Although the film follows along with the novel very closely there are some apparent differences. For instance, the book is told in first person from Katniss Everdeen’s, the protagonist, point of view. Therefore readers observe this world from Katniss’s mind in the book, whereas in the film she never speaks in first person. This leaves us seeing less outside events in the book and revolves the story around her interpretations solely. In the movie however we see the world of Panem in an overall perspective. Viewers vividly get to witness situations in full effect whereas in the novel Katniss may merely say certain events in a couple of sentences or does not mention them at all. For example, in the film there is a huge riot in District 11 after the death of a young girl named, Rue. This incident in the book cannot be portrayed through Katniss’s perspective because she is not aware of it at the time due to the fact she is in the Hunger Games. The district does send her a parachute, a gift from a sponsor, and she wonders how these people have sent it when they can barely afford to feed themselves (Collins 239). This would be one of the very few downfalls when it comes to the book versus the...
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
Several types of societies exist in today’s world, dystopias - miserable societies of oppression- and utopias - ideal societies of political or social perfection. Dystopias are illustrated in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, which extensively follow the characters, Katniss Everdeen and Guy Montag, and their quests to rebel against government control. The Giver by Lois Lowry, an ostensibly utopian community, succumbs to the typical, corrupt dystopian society, where the government is in total control of every aspect of the community. Although each novel, on the surface, has a diverse plot, they share a comprehensive idea: the effects of the government on society. In The Hunger Games, the government, referred to as the capital, forces each district to select a male and a female to fight to the death, to keep the nation, Panem, in
After reading the book and watching the movie 1984 there were similarities and differences between the two. The novel is about manipulating people in believing in something that isn’t really there and about erasing history. Both the book and film focused on: authority, government, and war. The book and film follow the theme of conformity to control society.
Summary: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins narrates the story of a dystopian society with a strict regime and corrupt government system. It all occurs in the futuristic country of Panem – old North America– which originally consists of thirteen districts; however, due to a rebellion the Capitol drops bombs on the thirteenth district destroying it completely. This uprising leads to the creation of the Hunger Games in order to instill fear in the population and prevent a second revolution. Twelve districts remain but appear divided not only by physical fences but also emotional barriers, wealth, and power. The Capitol serves as the Mecca where individuals with major monetary income reside and so does the President. Even though Districts 1 and
With a massive marketing campaign, it’s no wonder The Hunger Games quickly became a world-wide sensation. But, I believe its popularity isn’t due to marketing alone. In The Hunger Games we find important, if overly-dramatic, depictions of social conditions that weigh on the minds of young people today: an uneven distribution of wealth leading to massive and ever-growing class stratification; power in the hands of a few elite members; social control through widespread propaganda; and fierce competition among social classes for resources. Films like The Hunger Games are helpful for young people by teaching them a new way to see the world, through the lens of social theories such as Karl Marx’s Conflict Theory.
Suzanne Collin’s novel The Hunger Games, explores the blurring boundary between private and public life, a process amplified by the entertainment industry, and draws a commentary upon the parallels existing in our society.
The Hunger Games take place in Panem, a dystopian society that is divided into twelve districts and ruled by the Capitol, a totalitarian power. The people of the districts are suppressed; they have no rights and no freedom of speech. In Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults, literary criticism by Patrick Smith, he contributes to the idea of a dystopian society saying “dystopias feature totalitarian regimes and shattered economies, global war, climate change, the lack of meaningful personal relationships and lost identities, and the underdog fighting against near-impossible odds. All current societies, dystopian novels suggest, are just one cataclysmic event away from collapse.” This accurately describes the occurrences in Panem.
In conclusion, the themes found in the Hunger Games all portray important symbols and messages that give the book a more interesting and effective outlook. Moreover, it is important to notice how this novel relates to our contemporary world, making it seem more realistic.
The Hunger Games is not simply a thrilling film that has gained the interest of people both young and old. It is a warning for the people of this nation to stop and examine the world in which they live and the social norms, rituals, and the economic and political system in which they participate. Greed and power have for too long driven and dictated the way in which Americans live their lives. If we are not careful, there is a possibility our society could end up the way that the futuristic society in The Hunger Games ended up. This movie is tale of caution that must be heeded.
Another blaring difference between the two societies in Fahrenheit 451 and the Hunger Games is that of their government. The form of government in Fahrenheit 451 consists of a democracy whereas the Hunger Games government is corrupt and resembles nothing of a democracy. Even though we may see the world of Fahrenheit 451 as strange and bad there is still a democracy, which we consider to be fair. A similarity between the two governments systems would be how they both suppress things much like it is today, that each government believes could hurt the stability of society. The Hunger Games government suppresses interaction between districts to instill conformity because they know if there was interaction it could cause unhappiness and take away from the level of cooperation between the people and the government.
A dystopian text often consists of a society that is based on a utopian ideal of a “perfect” society. Despite being a fictitious setting, the more realistic a dystopian text seems, the more disturbing it is for the audience. The novel The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, takes place in the Republic of Gilead that was formerly the state of Massachusetts. Massachusetts has been reformed to a place where puritan traditions and beliefs are the only customs allowed. Gilead and its totalitarian government oppress women to the extent where rape is a norm in their society. The novel The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is about a contest held in the country of Panem, where twelve teenagers are forced to fight one another until only one survives the battle. The people of Panem are mandated in watching this contest, as a reminder of the previous uprising that was stopped by their totalitarian government called the Capitol. Atwood depicts Gilead in a way where it is almost possible for the society in Gilead to
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 main source of power in the hunger games is very clear showing that the government in this case the capitol how they use their power to control power. This is because the Capitol holds the most of the country’s money and wealth. The Capitol there is able to control what happens, when it happens and how much it costs. For example in the book Katniss has put her name down for the reaping as everyone else do too. ‘The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each 12 districts must provide a boy and a girl, called tributes, to participate.’ This quote from the book shows how the Capitol has made a law that they punish the districts because they were all smothered to bits and district 13 has been fully destroyed by the Capitols army. Although this book shows how Katniss resists the kinds of power against the capitol for example. How she salutes into the air in the games and everybody sees or when Rue dies and Katniss cover her with flowers. These symbolic gestures create attention to the fact that there are actual people out there in the hunger games not just game holograms. These small moments of truth and reality.
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