The GENIUS of The Hunger Games

why do you think we have a winner what do you mean I mean why do we have a winner why not round up 24 of them at random and execute them all at once be a lot faster hope it is the only thing stronger than fear in a world where dystopian narratives Captivate audiences with their dark speculative visions of the future the hungry game stands out as a masterful portrayal of societal Decay and human resilience the franchise is perfect in its cruelty and ability to instantly unsettle its viewers thanks to it Stellar World building the

skillful construction of a grim yet compelling universe sets The Hunger Games as the blueprint for other dystopian movies of the era unlike other series such as divergent or the maaz runner The Hunger Games doesn't just present a dystopia for entertainment it holds up a miror to our own society and its shortcomings in the context of war and revolutions the series delves into the imperfections of its characters their complic relationships and the critical importance of political knowledge as envisioned by Susan Collins making it a profound and unsettling exploration of human nature and political structures as the

writer strikes demonstrated writers are absolutely essential for good television the movies do justice to colins's work by meticulously following the events in the books unlike other sci-fi YA books of the time the Hunger Games excels at showing rather than telling for instance in Divergent trist narat the function of the factions to provide context our Founders built the wall to keep us safe and and they divided us into five groups factions in contrast the Hunger Games unsettles its viewers from the very beginning it draws you in with the black screen and the words on it giving

you a taste of the capital's propaganda as you read the Treaty of treason while reading it you know that what the capital is doing to the tributes is wrong yet you can also see how the capitals people have been brainwashed and desensitized to it all I just love that this is further emphasized through the conversation between Cesar and cica they Justified The Hunger Games in its quote unquote necessity because that's what they were taught to believe and the crowd cheered them on after hearing it all but it's been the way we've been able to heal

first it was a reminder of the Rebellion it was a price the districts had to pay I think it's uh something that knits us all together just as you're getting sucked into the capital's Twisted beliefs you're abruptly brought into Katniss's reality with prim's sudden scream as she wakes from her nightmare the movie further unsettles the viewer through its setting throughout the beginning of the film except for Caesar and senica's opening shot we only see District 12 District 12 is notably improved as shown by men eating a bare bone and catniss and Gale hunting and bartering

to feed their families I here you can shoot I'm all right she's better than all right my father buys her squirrels he says she hits them right in the eye every time yet we also see that poverty juxtaposed by a glimpse of the hovercraft in the forest with gallan catness and prim's finger pricking before the reaping as reminders of the capital's technological Superior press and control over the districts while District 12 seems stuck in the past with data technology like eff's mic the story's progression to the capital's wasteful opulence makes it clear that the movie

is indeed set in the future here what's this it's for when you're full makes you sick so you can go on eating how else could you taste everything the director and production team masterfully depict this horrifying world even before the games begin the black screen and the treaties attempt to justify the sacrifice of children for their ancestors actions along with prim's bone chilling scream at the mere thought of being chosen set the tone The Haunting musical scores throughout the movie amplify the sense of danger and make you want to escape from that world [Music] Susan

Collins says that her inspiration for the books came from channel surfing during which she would go from reality TV to disturbing images of the war in Iraq the franchise's superiority over other movies of the time comes from its ability to reflect elements of our own horrifying World leaving us distressed the sense of Anise is further deepened through one of the most telling scenes of the first movie in my opinion Katniss and Gail conversation in the meadow all revolutions seem to start with bread for dis maret this one and finally this one P's name derived from

PanAm at ciras or bread and circuses refers to the Roman strategy of calling public discontent with food and entertainment Goa Capital provides plenty for itself it fails to do so for the districts in the meadow Katniss is Overjoyed to get bread an ancient and typically cheap commodity yet here is a luxury oh my God is this real yeah better be cost me a squirrel along with this luxurious bread Gail and katnis discuss children how she doesn't want any and how he would if he didn't live in PanAm I'm never having kids no I if I

didn't live here they do live here I know but if I did this conversation highlights the brutality of their world and their desire to escape it you root for your favorites you cry when they get killed it's sick yeah we could do it you know take off live in the woods is what we do anyway they'd catch us we wouldn't make it five miles no I'd get five miles I'd go that way indeed The Hunger Games does a pretty good job at mimicking our own reality for instance it reminds me of the fuby movement that

is currently happening in South Korea where women would rather choose to be single and childless because of the treatment they reive from the opposite gender and the just system it also reminds me of the global declining birth rates as life is already expensive enough for one person let alone one with children and finally of course it reminds me of the senseless deaths of innocent children women and men in war stricken regions such as Palestine and Congo and the famine that comes along with them adding to the Incredible World building Collins breathes life into the universe

she's created with Incredible yet flawed characters protagonists such as catness and haage are not inherently good they make mistakes and allow themselves to land in Gray areas that main characters often tend to shy away from meanwhile even antagonist such as cat or even snow are not purely evil and their actions can be traced back to their indoctrination and personal traumas your father is dead Cory elanus it was a rebel they say trap out in the forest in 12 it's up to us now to make him proud in the case of Katniss though she may be

