Throughout the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins there are many way it relates to the environment. There are environmental issues through out the novel between the districts and the capital. Also, many of the environmental issues are intertwined with one another and most of the people pay the cost of these issues while a few don’t.
One of the major environmental themes in The Hunger Games is difference inside the districts and out side where people are not allowed to go. Inside district 12 the environment is far from good, "who still polished my father's shaving mirror each night because he'd hated the layer of coal dust in the Seam"(27). This quote showcases that inside the district(aka, the Steam) the environment is not good because
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This message is displayed not only in the districts but the games them self. "Starvation's not uncommon fate in District 12"(28), once again showcasing that inside the district the environment is a major because the poor conditions in which people try to live are not suitable and is major issue. This happens though out all the districts, which have to pay the environmental consequences that people in the capital don’t have to. "Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitution for the Capital version. What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button"(65). The quote relates to the issue between the capital and the districts and how not everyone has to pay the cost. Additionally, people from the capital don't realize what is happening in the world out side of the capital and could care less since they have easy access and plentiful resources such as food that they take for granted. Therefor people from the capital don't stop and think about the external cost, while the people from the districts struggle trying to supply the capital. The food and hunger is just another example of an environmental message in the
In both books they share some traits, even though they may not look anything alike they are. both of these novels are dystopian novels and many characters share similarity’s.
Human life in the story is not valued in this setting either, since teenagers are thrown into arenas every year to kill each other just for sheer amusement of the government officials. The main city that is within the capitol conforms to the same thought process and and behavior, making them appear dehumanized to outsiders. The citizens of the capitol don’t question anything the government does, and worships them to the point of referring to them as ‘peace keepers.’ Going outside of the barrier is feared, as well as expressing any independent thought because of every district being under surveillance by the government. The whole concept of having the Hunger Games is to spread propaganda and to make light of the bigger districts and officials. They use technological control to add unnatural elements into the arena such as programmed wolf-dogs, genetically made death wasps, and fire blasts. The cameras watching every district constantly is also a form of this type of control. The society in this series is controlled by corrupt bureaucrats by forcing everyone to give to the government in order to have food, leaving many places poor and destitute. Adolescents have to risk their lives just to keep authorities happy. And anyone who tries to speak against what is happening, let alone tries to revolt, gets killed on the
Yamato, Jen. Burning Questions.“The Hunger Games and Real World Parallels: “Can kids all become Katniss Everdeen”. Movie Line. March 13, 2012. Web. May 04, 2012
The hero’s journey is a useful tool in analyzing narratives of all kinds, from myths to movies to everyday life. One of the most iconic stages in the Hero’s Journey is the ordeal, otherwise known as the belly of the whale or the cave, in which the protagonist has reached their darkest and most hopeless point – things cannot get worse. Once the hero gets through the main ordeal, their journey home is much more sedated. This can be paralleled to the encompassing plot structure, in which there is a climax, and then the intensity of the story winds down again. This stage is one of the most universal in the hero’s journey, because without conflict and climax, there is no drive or reward within the story. Popular movies such as The Hunger Games,
Panem is the country were the Hunger Games is set and represents a dystopian United States as it is divided into thirteen districts under the power of the Capitol. As in America, which began with thirteen colonies ruled by a colonising country: England. Here, there is a very clear difference between the lives of the rich and the poor. In fact, all the richness is concentrated in the Capitol, the wealthiest district, or in other certain districts. Most people in the districts are sevearly underfed, creating discontent within the population, leading to rebellion. An example of this is when Katniss Everdeen hunts illegally in the forest past her district, to be able to bring her family some food: “The woods became our saviour (...) it was slow going at first, but I was determined to feed us. I stole eggs from nests, caught fish in nets, sometimes managed to shoot a squirrel or rabbit”. The sixteen year old, being one of the tributes, experien...
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.
The residents of the districts in The Hunger Games are cruelly treated by the ruling Capitol. In the poorest districts, their labor as miners (District 12) or farmers (District 11) is exploited for the good of the rich while they slowly starve or are injured or killed by their dangerous work. This is very clearly a tale of capitalism run amok: the wealth disparity between the rich (the Capitol), the poor (most of the districts), and the “middle class” (the districts with Career tributes, 1 and 2) mirrors that of contemporary American society. Katniss is a vocal critic of this structure throughout the novel, often thinking things like “What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, th...
