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Feminist analysis of The Hunger Games
Gender roles in the hunger games
Gender roles in the hunger games
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In this essay, an analysis is made between the two female protagonists from the two popular dystopian fiction trilogies, The Hunger Games and Divergent. The character’s traits are explained to prove that Katniss Everdean and Beatrice “Tris” Prior are both exceptional characters that exhibit non-traditional female gender qualities in fiction. Keywords: Katniss Everdean, Tris Prior, The Hunger Games, Divergent, dystopian fiction, female gender stereotypes, gender roles Female Characters Who Overcome Gender Stereotypes Today’s young adults are reading a variety of fictional novels for entertainment. One of the more popular genres is categorized as dystopian literature. Dystopian literature generally focuses on government control and oppression …show more content…
She also becomes a resourceful fighter through some persistent training. Her bravery becomes well-known throughout the faction. Zeke, from Divergent, states: “I have to say, I’m impressed that you aren’t screaming or crying right now.” Uriah, also from Divergent claims: “I told you, she’s [Tris] Dauntless through and through.” (Roth, 2010, p. 220) This quote signifies how other characters recognize Tris. She is not looked down upon in her faction despite being a young girl. Tobias also recognizes Tris’ strength in the books. Tobias explains: “I didn’t think it would affect you this way…Sometimes I forget that I can hurt you. That you are capable of being hurt.” Tris says: “[Tobias] did what he did because he believed in my strength” (Roth, 2010, p. 366). Tobias distinguishes Tris as extremely strong and capable, even forgetting that she can be hurt. This explains exactly how Tris is viewed by others in the novel. She is independent and intellectual in how she handles dire situations. Tris does have romantic thoughts about Tobias or “Four” rather quickly, but is reserved about the relationship at first. She claims: “I feel more like myself…And I am someone who does not let inconsequential things like boys and near-death experiences stop her” (Roth, 2010, p. 346). Tris sounds like she’s trying to convince herself of this in her thoughts but her actions actually prove this statement true. In the end, the personalities and traits of both Katniss and Tris don’t fit into the stereotypical female roles generally found in
It is not often that a strong and significant female character is introduced in a movie and/or book as the main character. Pan’s Labyrinth, though not the typical fairy tale, introduces the viewer to three females that prove controversial and necessary to the plot, which passes the Bechdel Test, designed to identify gender bias in the media. There is Carmen, the loving mother, Ofelia, the supposed princess/innocent girl, and then there is Mercedes, Captain Vidal’s maid and rebel spy. These three women show different portrayals, different characterizations, of how women should defy the gender bias in films.
Dystopian novels have been becoming increasingly popular among teens. A dystopian novel is book that is based around a society that is characterized by oppression and misery. It is a society that creates the illusion of a perfect environment. Teens enjoy this genre mostly because they can relate to the theme. Teens often feel trapped and controlled by a higher authority.an example would be the government in many of these books. A novel that has a dystopian society in “Anthem” by Any Rand. A movie that is based around a dystopian society is The Maze Runner. The novel “Anthem” and the movie The Maze Runner are popular amongst teens because of the oppression in their young adult life.
It has often been said that there is nothing new under the sun. In this vein, authors across all literary genres often borrow themes and plot from the stories of long ago. Many of those authors choose to borrow from the rich mythology of the ancient Greeks. Suzanne Collins has been asked on numerous occasions where the idea for The Hunger Games originated. She readily admits that the characters and plot come from Greek mythology and more specifically, from Theseus and the Minotaur (Margolis 30). One familiar with both both stories can easily recognize the identical framework upon which each of these stories are built. Both Theseus and Katniss Everdeen, Collins’ heroine, volunteer to go into battle for their respective homelands, they both fight beasts of strange origin, and they are both brave in battle and emerge victorious, but it is the uniqueness of the characters that makes each story appropriate for the time period and audience to which it belongs. Collins modernizes the classic hero of Theseus by changing his gender, his motivations and altering his selfish personality, and by doing these things she creates a heroine that better resonates with today's audience of young adults.
