybrid between a Jabberjay (a bird that was genetically modified to act as spies for the government) and a Mockingbird. The symbol of the Mockingjay is used to represent rebellion and assertion of identity by several people, including Katniss, Madge, and Rue.

Entertainment and Reality Television

The novel showcases an extremely twisted form of mass entertainment – which comes in the form of suffering. Parallels can be drawn to the reality television of this world, where people are pitted against each other for the entertainment of viewers. Just like the people in reality television are required to appeal to the public to gain votes, the tributes in the Hunger Games are also required to appeal to gain sponsors. 

This kind of entertainment is voyeuristic, and the people from the Capitol revel in the violent nature of the Games. It is highly sadistic, and it does not matter whether the suffering is physical or psychological. For instance, there is a huge fascination behind the romance between Katniss and Peeta. The main appeal for this romance is the fact that it is doomed no matter what, because of the tragic ending that awaits the lovers.

The Hunger Games also resembles reality television in the fact that it is widely televised and constantly talked about in the media at Panem. It objectifies the tributes much like reality television objectifies contestants. 

Is rebellion a theme in The Hunger Games ?

Yes, rebellion is a theme in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. There are several instances in the novel when Katniss, and sometimes even Peeta, rebel against the oppressive Capitol. However, this theme is not as prevalent in the first novel as it is in the next two novels in the trilogy, Catching Fire and Mockingjay .

What skill is Gale better at than Katniss?

Gale and Katniss are both highly skilled at survival. While Katniss is exceptionally skilled with a bow and arrow (routinely using it for hunting and killing animals), Gale is better at setting snares for prey.

How is Katniss a rebel?

Katniss’s rebellion starts from the very beginning when she volunteers herself as a tribute in the Hunger Games. Instead of willingly going through every oppressive act that the capital makes her do, she defies the authorities and rebels whenever she can. Her ultimate act of rebellion, however, is seen at the end of the novel when she decides to poison herself along with Peeta – to leave the Games without a victor.

What is Katniss’s sister’s full name?

Katniss’s sister’s full name in The Hunger Games is Primrose Everdeen. Her name is often shortened to Prim. She is a 12-year-old girl whose name is drawn at the reaping of the 74th edition of the Hunger Games. However, she is saved from participating in the game by her sister Katniss, who volunteers herself instead.

About Neesha Thunga K

Neesha, born to a family of avid readers, has devoted several years to teaching English and writing for various organizations, making an impact on the literary community.

Cite This Page

K, NeeshaThunga " The Hunger Games Themes and Analysis 🏹 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/suzanne-collins/the-hunger-games/themes-analysis/ . Accessed 27 March 2024.

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The Hunger Games

By suzanne collins, the hunger games essay questions, in what ways is all of panem complicit in the horrors of the hunger games.

Though the Capitol most actively runs the Games, it could be argued that the entire society grants its support by refusing to boycott or challenge the ubiquitous Games. Katniss does note that law requires citizens to follow the Games, but throughout the book are indications of the population's wild support. When Katniss volunteers to take Prim's place, her district shows its dissent against the Games by refusing to applaud, which suggests that refusal to honor the Games is an option, even if it might carry punishment. Though capable of rebellion (they did revolt once before), the population of Panem lacks the strength to question and challenge their system, instead allowing themselves to be led through spectacle.

Discuss the ways in which Katniss's poverty has shaped her.

Katniss's poverty proves both useful and debilitating to her. Because of her lack of privilege, she has been forced to learn several skills that prove useful in the arena. In addition to her hunting and gathering aptitude, she comments several times on how she knows how to scrounge and her body is able to manage hunger better than those accustomed to luxury. However, her class resentments blind her a bit to certain other assets. Most tellingly, this happens with Peeta, who she considers "soft" and inferior to Gale even after Peeta begins to show his fortitude.

Contrast what Gale and Peeta signify for Katniss, and how each helps her succeed in the Games.

For Katniss, Gale is a symbol of the toughness engendered by poverty, where Peeta is a symbol of selfless kindness. Much of the novel is her learning to accept that both elements are a part of her character. Gale's influence proves extremely useful in the arena, as Katniss uses her stoic demeanor and hunting aptitude to stay alive. However, her ultimate victory comes for being able to trust others, a virtue she first learned when Peeta gave her bread years before. Even in the arena, Peeta's kindness continues to affect Katniss, until she ultimately refuses to win the contest unless they win together.

Trace Katniss's growth from determined stoic to a fuller human being, using examples to illustrate each phrase of her character growth.

At the beginning of the novel, Katniss is a committed stoic, who keeps her features in an "indifferent mask" to aid her survival through tough conditions. After being named tribute but before going to the arena, she is confronted both with her guilt at not helping the Avox, and with Peeta's "purity" of wanting to stay himself until death despite the barbaric pressures of the arena. Peeta's seeming betrayal convinces her a stoic philosophy is best, but she nevertheless allies with Rue and comes to accept her emotional side when she plans Rue's funeral. This happens in larger scale when she decides to help nurse Peeta back to health, and falls for him despite herself. Finally, she refuses to win the Games unless they win together, even if the cost is suicide. By the end of the novel, Katniss is far more confused than at the beginning, but this confusion indicates that she is becoming a much fuller person.

Discuss the influences of ancient civilizations on The Hunger Games.

The influence of both Greek and Roman civilizations is significant in the novel. The Greek influence starts with the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which is a similar tale of children forced to fight to their deaths, a strategy used by the ruler to keep the population in line. The idea of the Roman games, brutal events that gave the lower classes a spectacle to discourage rebellion, is also central to the conception of the Hunger Games. Several of the names in the novel help further this connection, as does the idea of tesserae.

