Similarities Between The Hunger Games And Fahrenheit 451

A dystopia is a futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. A dystopian society is created through the use of propaganda, constant surveillance, fear, and uniform expectations to control the citizens of the society. Information, independent thought, and freedom is usually restricted by either the government or the citizens’ own ignorance, because they feel the need to conform to uniform expectations. In a dystopian society, the natural or outside world is banished or distrusted, because the citizens have developed a fear of the outside world. In The Hunger games and Fahrenheit 451,

many of these characteristics can be seen throughout the book and movie.
In Fahrenheit 451, the citizens of Montag’s world have no independent thought anymore.

Their government enforces the idea of ignorance, and their freedom to knowledge is restricted to keep them complacent. They are under constant surveillance so that the firemen know when they have books so they can come burn the books and sometimes the people too. Along with the firemen having no respect for human life, others in their society kill one another for fun, and no one really seems to care as much as they care about people owning books, showing how their society has dehumanized them. The citizens of the city that Montag lives in also live in fear of the outside world and really anything that may disturb their fun, care free lives. Propaganda is also used in Fahrenheit 451 through the televisions. Since they have televisions that take up entire walls, it is very easy for their government to use the televisions to distract the people from what is important, keeping them ignorant. They use the senseless television programs to keep people entertained without having anything solid to think about. Another aspect of a dystopian society that is present in Fahrenheit 451 is the illusion of a perfect world. This characteristic is taken to the extreme in Fahrenheit 451 because the citizens believe that they are happy, when really their lives are basically pointless, and they are ignorant to the point where there is a war going on around them and they have absolutely no

concerns or worries about it.
In The Hunger Games, propaganda is a major component of their society.

Their society is based around the Hunger Games, which are propaganda themselves. Everyone in the districts are surrounded by the fear of being put into the games, or of someone they love being put into the games. Those who live in the capitol are controlled by the games as well, because while they cannot be thrown into them like everyone else can, they are also surrounded by it, and it is used to distract them from how bad it is in the districts. Information and freedom is restricted by their government because they are not allowed out of their district. Even those in the capitol are stuck in the capitol and could not leave even if they wanted to. They have a concept, the Hunger Games, which are basically worshipped, at least by those in the capitol, and they also somewhat idolize Snow, despite the fact that he is not really a president, but more of a dictator. They are under constant surveillance, especially while in the Hunger Games, and they always have the peace keepers there as well. They live in a dehumanized state because they are forced to kill in the games, and those in outer districts are forced to live in extreme poverty. Finally, their society is an illusion of a perfect world, for those in the capitol, and maybe those in the first few

districts.
There are many characteristics of a dystopian society that can be seen in both Fahrenheit 451 and The Hunger Games. The citizens in each world are living in a dehumanized state, because of their own ignorance and their government. They have banished the outside world, and fear it because of the propaganda their governments have shown them. Both societies use propaganda and constant surveillance to keep their citizens complacent.