A book called 1984 written by George Orwell's talks about manipulation in public, surveillance from the government, and perpetual war. Understanding the dark dystopian society of the book, different portrayed of the gender roles that were described from a woman and man roles in the book. Women had to portray
Over the past few years, there has been various books, films, and even songs about influential, heroic, women throughout the world. Some of the most recent heroic female figures include the fictional character “Hermione Granger” from the novel Harry Potter by J. K Rowling. Another strong female figure includes “Katniss Everdeen” from the novel The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins. The two heroic women certainly share their differences. Hermoine was described as a bookworm who could be a tad bossy at times. Katniss was athletically inclined, however, lacked certain communication skills with people. Although Hermoine and Katniss have their distinct differences,
For the past few decades, women’s positions improve significantly due to feminist movements, which can be presented through contemporary films. Instead of focusing on male-only heroes, an increasing number of filmmakers tend to create female heroines. Nevertheless, women have not yet achieved reproductive rights. In other words, different from men, who can freely express themselves, female’s actions are still limited by societal norm. Thus, female characters, as a reflection of contemporary females in society, demonstrate the fact that females are attempting to challenge gender stereotypes under societal pressures. Katniss, the heroine in Hunger Games, is presented as a role model. However, Marieme, the working class girl in Girlhood, seems
The Hunger Games is a unique novel that explores a fascinating concept, what happens when you throw twenty-four people to battle to the death? What’s truly remarkable about the novel is its ability to be read from a feminist point of view. Collins takes on the role of a feminist author by placing Katniss Everdeen, a female underdog, as the winner of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are about strength and endurance, and females were not favored to win under any circumstances. By making Katniss the winner, Collins defies the gender stereotype that women are weak and unable to defeat men in competitions that favor physicality and strength.
In our Society when you don't follow the rules, you become an outcast to the rest of the society. Suzanne Collins’ novel series, The Hunger Games criticizes our society and its demands for people of specific genders to act in certain ways and become certain things. Stereotypes concerning gender are prevalent in our society and all over the world. However, The Hunger Games gives a very refreshing tone of “mockery” to these stereotypes. Katniss Everdeen isn’t your typical 16 year old girl, and neither is Peeta Mellark a typical 16 year old boy, especially when they are fighting everyday just to survive. The Hunger Games is a work of social commentary, used to convince us that there can’t and shouldn’t be any defined “roles” based on gender. A mixture of “stereo-typical” gender roles within a person and their actions is what people need just to survive in our world that is changing every day.
Archetypes such as the martyr give a clear depiction of which characters in a story have good values that the reader can agree with. In Arabian Nights and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Scheherazade and Katniss can both be displayed as a martyr due to their self sacrifice to save those they deem more important than themselves. In Arabian Nights, Scheherazade was preventing other women in her kingdom from being killed by their ruthless king, Sultan Schahriar. Schahriar would marry a different woman every evening and have them killed the next morning because he was so convinced all women were evil after discovering his first wife had cheated on him. Scheherazade volunteered to marry Schahriar and strategized on how to stay alive past one
To the naked eye, Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games may seem like a feminist novel. The fiercely independent Katniss is the quintessential literary heroine, who is self-sufficient and can hold her own. However, a closer look at the narrative can reveal that Katniss is not much of a radical feminist icon at all. The unnecessary portrayal of Katniss as a predominantly unfeminine female raises many red flags regarding the feminist nature of this novel. The novel implies that in order for a female to be successful in the Hunger Games, Katniss has to take on anti-feminine qualities. When it comes to feminism, role reversal is an ineffective literary strategy because it does not challenge our values on gender, it only gives us a male hero with a female name.
Time and time again, women have consistently been cheated when it comes to being represented fairly in literature. Throughout countless literary works, many female characters are portrayed in stereotypical and submissive roles. Three literary works that break from this trend are Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, and George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. These works examine themes of beauty and marriage, and feature female characters in prominent roles. But what influenced how male and female characters are portrayed in these pieces of literature? Examining Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, and Shaw’s Pygmalion from a feminist perspective reveals how gender characterization, author perspectives, and gender
Gender roles refer to theoretical construction about how people who belong to different genders should speak, think, dress, act and interact within the context of community they live in. Moreover gender roles divided into two main elements, which are dependent on the cultural context as well as the personal preferences or tendency of someone. Gender representations in “The Hunger Games” represents classical shifts away from mainstream gender roles with some elements and reinforces established gender roles in others. Girls are presented as the fairer gender, with an inclination towards being emotional and kind and rarely have characteristics of toughness and strength as is characterized by boys. On the other hand,
In order for us to deal with how a consideration of femininity can effect our understanding of a literary text, we must also be able to grasp the notion of `feminism' and `Feminist Literary Theory'. A dictionary definition of `feminism' is: `the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes.' Although this leans towards feminism in the historical sense of the word, it still provides the grounds, or foundations, from which feminist literary theories were created. Feminists argue against the stereotyping and social construction of female norms, seeing them as created by men in order to establish their own sense of power. It is thought that while males suggest that gender is sex and not actually a construct, the female role will become much more passive, stereotyped and controlled.
In a not-too-distant, some 74 years, into the future the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 13 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games; these children are referred to as tributes (Collins, 2008). The Games are meant to be viewed as entertainment, but every citizen knows their purpose, as brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts. The televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eradicate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. The main character throughout the series is a 16-year-old girl from District 12 named Katniss Everdeen.
Fisher, Jerilyn, and Ellen S. Silber. Women In Literature : Reading Through The Lens Of Gender..