Explain the various methods used by the Capitol to keep its population in line. How does the Capitol keep citizens from connecting with one another, and why are these strategies successful?

The most obvious strategy is the spectacle of the Hunger Games. By distracting its population from the true injustices of Panem, the Capitol keeps them from considering rebellion. This strategy is successful in no small part because it makes the population somewhat complicit in the brutality. Class divisions are another way the Capitol discourages dissent. By separating the Districts from one another along strict lines of wealth, and then encouraging class resentment through tesserae, the Capitol keeps citizens distrustful of one another so that they will not turn their eyes collectively towards their true oppressor. Lastly, the Capitol keeps the Districts from knowing much about one another. Katniss learns this when she talks with Rue about District 11, and notes to the reader that the Capitol is probably not airing their conversation in order to discourage education.

What do you think is the reasoning behind Haymitch's unified front stategy for Peeta and Katniss? What are the effects of the strategy, and why does it work?

The most direct aim of Haymitch's strategy is to create a narrative in the Games that will attract sponsors and hence help Katniss and Peeta in the arena. Haymitch likely gets the idea when he realizes Peeta is in love with Katniss, and knows that their "love story" will make them popular. But the effects of the strategy are more wide-reaching. Katniss, so conflicted by her commitment to stoicism and her class resentments, might have had more trouble trusting Peeta if she hadn't had the excuse that it was all part of the show. By using this defense, she is able to delude herself that she isn't actually falling for Peeta, even though it's clear to the reader that she has feelings for him. Finally, the strategy has a touch of rebellion to it. The whole concept of the Hunger Games is to keep people separate from one another, to discourage rebellion. But this plan actually suggests community, and that manifests in Katniss's suicide ploy at the end of the Games. She uses the love narrative to protect herself once they return to the world, but the rebellious sense of community has already been suggested.

How does the first-person narration help establish the themes of the novel?

Most of the story's themes involve Katniss's growth as a person. The theme of identity and the contradictions Katniss feels are aided by the irony that exists between what she observes in herself and what the reader observes. It is clear to the reader that Katniss is slowly learning to accept her emotional side as a strength, but because she is narrating the story in present tense, she isn't always able to recognize that in herself. This is most clear in her relationship with Peeta, where she insists that her affection is mostly for the show, even as her feelings are clearly genuine. The theme of rebellion also manifests even as the narrator does not recognize it. She learns to accept community as a source of strength throughout the novel, though her primary stated goal remains survival. Because Katniss is our only lens to the story, it explores how our identity is shaped even when we don't recognize it.

Suzanne Collins has stated that reality television, which offers usually the appearance of reality rather than reality itself, is one of her influences in the novel. How is that influence manifested in Panem?

The Hunger Games is meant to offer Panem a brutally realistic glimpse into human nature and adventure. However, the entire event is in truth about superficial image rather than reality. This is clear from the first stages, in which the tributes are introduced to the audiences through high-profile events. The amount of work that goes into shaping their images suggests that what the audience sees are not the tributes themselves, but rather a shaped image of them. Katniss goes through much preparation with her prep team and Cinna, and she and Peeta stay near each other not from any true feeling, but because Haymitch has told them to. And then in the Games themselves, the Gamemakers frequently change the rules and the environment in order to up the entertainment value. Overall, the appearance of reality is all that matters in the Hunger Games.

Discuss the use of fire in the novel, and what it tells us about the protagonist.

Katniss's story is one of adolescent growth, as she learns to accept her passionate side as a strength, and additionally to translate that into a revolutionary zeal. Fire is traditionally an image of strong passion. But the irony is that when Cinna establishes her as "the girl who was on fire," she doesn’t yet realize what he sees in her. Through the novel, she learns to rely on this part of herself, which is reflecting in her desire to keep her fingernails painted. By the end, she no longer needs the spectacle of fire to accept her firey personality. Fire is also the key to survival and strategy throughout – lighting fires is how she tries to distract the Careers in several cases, and the Gamemakers use fire at one point to attack her. All of this suggests that strength for Katniss will come first from accepting her passionate side, and then afterwards learning to control her passions to become a powerful figure.

The Hunger Games Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Hunger Games is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

2. Describe Katniss's relationships with Gale, with Prim,and with het mothef. How do those relationships define her personality? Wny does she say about Peeta,"I feellike I owe him something, and I hate owing people"? How does her ew encounter with Peetaa

Katniss and Gale are best friends. They are not romantically involved, but they do share a deep connection because of the way they've each taken over as provider for their families. They trust each other implicitly.

Since her father's death,...

Where is Katniss at the begening of chapter 1?why?

Instead of waking her family, Katniss heads out to hunt, introducing her reader to her surroundings as she does.

When a tribute dies, why does the hovercraft take the body away, and why does a cannon go off and why does the sky show the tributes and their deaths? Why???

One of the games had an issue with cannibalism. Hovercrafts are dispatched to remove the bodies as quickly as possible and make sure there is never a reoccurrence of this type of savagery.

Study Guide for The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games study guide contains a biography of Suzanne Collins, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Hunger Games
• The Hunger Games Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

• The Danger of Ritual and Tradition in "The Hunger Games" and “The Lottery”
• Feminist Studies of Experience in The Hunger Games
• Defining and Defying Female Stereotypes: A Comparison of Charlotte Temple and Katniss Everdeen
• New Social Order
• Trust in the Hunger Games

Lesson Plan for The Hunger Games

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Hunger Games
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Hunger Games Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Hunger Games

• Introduction

Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Movies — The Hunger Games

Essays on The Hunger Games

Prompt examples for "the hunger games" essays, the brutality of the capitol's control.

