The Hunger Games is arguably one of the most influential children’s books. It’s hard to read it without seeing the parallels to world problems today. I’m going to be going over some of the largest implications of The Hunger Games series. -- June price, 6th grade
 The Hunger Games is arguably one of the most influential children’s books. It’s hard to read it without seeing the parallels to world problems today. I’m going to be going over some of the largest implications of The Hunger Games series. “I was flipping through the channels one night between reality television programs and actual footage of the Iraq War when the idea came to me,” said author Suzanne Collins in an interview, discussing the root of the Hunger Games. Perhaps it is a more extreme version of our world, but starving children, suffering people, and a callous government certainly aren’t unfamiliar concepts. The political implications (Credit: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire) In the Hunger Games, the Capitol controls Panem and the districts serve the capitol. This is an example of totalitarianism, where the government has absolute control over its people. We can observe this in Nazi Germany and modern-day North Korea. In North Korea, people cannot move around the country, travel freely, and have enough food. There are also ruthless police figures in both the modern and Hunger Games world. The climate implications (credit: Unsplash) In the hunger games, North America has shrunk into a dystopia called Panem. In the first Hunger Games book, it’s stated that “[The Mayor] lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained.” We can also observe the flooding in the official map of Panem, see in the map below.  |
(Panem Propaganda)
The coastlines have shattered into clusters of small islands. This is a mere shadow of present-day America, and we can see that human carelessness nearly destroyed us.
Philosophical/moral implications:
The coastlines have shattered into clusters of small islands. This is a mere shadow of present-day America, and we can see that human carelessness nearly destroyed us.
Philosophical/moral implications:
In the Hunger Games, we see the consequences of death and the dark side of control. When we see Rue’s death, the way Katniss is manipulated, the psychopathic ways of leaders, and the excuses humans make for them, it dawns on the reader that no one deserves any of this. Marvel, who killed Rue, was a child trying to survive, just like her. Was he any less a victim? Coin, the supposed solution, was no better. We’re constantly wondering: Who is the villain? Katniss, who could have destroyed humanity? Lucy Gray, who murdered innocent children? Dr. Gaul, who twisted brains into doing terrible things? Coin, who was power-hungry and selfish? Snow, who killed hundreds? We know that these are people who lived in a terrible society, but then, they make up society. But who deserves to die? The books call us out on our ignorance, our disregard for human lives. We watch people on the streets, clothes ragged. We watch children starve, be forced to fight in wars. How are we any better than the Capitol?
Overall, The Hunger Games mirrors our world and our struggles, and questions our hypocrisy. You can buy them here.
Overall, The Hunger Games mirrors our world and our struggles, and questions our hypocrisy. You can buy them here.
