Examples Of Transcendentalism In The Hunger Games

Although the philosophy, transcendentalism, is thought by some to be outdated, elements of this philosophy are still present in literature today. In the novel, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, the character Gale, represents the ideals that Henry David Thoreau, a transcendentalist writes about in his essay. The character Gale lives in the futuristic dystopia country of Panem located in North America. Panem is separated into twelve different districts that operate under one president and each year children from ages twelve to eighteen have their names placed into a bowl. On the day of the ‘reaping’ two names, a boy’s and a girl’s, are chosen from each bowl in each district and placed in an arena and forced to fight to the death, a system

In the society that Gale lives in speaking out against the government and rebelling is highly frowned upon and punishable. Katniss, the main character and narrator of the story, tells us how she once used to speak out loud about her beliefs but no longer does because she’s learned better. However when Katniss and Gale are in the woods, in nature, Gale does not hold his tongue back and because he is outside of society and in nature, he can truly be himself. Gale is so much himself that he even screams out into the woods,” But what good is yelling about the Capitol in the middle of the woods? It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make things fair. It doesn’t fill our stomachs. In fact, it scares off the nearby game. I let him yell though,” (Collins, 6). Gale openly expresses his views about the government in the woods as well and even dares to make fun of officials. Gale appreciates the woods, nature, and it’s ability to set him free and allow him to live peacefully and by himself such a great amount that he wants to run away and live in the woods,” Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it,” says Gale,” (Collins, 10). Thoreau actually writes the novel, Walden, which is a recollection of his time he spent living in nature alone for two years,” I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had

Thoreau believes that the government deters from who we are and does not let us find our natural ability. He believes that society and its governments are so easily susceptible to corruption and that we should not just conform and we should question what is placed in front of us. He even writes,” The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it,” (Thoreau, 1). Gale expresses these exact views and goes on rants about the government and the way it is run to Katniss. He believes that it is extremely corrupt and the leaders try to turn the citizens against themselves,” A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and 15 thereby ensure we will never trust one another. “It’s to the Capitol’s advantage to have us divided among ourselves,” (Collins, 15). Gale not only mocks and ridicules the Capitol themselves but its officials. Effie Trinket, a capitol woman, who announces the contestants that are being brought into the next hunger games, is the subject of Gale’s ridicule. While him and Katniss are in the woods he,” Suddenly he falls into a Capitol accent as he mimics Effie Trinket, the maniacally upbeat woman who arrives once a year to read out the names at the leaping,”