Discuss the Capitol's oppressive control over the districts and its use of the Hunger Games as a means of control. How does this control manifest, and what effects does it have on the people of Panem?

Katniss Everdeen as a Symbol of Resistance

Analyze the character of Katniss Everdeen and her transformation from a reluctant tribute to a symbol of resistance. How does her defiance against the Capitol inspire others and drive the narrative?

The Ethics of Survival

Explore the ethical dilemmas faced by the characters in their struggle for survival during the Hunger Games. What moral choices do they make, and how do these choices reflect the harsh realities of their world?

The Role of Media and Entertainment

Examine the role of media and entertainment in Panem, particularly the Capitol's use of the Games as a form of televised entertainment. How does the media manipulate public perception and shape the narrative?

Social Inequality and Class Divide

Discuss the themes of social inequality and the class divide between the Capitol and the districts. How does this divide contribute to the central conflicts of the story?

Love and Relationships in a Dystopian World

Analyze the various relationships in the novel, including Katniss and Peeta's fake romance and the genuine bonds between characters. How do these relationships provide moments of hope and connection in a bleak world?

Revolution and Resistance

Explore the theme of revolution and resistance against oppressive regimes. How do characters and factions within the story work to overthrow the Capitol, and what sacrifices are they willing to make for the greater good?

Symbols and Mockingjay

Examine the symbolism of the Mockingjay and other symbols in the story. What do they represent, and how do they inspire hope and unity among the districts?

Ethics of Reality TV and Spectatorship

Discuss the ethical implications of reality TV and spectatorship as portrayed in the Hunger Games. How does the audience's voyeuristic consumption of violence reflect real-world media and entertainment trends?

The Impact of War and Trauma

Analyze the psychological and emotional impact of war and trauma on the characters, particularly Katniss and Peeta. How do they cope with the lasting effects of the Hunger Games and the rebellion?

Hook Examples for "The Hunger Games" Essays

Anecdotal hook.

"As I followed Katniss Everdeen's journey from District 12 to the Capitol's cruel arena, I couldn't help but reflect on the dystopian world Suzanne Collins crafted—a world eerily relevant to our own."

Rhetorical Question Hook

"What does it take for a young girl to transform from a symbol of resistance into a beacon of hope in a brutal regime? 'The Hunger Games' invites us to explore themes of survival, rebellion, and resilience."

Startling Statistic Hook

"In a society where reality television continues to captivate audiences, 'The Hunger Games' trilogy has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. What does this say about our fascination with dystopian narratives?"

"'May the odds be ever in your favor.' This chilling mantra from the Capitol serves as a haunting reminder of the ruthless power dynamics at play in 'The Hunger Games' and their echoes in our world."

Historical Hook

"From gladiatorial contests in ancient Rome to contemporary social commentary, 'The Hunger Games' draws from a rich history of narratives that challenge societal norms. Examining this history adds depth to the story."

Narrative Hook

"Accompany Katniss on her journey of survival, rebellion, and self-discovery, where every decision carries life-or-death consequences. This narrative captures the essence of 'The Hunger Games' trilogy."

Sociopolitical Analysis Hook

"What does 'The Hunger Games' reveal about the consequences of oppressive governments and the resilience of the human spirit? Delving into the sociopolitical themes sheds light on its relevance to our society."

Character Transformation Hook

"Witness Katniss's evolution from a reluctant tribute to a symbol of defiance. Her journey challenges us to reflect on the power of individuals to spark change in the face of tyranny."

Pop Culture Phenomenon Hook

"From blockbuster movies to merchandise and fan communities, 'The Hunger Games' has become a cultural phenomenon. Exploring its impact on popular culture reveals its enduring relevance."

Psychological Survival Hook

"What psychological strategies do the characters employ to survive in the brutal Hunger Games arena? Analyzing the mental aspects of survival adds depth to the narrative."

Inequality and Meritocracy in "The Hunger Games"

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The Hunger Games Book Analysis

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Hunger Games Character Comparison: Peeta and Katniss

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A Study of The Feminism Experience in "The Hunger Games"

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2012, directed by Gary Ross

based on Suzanne Collins's 2008 novel "The Hunger Games"

Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Primrose, Gale Hawthorne, Effie Trinket, Haymitch Abernathy, Caesar Flickerman, President Coriolanus Snow, Cinna, Seneca Crane, Glimmer, Cato, Clove

The film is set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem, where a boy and a girl from each of the nation's 12 Districts are chosen annually as "tributes" and forced to compete in the Hunger Games, an elaborate televised fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place when her sister was initially selected as tribute. With her district's male tribute, Peeta Mellark, Katniss travels to the Capitol to train and compete in the Hunger Games.

Feminism, politics, social issues.

“As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.” “You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.” “Destroying things is much easier than making them.” “I always channel my emotions into my work. That way, I don’t hurt anyone but myself.”

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The Hunger Games Essay Writing

When you’re writing an essay on a novel or film, you’ll be given an essay topic or prompt. Start by underlining the key phrases in the essay topic. This is what you’ll need to write about in your essay. If you need to clarify the meaning of keywords, consult a dictionary. Sometimes it can be useful to restate the essay topic in your own words.

With the essay topic in mind, it’s time to start planning the essay. Planning is one of the most important parts of writing an essay. It’s a good idea to re-read your text. As you go, make note of interesting scenes and quotations relevant to your essay topic. Reading the text closely means you’ll have lots of examples to discuss in your essay.

The importance of planning can’t be overstated. If you don’t spend time reading your text, taking notes, thinking about the essay topic and giving your thoughts time to develop, you won’t be able to write a detailed and interesting essay.

