The Hunger Games Analysis

With a massive marketing campaign, it’s no wonder The Hunger Games quickly became a world-wide sensation. But, I believe its popularity isn’t due to marketing alone. In The Hunger Games we find important, if overly-dramatic, depictions of social conditions that weigh on the minds of young people today: an uneven distribution of wealth leading to massive and ever-growing class stratification; power in the hands of a few elite members; social control through widespread propaganda; and fierce competition among social classes for resources. Films like The Hunger Games are helpful for young people by teaching them a new way to see the world, through the lens of social theories such as Karl Marx’s Conflict Theory.

According to our text, Conflict Theory explains that in a capitalist system society is fundamentally divided between two classes: the working class, whose only resource is labor, and the powerful bourgeoisie, who own of the means of production and have seemingly unlimited access to resources such as housing, food, money, services, and political representation. (Schaefer 14). Viewing Western society in this way, Marx explained that struggle between these two social classes was inevitable due to the oppression and exploitation of the working class, otherwise known as the proletariat, by the bourgeoisie. Furthermore, Marx maintained that the capitalist system of economic relationships (demonstrated by unequal distribution of resources), social relationships (demonstrated by class stratification among other things), and political relationships (demonstrated by political representation as well as widespread propaganda) maintained the power and dominance of the few elite owners over the many workers and that the solution to this...

... middle of paper ...

...hey were being exploited and they would unite in the solidarity of their oppression, rising up in a global revolution. (Schaefer 14).This is just what we see beginning to happen toward the end of The Hunger Games. While within the games Katniss forms a bond with a young girl named Rue, from another district, even though they are supposed to kill each other, and later, in mourning of her death, Katniss looks to the camera and holds up three fingers, a sign of respect and admiration for the districts. It is this act which insights the viewers in Rue’s district to revolt.

The criminal justice system judges and punishes each group differently.

In addition, the elite can often afford expensive lawyers and are sometimes on a first-name basis with the individuals in charge of making and enforcing laws. Members of the working class generally do not have these advantages.