The Hunger Games- “a futuristic dystopian society [Panem] where an overpowering government controls the lives and resources in twelve different districts” (The Hunger Games). The overpowering government lives in the Capitol of Panem and from there controls the citizens of the twelve districts through propaganda and other means. The Capitol has all of the economic and political power in Panem; they have complete control. The leader of the capitol is the harsh, dictator-like figure, President Snow. President Snow’s methods for keeping order in the districts are through Peacekeepers and the annual Hunger Games. The Peacekeepers are an army that monitors each district. Any sign of rebellion, and the Peacekeepers take care of it, usually by killing the rebel in some way. The annual Hunger Games are used to remind all of the citizens of Panem about the uprising in the now obliterated District 13. The Hunger Games, in a way, brainwashes all of the citizens, but a select few such as Katniss Everdeen, to believe that an uprising would be horrible and is not necessary and that the Capitol does what is best for all of the citizens. In
Access to food draws a thin line between the privileged and the poor. In Suzanne Collins’ novel The Hunger Games, food has a massive impact on the different characters from the different locations. Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist, lives in the poorest district in Panem – District 12. Each different district has a specialty that they use to provide for the Capitol; District 12’s specialty is coal mining. Author Despail explains the districts in a way that makes it easier to understand by stating that “[e]ach outlying district in Panem forms an identity around not only the products the district is known for but also the ways in which its citizens cope with their lack of food” (70). Because of this, many people in District 12 have a tough time
The sustenance provides an inner look on a person’s own worth and integrity. The need to be one’s self is a basic need and want of life, but it is also very difficult in achieving. That is why it is so important for Katniss to simulate the theatricality made by the capital, and give the people what they want, which is for the stimulated to be real. The question of reality is raised by Peeta, who realized that his fear is that, after all his memories were replaced and has been through physical and psychological torture, that he is still himself. We also know that the last time that he had asked this question was in the cave with Katniss in the first hunger games. It is because of the wealth of the capital that they have control over the 12 districts. Also in the game it is said that the higher the district you are, the poorer you are, and the lesser the advantage you have over the other tributes. This proving that the Capital controls the wealth of the districts and uses it against the districts. Even in the games, the rich battle against the poor because in the games, tributes from districts 1 to 4 team up against
The first theme in the movie that is similar to that of mythology is sacrifice. “The Hunger Games” begins with the reaping, a ceremony where one male and one female child from each District are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games to fight to the death. The children are chosen as a sacrifice to pay for the past wrong doings of their ancestors. The ritual begins and a video plays to the audience stating “This is a reminder of the rebellion, a price the districts have to pay. Freedom has a cost; we swore as a nation that we would never know this treason again. So it was said that one female and one male child from each district will be chosen each year to fight to the death as tribute. This is how we remember our past, this is how we secure our future.” The requirement of a sacrifice to ensure survival and food will be available for the future is similar to the sacrifices of many ancient cultures; specifically that of Egyptian myth. Osiris was killed and his body torn to shreds by his brother, Set. Everywhere that Osiris’ body was spread; abundant crops grew as a supply from the Gods. This also relates to the myth of Persephone, who was kidnapped by Pluto and brought to the underworld. Each year when Persephone returned to earth the world would flower with abundant growth, when Persephone went back to the underworld, all plant life ceased to exist until she returned again. This shows ...
In a nation where children and teenagers fight each other to the death for live entertainment annually, what social norms can actually be considered ethical? This is the question that Katniss Everdeen faces throughout The Hunger Games series. She must choose between doing what is right, and what is accepted, because in her world, the wrong thing is breaking the rules, no matter how wrong they may be. The rules that she deals with are much different than the ethical principles that people in the real world deal with, but for Katniss and the rest of the districts in Panem, these rules are what they have known their entire lives. Catching Fire is the second installment in The Hunger Games trilogy, based on the books written by Suzanne Collins,
The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand and the movie The Hunger Games directed by Francis Lawrence and Gary Ross are popular among teens because they can relate to them by the high expectations put upon them. In a dystopian novel or movie, there is a dystopian protagonist. A dystopian protagonist is someone who often feels trapped, struggles to escape, questions existing systems, believes or feels as if something is wrong in the place they live in, and then helps the audience realize the effects of dystopian worlds. These are both good examples because it takes us on a walk through the protagonist's life and only then do we see what dystopian really is.
The Hunger Games that follows, the term that defines a dystopian fiction. One main belief that defines Dystopian society is the development into a “hierarchical society” (“Dystopia”). A hierarchical society plays a big part in the story that outline the whole plot. For example, Capitol is wealthier than all the districts. Some districts are more privileged than others. The Careers, being tributes from districts one to three, are prepared and trained for years before the games. However, this is illegal, but because of the support towards District two from the Capitol, they are let off, along with District one and District four, the other richer districts. In this cas...
The Hunger Games, a film based off of a novel written by Susan Collins, was released in March of 2012. The film, and the book it was based on, chronicles the struggles of a girl named Katniss Everdeen, a girl who lives in a poverty stricken province or “District”, until untimely circumstances forces her to play in the Hunger Games, a gladiatorial like contest where children between the ages of 12 and 18 are forced to fight to the death. A contest that was set up by an oppressive and authoritarian government, and has thus far been sustained via the forced obedience of the rebellious Districts, the brainwashing and conditioning of Districts 1 and 2, and the conditioning of the residents of its Capitol. The movie has a variety of messages, most especially in regards to social control and social conditioning. With these ideas in mind, a case could very well be made that The Hunger Games, throughout its two hour long run time, shows a very realistic look at a socially conditioned society and what humanity can become with the right amount of conditioning and control by an authoritarian force.