Once you’ve got your ideas together, it’s time to start organising them. Rewrite your ideas on a fresh sheet of paper, organising related ideas under headings drawn directly from the essay topic.

Essays are a formal and structured style of writing that have three parts – the introduction, the body and the conclusion.

THE INTRODUCTION

Within the space of a few lines, your introduction should introduce the topic of your essay, your contention and what you intend to discuss. The reader should know just from the introduction what your point of view is, and where the essay will be heading. To introduce the topic for a text response essay, you should mention the title of the text in addition to the author. You should cover all of this information in a few sentences: “ The Hunger Games , directed by Gary Ross, is highly critical of violence, valuing the compassion of characters like Katniss and Peeta while criticising the cruelty and self-interest of others.”

The title of the text should be used in italics or single quotation marks. Only one of these is necessary. You should also refer to the author by their full name the first time you introduce them, and by their surname only for every additional time you mention them, for example: “Ross depicts The Capitol as cruel and uncaring.”

WRITING THE INTRODUCTION

1. Show that you understand the essay question by re-writing it in your own words. Don’t simply repeat the key words, but aim to use synonyms. This not only demonstrates your understanding of the topic, but allows you to show how articulate you are.

2. Establish your contention clearly and early on. There should be no confusion as to your take on the essay prompt. If the essay is asking ‘Do you agree?’ – you should make it very clear whether you agree/disagree or partly agree. Other essay prompts may be asking you ‘to what extent do you agree’ or simply to ‘discuss’. Your contention should avoid saying ‘I think’ or ‘I believe’. You should be able to state it confidently and clearly without resorting to the first person. The reader already knows it is your opinion; you don’t need to state the obvious.

3. Perhaps begin with an attention grabber, some startling or interesting information. It could simply be a fact that explicitly illustrates the point you wish to make. You could always use a quote in your introduction. Usually quotes are kept for your body paragraphs, however a quote can be used in the opening paragraph if it fits perfectly with your overall contention.

4. Summarise the main arguments that you are going to discuss in your body paragraphs. If your contention is the what you believe, the supporting arguments are the why you believe this. A few sentences explaining your topic in general terms can lead the reader gently to your main paragraphs. You should make it very clear exactly where the essay is heading.

5. Don’t fall into the trap of summarising the novel – assume your reader knows the text well and doesn’t require too much background information. Get straight into your analysis.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

When you’re writing an essay, a good way to remember the structure of body paragraphs is TEEL.

Topic sentence.  Start off with a topic sentence which explains how the idea you’re about to discuss is related to the essay topic.

Expand/Explain.  Explore and explain ideas related to the topic.

Evidence/Examples. Make sure you use examples and quotations from the novel to support your discussion. The best use of evidence is where the quote is integrated into your own argument.

Link.  Another topic sentence linking back to the essay topic.

THE CONCLUSION

The  conclusion  of your essay should briefly recap that ideas you’ve discussed and tie up your argument. A good conclusion should leave your reader with the impression that you have convincingly answered the essay topic. Try to avoid repeating yourself. You may use short quotations in the conclusion if it’s relevant but don’t introduce any new points.

USING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

When writing an essay, you will need to use textual evidence. The best way to do this is by incorporating short, direct quotations from the text into your own sentences. Quotes should always be surrounded by quotation marks. You can use either single or double quotation marks but don’t use both, e.g.  The Hunger Games  is highly critical of reality television, Gale suggests that if everyone boycotted the program then they “they don’t have a game”.

Introduce longer quotes using a colon, e.g.  The Hunger Games  is highly critical of The Capitol’s cruelty and lack of compassion. As Gale notes: ““You root for your favourite. You cry. When they get killed. It’s sick.”

Always make sure quotes are short and appropriate to your discussion.

An ellipsis can be used to shorten quotes: “Thirteen districts rebelled against the country that fed them…so it was decreed that each year, the various districts of Panem would offer up in tribute one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honour, courage and sacrifice.”

THINGS TO REMEMBER

• Spend lots of time planning your essay.

• Make sure you have an introduction, body and conclusion.

• Because essays are a formal style of writing, you’ll want to avoid the personal pronoun ‘I’. Don’t write, “I think…” or “I believe”. In most cases, you can simply remove these phrases and your sentence will read much stronger.

• Avoid retelling the story.

• Use short, appropriate quotations to support your discussion.

ESSAY TOPICS

Try your hand at essay writing by having a go at one of these topics about  The Hunger Games .

The Hunger Games is a critique of reality television. Discuss.

The Hunger Games  promotes the idea that compassion is more important than self-interest. Discuss.

The Hunger Games is a pageant of honour, courage and sacrifice. Do you agree?

“You root for your favourite. You cry. When they get killed. It’s sick.” Do you agree with Gale’s assessment of The Hunger Games?

Although  The Hunger Games  is a violent film, it is unrelenting in its criticism of violence and cruelty. Discuss.

It’s The Capitol, not the other tributes, which is the real antagonist in the film. Discuss.

The Hunger Games

Suzanne collins, everything you need for every book you read..

In The Hunger Games , social inequality occurs at all levels: throughout the nation of Panem, among the twelve districts, and among the inhabitants of any given district. It is this inequity that breeds strife and creates the main conflicts of the book. In Panem, for example, wealth is heavily concentrated in the hands of those living in the Capitol, and the result is that they can’t even comprehend the lives of the poor. The citizens of the Capitol don’t realize that the inhabitants of the districts are just as intelligent as they are—and just as capable of feeling—because they lead such drastically different lives. It’s this lack of understanding that allows the citizens of the Capitol to dismiss the suffering of the Hunger Games as entertainment: they don’t view the tributes as real people. They see them, via the “reality TV” of the Hunger Games, as a means of entertainment.

