My love of dystopian fiction came at a young age. My geeky family of night owls guaranteed I was surrounded by books. I was so absorbed by them I learned to read and understand words but mispronounce them in conversation—my Mom will tell you stories about depot and hors d'oeuvre, which an unfamiliarity with French and slight dyslexia rendered ‘horse-devour’, an eater of equines. The young adult genre in its current form was different during my high school years, so in about fifth grade I went from Choose Your Own Adventure to 1984 without any sort of cognitive bridge. This explains a lot.
I became fascinated with futurism, totalitarian states, and technology as indistinguishable from magic. Today, a young person with similar interests would be overwhelmed with choices, books filled with characters begging to be identified with. This diary will examine the political themes of one such text, Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.
Hunger Games takes place in post-apocalypse America, after a world war and rising sea levels render the United States into Panem, a nation consisting of a Capitol and twelve districts, each specializing in a particular form of production: agriculture, fishing, electronics, and others. Each year, all district children between the ages of twelve and eighteen are required to submit their names for reaping, a grim lottery to choose one boy and girl from each of the twelve districts to fight in the annual Hunger Games. In this way, the Districts are reminded the Capitol reigns supreme.
Protagonist Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen year old sharpened by an industrial accident which killed her father, the desire to support her family, and the constant threat of starvation faced by residents of District 12. While loss and abandonment are common themes in young adult literature, unique to Collin’s writing is a distinct lack of pandering. Katniss is neither cute to the point of saccharine, or so advanced the narrative becomes unbelievable. Katniss is resourceful, intelligent.
Hunger Games is surprisingly class conscious, which is why I recommend this work so highly. Hunger Games is a great way to engage discussions about class, wealth, and privilege between young people and adults. The districts themselves are clearly stratified, but so is the mechanism of the Games. Children who submit their names for reaping may also add additional submissions in exchange for food and fuel: one extra ticket per year, for each member of their family they wish to support. Because tickets are cumulative, the Games disproportionately reap the most impoverished families, even among poor districts. Katniss’ name is in the reaping twenty times. Her best friend Gale, with many brothers and sisters to support, is in the drawing fourty-two times. Madge, the only daughter of District 12’s mayor, wants for little and thus her name is in the reaping once per year. The chances of Madge competing in the Games are nonexistent compared to Gale, whose exchange will still not be enough to support his siblings.
Against all odds, Katniss’ younger sister Prim is selected for the Games the first year she is eligible to enter her name, prompting Katniss to volunteer in her place. Volunteers are rare, usually coming from wealthier districts where children train their entire lives to win the games.
When Katniss travels to the Capitol to prepare for the Games, she makes many observations about resources, and the tendency of Capitol residents to focus on the superficial. Also present are opportunities for discussion about persona, style, and the crafting of image, as Katniss is ‘remade’ to participate in the Games. Of some interest here is her stylist, Cinna, who develops Katniss’ wardrobe and appearance in a fairly subversive way. Her image will attract sponsors, who can purchase items to assist her in the Arena as she fights other tributes. There are great opportunities here to discuss media, message shaping, and the malleable, yet ethereal nature of image and style in politics. Katniss’ relationship with Peeta, the male tribute from District 12 can be examined in this light as well, especially how it is used to manipulate the audience. Katniss and Peeta are something of a power couple this way, within the context of the Games.
Collins mentions in several interviews her inspiration for Hunger Games came from watching footage of the Iraq War, competitive ‘reality’ shows, and Greek mythology. Katiniss then, is something of an underprivileged Theseus.
So, what did you all think of Hunger Games? What other young adult fiction do you suggest for political discussion?