Katniss 'Deviance In The Movie Reaping'

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Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is living in the impoverished, lower class of society. There are twelve districts controlled by the government and each year there is a Reaping. The Reaping is a “celebration” for the government where they select one male and one female from each district for The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games serve as entertainment for the rich class. The contestants are required to fight to the death and the sole victor is worshipped by society and returns to their district providing a renewed sense of pride. The selections for the games are made by drawing a slip of paper, with an individual’s name on it, out of a cup. The number of slips of paper per person correlates with how often they request food from the government. …show more content…

There are four recognized paths of deviance (Henslin). Katniss displays one of those paths: rebellion (Scheer). Rebels are categorized by “their rejection of both society’s goals and its institutionalized means” (Henslin). From the beginning of the movie, it is obvious that Katniss refuses to abide by the rules of society. Food was supposed to be regulated by the government, but Katniss would often sneak off into the woods to shoot rabbits and squirrels with her bow and arrow in order to feed her family. Hunting was strictly forbidden by the government. However, Katniss was willing to break the law in order to evade the repercussions of getting food through the government. Another pivotal act of rebellion was during her audition before the judges, after her training session. When realizing that she had lost the attention of the judges, she fired an arrow into the feast, striking the roasted pig in the head. Clearly this act was out of line and disrespectful, yet for Katniss it achieved exactly what she desired: attention. Lastly, and arguably the most memorable act of rebellion in the movie was at the end of the games when Katniss threatened to eat the poisonous berries along with Peta. The rules of the Hunger Games stated that there could only be one winner. However, Katniss and Peta refused to fight one another. By threatening to eat the poison berries, Katniss and Peta were rebelling against the rules by implying that this year there would be no winner. Throughout the entire movie, Katniss refuses to conform to society’s standards and the government’s rules. She establishes herself as a rebel, ready to fight for her own personal

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