Among the districts, District 12 is known for being one of the poorest, and this affects Peeta’s and Katniss’s chances in the arena as well. Some of the other tributes have had the resources to train for the competition, and this advantage extends not only to combat, but also to winning sponsors who can provide food, water, and healing kits during the Games. This setup suggests that the disadvantages of being underprivileged tend to follow the poor even after they’ve left their initial circumstances behind.

Finally, the way that tributes are selected to be in the Games is perhaps the most obvious indicator of social inequality. Even though the lottery is random in theory, the tesserae system makes the poor more vulnerable. In exchange for extra rations of food and oil—tesserae—children can enter their names into the reaping additional times. Because the children of poor families need tesserae in order to survive and support their families, they’re more likely to be picked than the children of wealthier families.

Societal Inequality ThemeTracker

Societal Inequality Quotes in The Hunger Games

Gale knows his anger at Madge is misdirected. On other days, deep in the woods, I’ve listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district. A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure we will never trust one another.

“At least, you two have decent manners,” says Effie as we’re finishing the main course. “The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion.” The pair last year were two kids from the Seam who’d never, not one day of their lives, had enough to eat. And when they did have food, table manners were surely the last thing on their minds.

I realize I detest Haymitch. No wonder the District 12 tributes never stand a chance. It isn’t just that we’ve been underfed and lack training. Some of our tributes have still been strong enough to make a go of it. But we rarely get sponsors and he’s a big part of the reason why. The rich people who back tributes—either because they’re betting on them or simply for the bragging rights of picking a winner—expect someone classier than Haymitch to deal with.

Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitution for the Capitol version. What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button?

The Capitol twinkles like a vast field of fireflies. Electricity in District 12 comes and goes, usually we only have it a few hours a day. Often the evenings are spent in candlelight. The only time you can count on it is w hen they’re airing the Games or some important government message on television that it’s mandatory to watch. But here there would be no shortage. Ever.

Almost all of the boys and at least half of the girls are bigger than I am, even though many of the tributes have never been fed properly…The exceptions are the kids from the wealthier districts, the volunteers, the ones who have been fed and trained throughout their lives for this moment.

Downloadable Content

The Hunger Games: Food as a Source of Power and Symbolism in Young Adult Dystopian Literature

• Masters Thesis
• Aguinaldo, Mariah
• Clark, Irene L
• Barresi, Dorothy M
• Stallcup, Jacklyn E
• California State University, Northridge
• Suzanne Collins
• Young Adult
• Dissertations, Academic -- CSUN -- English.
• The Hunger Games
• 2018-06-07T18:01:44Z
• http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/203625
• by Mariah Aguinaldo
• California State University, Northridge. Department of English.

Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Critical and Analytical Writing

5 Dystopia and Violence in the Hunger Games Trilogy

Complit 131 brave new world, shannon roch.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins has become well-known for both its popularity among young adult readers, and its subsequent influence on the creation of dystopian young-adult franchises such as Divergent. Books in the young adult genre—particularly when they are, like this trilogy, paired with extreme popularity and with the sci-fi/fantasy genre—traditionally seem to be viewed by the general public as frivolous escapism, and thus are frequently overlooked by academics and literary critics as serious literature expressing concepts meaningful to the real world. However, the Hunger Games trilogy incorporates many grim elements common to dystopian literature, such as authoritarian governments and all that tends to accompany them—lack of freedom of speech, for example. The trilogy also includes themes of violence (including war, fear, and PTSD) as major themes in both the progression of the plot and the growth of the main characters. This paper will look at how the themes of dystopia and violence manifest themselves in the trilogy, and will argue that the trilogy actually explores socioeconomic, political, and psychological concepts much more mature than its critics would expect.

The Hunger Games trilogy is set in Panem, a future North America beset by environmental crises and rent by past war. Panem is governed by the wealthy, decadent Capitol in the Rocky Mountains, which survives on goods produced by the twelve working-class districts surrounding it. In punishment against the districts for a past rebellion, the Capitol forces each district to send one boy and one girl to participate in the Hunger Games, an annual event televised live throughout Panem, in which the children fight each other to the death. District children are selected for this purpose via a sort of grim lottery, called the reaping.

The dystopian elements of the series are obvious from the very first chapter of the first book in the trilogy, which opens with the heroine, Katniss, waking up on reaping day. As she goes about her daily activities and muses on the unfortunate reality of the reaping, the reader slowly gathers that Panem is a dystopian world. The most obvious dystopian element at this point, before the nature of the Hunger Games itself becomes fully revealed to the reader, is the lack of free speech. Katniss notes how she has “learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts. […] Even at home, where I am less pleasant, I avoid discussing tricky topics. Like the reaping, or food shortages, or the Hunger Games” (The Hunger Games 7). It is not made obvious precisely how Katniss fears that incriminating speech could get back to the Capitol, but as Don Latham and Jonathan M. Hollister note in “The Games People Play: Information and Media Literacies in the Hunger Games Trilogy,” “clearly the fear of surveillance is a powerful means of social control through Panem,” even though it “is not clear how extensively surveillance is actually used” (Latham 40). The fear of even the possibility of rebellious comments being recorded is enough to curb any such discussion.

What is clear is that this is not a world where free speech is valued or even possible, but instead a place where citizen dissent has serious ramifications. The threat comes not only from the government, but also from other citizens, who may use their familiarity and knowledge of others’ actions to exploit them, as evidenced by Katniss’s description of those who take bets on whose names will be drawn for the reaping. “Odds are given on their ages, whether they’re Seam or merchant, if they will break down and weep. Most refuse dealing with the racketeers but carefully, carefully. These same people tend to be informers, and who hasn’t broken the law?” (The Hunger Games 20). Needless to say, this makes District 12 a place of distrust not only toward the Capitol, but also toward one’s fellow citizens.

