Elaina Wusstig
Mrs. Sejkora
AP English 12
21 February 2012
Dystopian Literature
Dystopian themes do not happen very often in literature because most people would rather read stories that have a happy ending. No one wants to read about a country run by a dictator or about little children killing each other for survival however when social criticisms are indirectly made, the story becomes more interesting. For dystopian themes, authors like to write about controversial problems to voice their own opinion. Opposite of a utopia, the idea of dystopia is negative in the fact that human misery is the outcome. Dystopia becomes the main theme in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins in which it addresses social issues through negative connotations and satirical methods. Through these methods the mood, plot and other literary devices also connect the books to the theme.
Collins portrays the government in The Hunger Games as a dictatorship, in which President Snow controls the entire country of Panem. This exposes governmental flaws that Collins writes in an exaggerated method, making the Panem government appear controlling of all sources of life, restricting freedom and inflicting misery to all citizens living within the government’s boundaries. By creating the hunger games, the government is able to monitor every single district and as Katniss states, “Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch—this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy” (Hunger Games 18). Collins creates this view of the government to reveal weaknesses in society’s government although not as extremely controlling as the Panem government. The actions and influences the Capitol has on the country reveal the dystopian views of government systems as a whole by mocking the amount of control a government system can have on their citizens.
A war in which the victorious side turned their power into a dictatorship and having enough power to control citizens by slaughtering one another only ridicules the idea of wars in society through the use of exaggeration. Ongoing issues such as war will always give incentive for authors to express their own opinion through writing, “Newspaper headlines about swine flu, terrorism, global warming, and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are inspiring authors” (Springen). Many issues in society can relate to The Hunger Games and with the dystopian theme, the events throughout the story undermine those issues. Events are blown out of proportion which may be entertaining to read however unrealistic, “I think we like to be scared of things that are not real. The idea that we’re watching or reading things that are completely outlandish or impossible or really dire helps us cope with what is” (Feiwel). War, becoming the major issue throughout the books, creates the building blocks for the dystopian theme which cultivates the problem of the outcome; one side must win while the other must lose.
Along with ridiculing social issues, Collins also pokes fun at social trends. In the Capitol, people have outlandish styles which only the Capitol can pull off because the rest of Panem is poor, “I grit my teeth as Venia, a woman with aqua hair and gold tattoos above her eyebrows…” (Hunger games 61). Katniss reveals her disgust for Venia’s style choice because she is unfamiliar with it, coming from a district that is dying off from starvation. This exaggerated criticism Collins creates ridicules society’s willingness to conform in order to be accepted into society. Katniss is the exceptions since she is considered the anarchist, however the people in the Capitol only wear these fashion trends which entails a higher social status, “Dystopias usually exaggerate contemporary social trends and in doing so offer serious social criticism” (Burnett). Since the people in the Capitol only have outlandish fashion, Collins further mocks the government by making them seem ridiculous. She writes to create the message of individuality; how important it is to non-conform to trends by using Katniss as a symbol of rebellion and making the Capitol the social trend to rebel against.
Actions and choices the characters make throughout the games maintain the dystopian picture that Collins creates. Their will to survive only fuels the drama of the games which entails violence and death; negative events dystopia ideas are based upon. What exaggerates the lack of peace within the human race is the idea of a full on war between children and their fight for survival which is the basis of the trilogy, “The mood of dystopia is usually dark, pessimistic, and often reflects paranoia, alarm or hysteria” (Kaplan). Because of the negativity dystopia possesses, exaggerated satire is most effective in this sense to reveal social issues. Collins uses this satirical technique in such a way that is depressing due to events that happen throughout the book. Although some positive ideas occur throughout the trilogy, the pessimistic events counteract those ideas and with a melancholy beginning and end, the book leans more towards despair rather than a predictable happy ending.
Like most stories, Katniss lacks a sense of family. A broken family due to the loss of one family member (in this case, a deceased father) goads the dystopian struggles of finding the family bond which is now broken. Katniss’ hatred towards her mother for abandoning care for her and her sister does not benefit their situation, especially after Katniss volunteers to play in the games (Hunger Games 26-27). Although the family problems do not seem to be exaggerated as much as other issues depicted in the books, Collins still makes it a point to address issues that some families have to face in their daily lives. In Catching Fire, her family bond appears to be strengthening once they are together again only too strained once again by the games in which Katniss is forced to fight again (172). Family bonds create strength which Katniss lacks support in, developing a realization that in society no family is perfect, even the heroes’.
Creating an imperfect triangle relationship between Katniss, Peeta and Gale, not only develops drama but with the dystopian theme, displays love in a negative connotation. The fake relationship between Katniss and Peeta creates the imperfect relationship that society tries to conceal by creating the “happily ever after” in fairytale stories. Those stories portray that a positive outcome will always occur whereas in dystopia, the opposite happens, "This recent term was coined for its overtones of disease and malfunction, making it an accurate label for the genre's depictions of human foibles, weaknesses and messiness that defeats attempts to create a perfect society" (Burnett). Collins creates a scenario that makes the idea of love appear weak. A scenario in which Katniss has to choose between Peeta and Gale displays a foible in her role as a female and in the general idea of love. Her struggles display her weakness as a human because she lets her emotions dictate her actions. Feelings towards Peeta rise when her will for survival was at its highest; the feelings that Katniss has towards Gale however, is real no matter how much she denies it, stating “Gale is mine. I am his. Anything else is unthinkable. Why did it take him being whipped within an inch of his life to see it?” (Catching Fire 117). Katniss’ conflict creates a negative viewpoint of her character and her struggles whether it is towards her family, love, or survival support the dystopian views and satirical techniques Collins uses by exaggerating situations such as the fascist government or the war that lead to that type of government.
Negativity throughout the Hunger Games and Catching Fire present the imperfect society, dystopia, through the use of satirical exaggeration. Specific events in both novels are exhibited through this method in order to reveal weaknesses in social issues such as family problems, love and the negative outcomes that pertain to people’s choices and actions. These become displayed through fictional stories however extremely exaggerated and tie together to create a dystopian society in which laws are forced upon citizens, creating human misery.
Work Cited
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print.
Kaplan, Carter. "The Advent Of Literary Dystopia." Extrapolation (Kent State University Press) 40.3 (1999): 200-212. Literary Reference Center. Web. 13 Feb. 2012.
Rollin, Lucy. "Anti-leisure in Dystopian Fiction: The Literature of Leisure in the Worst of All Possible Worlds." Leisure Studies. By G. Wesley Burnett. Vol. 19. 2000. 77-90. Web.
Springen, Karen. "Apocalypse Now." Publishers Weekly 257.7 (2010): 21-24. Literary Reference Center. Web. 13 Feb. 2012.
