Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games

What causes one human being to believe they are superior to another? What qualifications must one have in order to assume the seat of power and control? Is it money, social standing, wealth, experience, age, intelligence, or a specific range of skills? When it comes to discussing Suzanne Collins’ novel The Hunger Games, “internalized injustice” is a significant concept that cannot be overlooked. The book depicts a wealthy city amassing vast riches at the expense of the rest of the world. Capitol’s residents live a totally different life from the rest of the city’s residents. They are classy, well-fed, and to even make their life much more interesting, come up with a game for their amusement, ”The Hunger Games”. In this essay, I will be carrying out an analysis of the Hunger Games. This will involve an extensive analysis of the themes present that portrays the happenings within our society. From the Hunger Games, sacrifice is not easy, but in the end, it’s worth the effort.

Suzanne portrays the atrocities experienced by the lesser districts as the lead character in the series. The participants are selected from each district and have to participate in a fight to the death. They are oppressed because it is not their will to participate in the games. She says, “Because we’re going to be thrown into an arena to fight to the death.” You either kill or be killed. She cites the three features of the gladiator games that were strictly relating to her twelve districts; a proud and cruel government, citizens forced to battle to the death, and the sports’ function as a source of entertainment through reality shows aired live in televisions. The government is the oppressor and does not seem to notice that it is has a misguided governing system. The participants themselves are used for entertainment by the television hosts who pretend to have a genuine care for them but are only building upon their popularity, with them as the climbing stairs.

Alienation of the rest of the twelve districts from the Capitol is evident. The Capitol is treated as the only place with important people while the rest of the citizens are treated like savages. Capitol and the twelve districts are very different in that the Capitol is a wealthy city while the twelve districts are in abject poverty. Their dress code, code of conduct, tells it all.” The Game-makers appeared early on the first day. Twenty or so men and women dressed in deep purple robes. They sit in the elevated stands that surround the gymnasium, sometimes wandering about to watch us, jotting down notes, other times eating at the endless banquet that has been set for them, ignoring the lot of us…” Citizens from the areas are restricted from mingling and visiting the Capitol and forming social classes in the society. Suzanne describes how merchants could not mix up although she got along with some of them. The division is clear though it is not quite elaborated as to who gave the Capitol the power it has over the rest of the citizens and as to the same is acquired. Alienation is caused by the politics that exists within the community. This was evident from the way the Capitol community was being treated. Benjamin in his words said that politics manages sensual conditions of modernity. As a result, people destroyed themselves out of a war that they engaged in (Susan 3).

Power is viewed as the root of all evil in Collins’ book. Where power should be used as a tool to ensure equitable distribution of resources and development, it has been used to oppress the people. Their power was gained on the roots of democracy. She describes a state where dictatorship and ruthless governance occurred, with citizens subjected to forced activities like The Hunger Games as a form of punishment. ”This is how we remember our past; this is how we safeguard our future.” Katniss in her narratives tells how The Hunger Games were used as tools to keep the leaders in power and propagate their brutal governance to the people. However, the citizens in District twelve from which Kate hails portray their brave move and act against the brutal power which excites and gives Katniss some air of importance and the feeling of being loved. Power is also evident by the consistency in the war that the actors are exposed to. This is evident from the statement that was said by Benjamin, war leads to human domination. With this, the most powerful could control the people in the ways that suit them (Benjamin 4). Additionally, the fact that people have been secluded from other districts is a symbol of power. This is because Capital as a district is used to keep people in check. This brings out the concept of social class discrimination. ”Inter-subjectivity” is expressed by the way the Capitol takes advantage of the poverty of other districts. They do not consider the feeling of the parents, the family members, and even the community as to how they treat their children. She says ”Look how we take your children and sacrifice them, and there’s nothing you can do if you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.” They use threats to ensure that they have instilled fear in the rest of the citizens. Taking advantage of the poor is a way of subjectivity (Oksiloff 39).

Power is not only found in cruelty and oppression. While the circumstances are dire, compassion gives the oppressed hope. First of all, Suzanne uses cruelty and violence significantly as her major themes but later outlines the existence of compassion in hunger games characters such as Katniss, Peeta, and Rue. Katniss opts to stay with Rue after discovering that he sustained deep wounds during the tribute. This act of compassion touches Katniss as she remembers waking up and finding Peeta tending to her wounds, he says to her, “I’m not going to leave you; I’m not going to do that.” In fact, due to the act of kindness, they are more motivated to live to the next day and look forward to the next tribute; somewhat giving them the power to conquer.

It is not a case of the good, the bad or the oppressed. The plot expressed by Suzanne in her characters throughout the story ultimately proves that no other human being should have the power to control the other. Social class hierarchy does not prove that one is better, but that one is only lucky. Similarly, people will always find the strength to overcome dire circumstances and especially when they are doing them for the right reasons.

In conclusion, every community including our nation has rules that govern it. There are people who control it. The problem comes in when power is used in the wrong manner. From the Hunger Games, the separation that was created as a result of human domination brought an aspect of unity. Take, for instance, the alliance that was formed by Peeta, Rue made Katniss discover that she is stronger when with the team. It also made her realize that Capitol as part of her and she had the mandate to protect it. Hunger Games try to expose other challenges that affect our community, age, technology and adoption of a new culture. Walter, an author of Interfaces of The World in which he studied the evolution of consciousness and culture. He tried to exploit the world of humans. He elucidated that the technological man has better ways of understanding his environment (Walter 129).

Works Cited

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. 1st ed., New York, Scholastic Press, 2014

Ong, Walter J. The Presence of the Word: Some Prolegomena for Cultural and Religious History. New Haven, Conn. u.a.: Yale Univ. Press, 2001. Print.

Oksiloff, Assenka. ”Eden Is Burning: Wim Wenders’s Techniques of Synaesthesia.” The German Quarterly. 69.1 (1996): 32-47. Print.

Shmoop Editorial Team. ”The Hunger Games Themes.” Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Jun. 20

Susan Buck-Morss. Aesthetics and Anaesthetics: Walter Benjamin’s Artwork Essay Reconsidered: October, Vol. 62 (1992): pp. 3-41.print.