Another element making Katniss’s world dystopian becomes obvious in the first chapter: class differences. Katniss lives in the Seam, the poorest part of District 12, as does her closest friend Gale. The people of the Seam are less fortunate than other people of District 12, living in such extreme poverty that emaciated bodies and death from starvation are not at all uncommon. But aside from these disadvantages, the poverty of people in the Seam also forces them to put themselves at much higher risk of being reaped for the Hunger Games. Katniss describes how, at the age of twelve (the same age at which they become eligible for the Games), District 12 children may “opt to add [their] names more times [to the reaping bowl] in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meager year’s supply of grain and oil for one person” (The Hunger Games 15). The necessity of providing for both oneself and one’s family every year means that, at the age of sixteen, Katniss’s name appears in the reaping ball twenty times, and eighteen-year-old Gale’s name appears a whopping forty-two times.

Clearly, both Katniss and Gale are at much higher risk of being selected for the Hunger Games than Madge, the mayor’s daughter, who seems to come from the merchant class and “has never been at risk of needing a tessera” (The Hunger Games 16). As evidenced by Gale’s anger toward Madge when she happens to meet him and Katniss on reaping day, these differences sow further discord and mistrust between the citizens of District 12, this time along class lines. Of course, Katniss quickly learns that their assumptions about the risk of being reaped are a bit misplaced—as evidenced by the reaping of both Prim, whose name was entered only once, and of Peeta, who is a baker’s son from the merchant class, and therefore has probably never needed tesserae. Much later, Katniss also learns that Madge’s aunt was herself a tribute, one who died while partnered with Seam-born victor Haymitch.

Class differences also lead to more generalized friction between the classes in District 12. In fact, as Joe Tompkins argues in his article “The Making of a Contradictory Franchise: Revolutionary Melodrama and Cynicism in The Hunger Games,” that these class differences dovetail nicely with the Capitol’s desire to keep the different classes (and the different districts) from feeling too unified, due to their differences, since “These circumstances [of poorer families taking more tesserae] underscore the class divide that propels the competition, and they disclose a world where ‘pitting every district against the others’ is a way of maintaining class structure” (Tompkins 74). As the people of the Seam look down on the merchant class for their supposedly soft lives, the merchants look down on the people of the Seam for no apparent reason than their poverty. In remembering the desperate days of starvation after her father died, Katniss describes how when she checked the Mellarks’ trash bin for food, Peeta’s mother started screaming at her, “telling me to move on and did I want her to call the Peacekeepers and how sick she was of having those brats from the Seam pawing through her trash. The words were ugly and I had no defense” (The Hunger Games 36).

It is worth noting that, although race or appearance itself seems to have little meaning in Panem, it is frequently noted how the merchant class and the people of the Seam look quite different, to the point where Katniss’s blond and blue-eyed mother (from the merchant class) and sister “look out of place” (The Hunger Games 9) in the Seam. By contrast, Katniss resembles her Seam-born father, and like Gale has straight black hair, olive skin, and gray eyes. The mention of olive skin in particular suggests that the people of the Seam may be people of color. The connection between appearance and social discrimination is worth noting—not only in District 12 but also in District 11 (Rue’s and Thresh’s homeplace), an agricultural district seemingly set somewhere in the south, where many of the citizens are black-skinned and work in orchards of some sort in slavery-like conditions. District 11’s description in Catching Fire makes it clear that the residents of this district are far more severely oppressed than those of District 12:

We slow slightly and I think we might be coming in for another stop, when a fence rises up before us. Towering at least thirty-five feet in the air and topped with wicked coils of barbed wire, it makes ours back in District 12 look childish. My eyes quickly inspect the base, which is lined with enormous metal plates. There would be no burrowing under those, no escaping to hunt. Then I see the watchtowers, placed evenly apart, manned with armed guards, so out of place among the fields of wildflowers around them. “That’s something different,” says Peeta. Rue did give me the impression that the rules in District 11 were more harshly enforced. But I never imagined something like this. (Catching Fire, 67–68)

It is important to acknowledge, of course, that the social hierarchies traditionally ascribed to race and color in the real world may not necessarily apply in Collins’s world. Nevertheless, this description of almost concentration-camp-like conditions in a district populated by black people, laboring daily in what is essentially a plantation for their rich Capitol overlords, are hard to ignore. Notable, too, is the surprise of Katniss, who has previously seemed to assume that the poverty and famine experienced by her own (generally lighter-skinned) district is the height of misfortune, and only now realizes that she has actually been privileged to escape the additional misfortune of social oppression experienced by District 11 residents. In other words, Katniss has been privileged all her life (due, if not to her race, then to the region she grew up in), to the point where she has been totally ignorant of her own privilege.

Aside from poverty, the lack of free speech, and class/ethnic differences, the ultimate challenge faced by the people of Panem’s districts is the Hunger Games itself. While there are certainly many citizens who never get reaped, the risk is always there for residents of every district, in every class, while going through their teenage years. The annual spectacle of the Hunger Games, however unpleasant, is very much a part of district culture: Even someone who does not get selected themselves is likely familiar with watching people die on live television, starting from a very young age. This is an important part of the preparation for potential future tributes, as stated by Latham and Hollister, who note that it “seems likely that Katniss has already gained a well-developed ‘sense’ of the Games from watching previous Games year after year, something that is required of every citizen in Panem” (Latham 36). Some of the people whom viewers see die may well be people they know from their own districts, or even their own family members—while in the Games, Katniss is often motivated by the thought that Prim is probably watching her efforts to survive. Of course, the Hunger Games also forces contestants to sacrifice their own morality and humanity in order to survive, since all children must attempt to kill other children (one of which may even hail from the same district) in order to survive. This ties into the larger subject of war, violence, and PTSD, which will be discussed later in this paper.

