The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

It is undeniable the impact this series had on me, as a teenager, and on so many others. I recently attended the midnight release of ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’. During a panel talk Samantha Shannon touched upon the dichotomy of Bella Swan vs Katniss Everdeen, and I found it fascinating to hear about how these characters sparked a generation of readers. I was quite young when the first ‘Hunger Games’ came out and read it in my teenage years. Even though I was already an avid reader, I was definitely caught up in the hype and it awoke in me a love for dystopian literature. But perhaps more importantly, it catapulted me into asking why and how. Why do people allow oppressive regimes to rise? and how do these maintain control and power? It's easy to think, especially as a teenager, why don’t the citizens just revolt? But we all know it is not that easy. Regardless of that, this series shows us that revolutions are made by the accumulation of brave acts of radical kindness.  ‘The Hunger Games’ was my gateway to political and philosophical reading, because even though it was fiction that made me ask why and how, it is non-fiction that gave me the answer.

I urge all readers of dystopia, fantasy and fiction at large, to dive into non-fiction once in a while. And remember, all books are political.

The message

I won’t go into too much detail regarding the overall plot because if you haven’t heard of this series by now, I hope you read it before this review.  The clear message from The Hunger Games is not if you are Team Peeta or Team Gale, regardless of whatever marketing strategy might have you thinking. The real message in this series is the revolutionary power of kindness and empathy. We must find humanity in each other and only then can we begin to trust and dream of a more fair and equal future.

The first act of rebellion in the 74th Hunger Games was not done by Katniss. It was Rue.

Rue taking care and healing Katniss from the tracker jackers was the catalyst to the revolution. It's a meaningful reminder that empathy is what drives progress. Regardless of what some dumb daddie's-money-bought-my-sucecess guy wants you to believe. Rue discarded the thought that she was supposed to kill other tributes. She saw what Katniss stood for, saw the humanity in her and decided to not be a spectator in Katniss’ misfortune. She decides to not allow Katniss to die, even though, if she walked away and let her die that would increase her chances of making it as a victor of The Hunger Games. It's a powerful reminder, that even given our brutal circumstances, we can choose to engage in small acts of kindness, that ultimately defy the status quo. Small acts of kindness are how revolutions are started.

Separate and Foster Distrust: How Fascism Works Itself into the Everyday Life of Citizens

Just like in real life, Panem as a fascist dictatorship sustains itself by creating distrust, fostering ignorance and brewing separation.
Katniss and Rue talked about the differences between their districts; how they lived, how much they ate, what they learned in school, and how they were treated by the capitol. This communication, usually strictly forbidden and suppressed by the Capitol is possibly getting broadcast due to Katniss's popularity in the Capitol. However, I suspect that the Capitol would make sure to cut that bit out before broadcasting in the districts to ensure that cross-district knowledge stays at a level they deem acceptable.

Similarities and differences are just as important when building a community. What we do differently can help us compare efficiency level standards and educate our acts of resistance. What we do similarly fosters a sense of unity. Neither of these aspects should be seen negatively, we gain more from acknowledging it with an open mind and an open heart, which is exactly what Katniss and Rue do, when discussing and sharing their lives. This may seem like a small detail but applied to real life, it shows us that sometimes we might not feel like we have the upper hand, but if you have community, you are exponentially more likely to succeed or at least not see such a hard level of failure. Just like tributes who ally in the arena are more likely to succeed because they can count on each other to keep watch at night and share resources, when we contribute and trust the community around us, hard times are eased.

Small, but Mighty, Acts of Rebellion

The boy from District 3 uses the standing plates from the launching pads, in the arena, to makeshift land mines around the food supply. Even though he is allied with the careers, and the reader can’t help but distrust the capitol's favourites (even if it works right into the Capitol’s propaganda), we cannot make light of the importance of his actions. Defience of the capitol. The boy from District 3 uses the capitol’s weapon, which was meant to be used to threaten all tributes equally, but he instead uses it to make himself more favourable in the games. Katniss says hurray for the boy for putting one over them [game makers]. This is a clear indication of where Katniss’ true morals lie. She has nothing to win from the actions of the boy from District 3, in fact, she loses her hearing and is injured due to his invention, yet she can’t help to admire his ingenuity and rebel spirit.

When Rue is captured Katniss shouts back making it known she's close. Not just so Rue knows, but more so the Careers know, drawing attention away from Rue. It is a selfless act. She could have run. No one, audience and readers alike, would have blamed her. The alliance between tributes can only go so far, and since Rue was already captured Katniss could have easily run and found safety for herself. Instead, she refuses to give up and makes herself a target knowing that she is who the careers desire to capture and kill the most.

When she finds Rue… That’s exactly what I meant by acts of radical love. She uses one of the Capitol’s favourite weapons, spectacle, to send a message of kindness to Rue’s parents, which ends up being a call to change for all districts. To see kindness, gentleness and friendship displayed where violence and ruthlessness were engineered to exist, showing that it takes very little to make a huge impact.

‘The Hunger Games’ continues to be my favourite series of all time. It subverts the popular narrative of ‘The Chosen One’ and it gives us all hope, that we too can help change the world by diving into kindness and splashing everyone around us with it. And we all know how dangerous hope is.

“Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective.

A lot of hope is dangerous”