Hunger games as a Cultural Resource
In the Hunger Games we follow our protagonist Katniss Everdeen some time in the dystopian future where two children from each “district” are placed into a game of death. There can only be one winner, the rest of these players must die for the games to end. This future has advanced technologies and very different societal structures than we have today, but as we recollect on this series and the current political climate, I ask, does this future seem that impossible? This Book-turned-movie series explores this future world and has the viewer questioning why this society accepts these barbaric rules as law and how it’s release and storyline mirrors the societal issues of the time.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/31493759/The-Hunger-Games-Tribute-Poster/modules/201022691
The book trilogy originally came out in 2008, George W. Bush had just finished serving 8 years as president, handing over his title to thefirst ever black president Barack Obama. The United States was facing The Great Recession since the housing bubble had finally collapsed and economic struggle was rampant everywhere.
With where the United States was during the release of this book this sort of dystopian society is a parallel of the struggles ongoing in 2008. This trilogy was a way for the struggles to get reimagined and resolved– but as things usually go it wasn’t quite the perfect resolution for all parties involved.
In the story, those with money and power do not have to participate in this “game” and don’t have to sacrifice anything. They watch The Games and have no blood in it (literally and figuratively). All of the districts specialize in something specific like woodwork, technology, farming, etc. However, all of these skills are not to serve themselves but to serve the Capital (those in power). The divide between the wealthy and the poor is so vast it only* almost* seems unbelievable, as we commonly see this sort of division of wealth in the United States and abroad today.
https://www.oxfam.org/en/take-action/campaigns/fight-inequality-beat-poverty
The systematic change necessary to have this sort of world be a reality would be a huge change. One that would require the government to essentially collapse and become new again. In this franchise that is how we get this new government, the United States collapses and districts arise from the ashes of the old world. The culture in this new world is one that works based on fear.
For a world such as this to exist there not only needs to be a systematic change but a change in technology as well. The way the game is designed is so that no player can escape. There is a force-field around whatever arena is designed for these children to fight in. Something like this would not be possible today, but a version of it might.
This imagined world is not one that is sought after. Nobody wants to live in the society that this book brings to life. However, some of the themes and underlying issues within the trilogy do stem from very real issues that we face in society today as well as when the books were released. The stress, anxiety, and distrust of our leaders is all prevalent today. Many of us are barely scraping by and some of us are not reaching ends meet. We are yearning for some sort of change and The Hunger Games inspires rebellion and anarchy. It showcases the pain and loss that occurs when trying to change a system that is broken, a system that every day seems more and more possible with the direction the U.S. is heading. It only exists because we allowed our original government to take too much control in a time of need.
As we look back at this trilogy we must allow the commentary it provides on our society and economy to sink in. Yes, this is quite the dramatization of what could happen if we continue on in this self-serving fashion. However, we must understand that art of this nature is meant for us to ponder. There are many similarities between our world leaders and those in the books, in knowing that, what are we going to do to ensure that we don’t follow a similar fate as the world of Panem?
https://postermuseum.com/products/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-ii-1