Aside from the personal challenges faced by tributes to the Hunger Games, the Games are dystopian in the sense that they also serve the larger purpose of discouraging revolt against the Capitol, which arguably counts as an authoritarian government due to its surveillance and its brutal treatment of the districts. The story told at every District 12 reaping recounts the Dark Days, in which the thirteen districts revolted against the Capitol “which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens” (The Hunger Games 21). The Capitol’s retaliation led to the supposed obliteration of District 13 and the beginning of the Hunger Games: “The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws that guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games” (The Hunger Games 21). But Tompkins makes the case that the creation of the Hunger Games and the division it symbolizes between the Capitol and the districts can also be seen as an issue of class:

The ostensible purpose of the Games is ceremonial: to commemorate The Dark Days, an erstwhile rebellion wherein the poorer districts tried, and failed, to overthrow the Capitol, forcing the revolutionary vanguard underground in the seemingly abandoned District 13. But the Games’ true function is symbolic violence in the guise of entertainment, a ritualistic reminder of the sheer power of the Capitol and the futility of rebelling against it. In short, the Games exist to keep class conflict at bay, or, to paraphrase Guy Debord, to manifest a social relationship mediated by spectacle. (Tompkins 71)

In other words, the Hunger Games not only brings peace (in a sense) and provides entertainment, but also provides a framework for reinforcing class differences between the Capitol and the districts. What the reaping day’s history lesson does not mention, of course, is that the Capitol lifestyle is one of massive excess and comfort, and that most of the people of the districts do come from a drastically different socioeconomic class, being essentially impoverished slaves who spend their lives working to support their hedonistic Capitol masters. Hence, it seems highly likely that this framing of the Hunger Games as a just punishment against ungrateful districts is Capitol propaganda, and that the Hunger Games were instead created to discourage future revolts by demoralizing the Districts and making union between the Districts unlikely. Katniss seems cognizant of the fact that the first of those goals—demoralization—is inherent in the Hunger Games, noting that the “real message is clear. ‘Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen’” (The Hunger Games 22).

But it is not until Katniss is actually in the Games that she seems to get the first inkling of how the Hunger Games are actually used to divide the Districts. The fact that flow of information between districts is banned seems to be a given, considering Katniss’s thoughts when she discusses life in District 13 with Rue. “It’s interesting, hearing about her life,” Katniss notes. “We have so little communication with anyone outside our district. In fact, I wonder if the Gamemakers are blocking out our conversation, because even though the information seems harmless, they don’t want people in different districts to know about one another” (The Hunger Games 246). This is in itself notable as a dystopian element, as it is part of Panem’s “strict control of information and misinformation” (Latham 37) by which the Capitol “tightly controls information in an effort to discourage resistance as much as possible, particularly any kind of widespread resistance” (Latham 37).

But while partnering with Rue is not unusual—temporary partnerships form all the time in the arena—Katniss’s unusual refusal to see Rue as an enemy, and her insistence on mourning her death, make clear that the animosity the Games typically arouses in rival districts is essentially an anti-revolt measure. After all, if Katniss had done the more typical thing and killed Rue, the people of District 11 would probably have hated her, and by extension would have hated District 12, making union between the districts difficult. Instead, Katniss covers Rue in flowers and sings to her, wanting to “do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is a part of every tribute they can’t own” (The Hunger Games 286). In doing so, she unwittingly invites sympathy from the people of District 11, who send her a gift of bread, and also commits her first act of rebellion against the Capitol, although she does not really seem to realize this until she watches the replay of her Games and notes that the act of covering Rue in flowers has been censored, since “even that smacks of rebellion” (The Hunger Games 440). Much later, in Catching Fire, the sheer sight of victors from different districts holding hands in unity is enough to cause a media blackout.

Aside from pitting the districts against each other and thereby discouraging rebellion, the yearly Hunger Games also, of course, involve violence and death. As noted, this has a powerful impact not only on the people of various districts who watch their own people kill and be killed, but also on the victors. It must be remembered that the violence visited on the tributes is not only perpetrated by other tributes (who could themselves be seen as “a piece in [the Capitol’s] Games” (The Hunger Games 172), but also by the Capitol through other threats in the arena. In Katniss’s first Games there are several examples of environmental threats—fireballs, tracker jacker wasps, and a body of water that dries up—most of which are merely meant to drive the tributes closer together for the sake of drama. The Games are, after all, being broadcast on live television and serve not only as oppression of the districts, but also as the “circuses” that keep the people of the Capitol safely entertained. But the final environmental threat instigated by the Capitol in Katniss’s first games are the muttations, which seem specifically designed to serve not only as a physical threat but a psychological one. This could be seen as the Capitol’s way of terrorizing the three remaining tributes—at least one of whom will certainly become a victor and thereby will have “slipped the noose of poverty that strangles the rest of us” and become an “embodiment of hope where there is no hope” (both Catching Fire 212)—and reminding them that all tributes are still the Capitol’s dogs, collared and lacking their own agency.

Katniss’s first Games are only the first of the trilogy’s many instances of violence and killing. On her post-Games Victory Tour, Katniss witnesses the civil unrest in the districts which she has unwittingly instigated through her celebration of Rue and her romance with Peeta (which culminated in their particularly provocative suicide pact with the berries). The most poignant of these is in District 11, where displaying the three-fingered salute and Rue’s mockingjay call lead to the Peacekeepers putting a bullet through an old man’s head. Aside from being an obvious act of violence, this serves as more psychological warfare against the victors, particularly Katniss, whom President Snow sees as the one to blame for the unrest and who consequently has more guilt over the violence. Though Katniss has obviously been affected by her experiences in the Games since they ended, it is the Capitol’s retaliation that really seems to cause her to be wracked by symptoms of post-traumatic stress. It is on the Victory Tour that Katniss’s nightmares increase to the point that she wakes up screaming in spite of taking sleeping pills.

It is not until the revolution is well underway that Katniss fully realizes just how strong the Capitol’s hold has always been over the victors—while her actions make her particularly prone to arousing the Capitol’s ire, the Capitol has never been particularly kind to those who win the Games. Johanna, unlike Katniss, is untroubled by jabberjays mimicking the sounds of tortured loved ones because, as she says, “They can’t hurt me. I’m not like the rest of you. There’s no one left I love” (Catching Fire 418), which may suggest that any loved ones from her own district were murdered by the Capitol after Johanna became a victor. This may seem like a far-fetched inference to make until one considers the backgrounds of Finnick, who was blackmailed into prostitution out of a desire to protect his loved ones, and Haymitch, whose family was killed because he, like Katniss, made the Capitol feel threatened by the unconventional way he won his Games. In fact, the only relevant difference between Haymitch’s and Katniss’s actions in the Games were that Katniss’s actions not only defied the Capitol but actually incited revolt, whereas Haymitch’s did not.

After the decimation of District 12 and Katniss’s escape to District 13, the psychological warfare of the Capitol continues to serve as a weapon against the victors, particularly Katniss, and by extension against the rebellion. This could actually be said to have started at the beginning of Katniss’s second Games when Cinna was beaten up in front of her, but its frequency and severity takes a sharp uptick in Mockingjay. Conditioned by a life spent carefully attempting to avoid aggravating the Capitol in any way, Katniss feels guilt when she visits the remains of District 12, blasted after her escape from the arena, and sees bodies “reeking in various states of decomposition, carrion for scavengers, blanketed by flies. I killed you, I think as I pass a pile. And you. And you” (Mockingjay 6). The Capitol’s torturing of Peeta also serves as long-distance warfare against Katniss with which they attempt to cripple not only him but also her. The roses that Katniss associates with President Snow serve as psychological warfare on several occasions, including the discovery of the roses in District 12 and the hideous rose-scented muttations in the sewer that call Katniss by name. Of course, there are also many more general instances of PTSD to be found in the other tributes, such as Johanna’s fear of water and Annie’s mental illness.

Finally, it could be argued that the effects of war, mistrust, and PTSD start to turn the supposed heroes of the trilogy, and Katniss in particular, into anti-heroes who bring about realities just as dystopian as the ones they are fighting against. On a wider scale, the anti-hero concept can be seen in District 13, which uses Katniss as a tool just as heartlessly as the Capitol did, and where President Coin seems poised to become just as much of a dictator as President Snow—to the point where Katniss chooses to shoot her rather than Snow. On a more personal level, Katniss in her child-soldier role seems to have become equally heartless, having transformed into more of a killing machine than she ever was in her first games, killing an unarmed Capitol citizen and shortly thereafter mowing down countless people in the Capitol streets. “Peacekeeper, rebel, citizen, who knows?” she says. “Everything that moves is a target” (Mockingjay 398). This is very different from the Games—where Katniss knew who she was killing, did so for her own survival (and Rue’s or Peeta’s), and frequently felt empathy for her victims.

Toward the end of the trilogy, however, Katniss seems to have a growing awareness of the pointlessness and evil of the violence she is both experiencing and inflicting, and again starts to feel, if not exactly empathy, then at least a weary discomfort with war. The key to unlocking this emotion is realizing that her own actions, and Coin’s actions, are endangering the lives of children just as much as President Snow ever did. Before Coin even proposes her own Hunger Games, Katniss feels deeply uneasy about the death of the Capitol girl in the lemon-yellow coat (Mockingjay 397) and the District 13-instigated attack of the children serving as a human shield for the President’s mansion, which results in Prim’s death. The latter incident is a particularly poignant example of the sort of anti-heroism of war at this point in the story, since it seems likely Gale played a role in devising this trap.

In conclusion, the world of Panem contains a number of elements that make the Hunger Games trilogy a classic, chilling example of dystopia. Many of the themes are ones familiar to readers of dystopia—authoritarian governments and surveillance, for example—but the Hunger Games trilogy has a particularly modern resonance with its use of themes such as class/racial friction, the use of media to manipulate viewpoints and simultaneously entertain/control the masses, oppression of the lower socioeconomic tiers, and the ensuing rage and desire for a revolution of the social order. The presence of such elements is especially poignant when one considers that the trilogy is supposedly intended for children and, as such, is frequently seen as just a frivolous mainstream franchise. On the contrary, it could instead be argued that the mature nature of many of the themes touched upon in the trilogy mean it deserves to be taken more serious in literary circles as a work of dystopian literature.

Works Cited

Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. Scholastic, 2009.

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic, 2008.

Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. Scholastic, 2010.

Latham, Don and Jonathan Hollister. “The Games People Play: Information and Media Literacies in the Hunger Games.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 45, issue 1, Mar. 2014. 33–146. Web. Retrieved 9 Nov. 2020.

Tompkins, Joe. “The Makings of a Contradictory Franchise: Revolutionary Melodrama and Cynicism in the Hunger Games.” Journal of Cinema & Media Studies, vol. 58, issue 1, Oct. 2018. 70–90. Web. Retrieved 9 Nov. 2020.

Writing the World 2020 by Shannon Roch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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