the main character of this Saga she does not wish to be Katniss often demonstrate and even states that she did not want to be the mocking J especially in later movies people are looking at you I don't want anyone looking to me I can't help them though most ya sci-fi books make their main characters out to be perfect with very minimal flaws catniss isn't though we may tend to forget about it Katniss is only 16 years old at the beginning of the movie she has been taking care of her sister and her mother while also

having to grief for her father's untimely death she seems quite reserved and acts impulsively I Vol I Vol she's not calculated in her actions and lets her empathy take over when necessary this impulse of nature lands her in hot water as to stun with the berries which not only lead to senica's death but also puts her under a President Snow's watchful eye this is however done in a way that does not make Katniss an unlikable character her impulsivity is what leads her to volunteer for Prim her compassion is what makes her take care of R

and anor's life rather than let him suffer her gratitude among other things is what makes her try and find Peta even though in her mind he was allied with the careers these are the moments which solidifies the viewer's empathy and love for catness not because we pity her because of her unfortunate situation or because she's the perfect Marvel likee Superhero but because she is genu likable and Humane I did know Ru she wasn't just my Ally she was my friend I see her in the flowers that grow in the meadow by my house I hear

her in a mocking J song I see her in my sister Prim she was too young too gentle and I couldn't save her I'm sorry heage is another character that at first look one may not love we introduced to him him only into training the movies but he is very much so present during the reaping in the books as he is seen hollowing something unintelligible straggling onto the stage I was not the biggest fan of pitch at the very beginning because of his unwillingness to help his tributes especially ciss yeah our Mentor you're supposed to

tell us how to get sponsors and give us advice um embrace the probability of your imminent death I know in your heart that there's nothing I can do to save you instead he was more interested in the drinks and jam which someone what irked me and seeing his grippers coming for peta's neck made my llik for him only amplify however Collins again excels when it comes to giving us complex characters him's attitude is only understandable because he is the only surviving Victor of District 12 meaning that ever since his Victor at 16 years old during

the previous qual he has seen his tributes get killed indeed hitch was around 40 years old during the first movie meaning that it's been about 24 years of him being a mentor and 48 of his tributes dying that obviously pushes people to find ways to cope and for him it was drinking and detach M himage probably does not want to get attached to Katniss and Peta believing that at best only one of them will survive but also knowing deep down that they would probably both perish because of District 12's previous bad performance in the games

he however tries his best to help Katniss during the games even though he has to work through his trauma he is also able to convince sener crane to not have Katniss killed after a tribute Fu and instead convinces him to play into the starcross lover story if you can't scare them give them something to root for such as young love himage knows that the only thing that matters to the capital is viewership because after all to keep descent low they must provide bread and circuses though some might disagree KO is another character which is not

entirely evil in my opinion of course he Revels in killing other tributes and seems to show little regard for others lives this is evident in the way that he twisted the neck of the little boy garding just suppes at the cornicopia it is also seen in the way that he does not hesitate to capture Peta at the end of the movie to threaten captain knowing that if he dies so will Peta he does however have a way to make you feel bad for him he's also just a kid in the movies even though he's brutal

it is important to understand that he grew up in District 2 whose allegiance to the capital is way stronger than other districts this means that he has been indoctrinated to believe that not only must he volunteer to fight to the death but that it is an honor to take part in the games rather than seeing it as the tragedy that it is well ever since I was a little kid I I I'd watch these games and I would see someone kill someone else and I just thought that's me and I remember always wanted to volunteer

for these games and it it really goes to show that if you just if you apply yourself and if you focus that all your dreams can come true you're here by choice yeah why I mean I think these are the greatest games ever invented and uh I just want to be here to win it and I think it's awesome and it's something I've always wanted to do since I was a kid his final moment where he expresses his disillusionment with the game evoke a degree of sympathy as he grapples with the realization that none of

that which re was fighting for actually mattered go on anyway wait I always was right I didn't know that till now one more kill it's the only thing I know how to do bring Pride to my district not that it matters as complex as the characters are it is no surprise that their relationship are in turn complicated especially for Katniss we first see it with her mother and how grief created a wedge between the two Katniss is seen as loving and caring when it comes to Prim preparing her for the reaping volunteering for her and

comforting her okay it's time to sign in now okay they're going to pick your finger just take a little bit of blood say doesn't hurt much just a little in contrast her relationship with her mother is portrayed as a Tense one tainted by her father's death his sudden death in a mining accident left her mother in a deep depression unable to care for her daughters forcing Katniss to take on the role of a caretaker at the age of 11 indeed Katniss says at the very beginning of the first book when peta's name is picked that

the district had given us a small amount of money as compensation for his death enough to cover one month of grieving at which time my mother would be expected to get a job only she didn't no amount of pleading from Prim seemed to affect her in the books Collins reveals that her mom was also the daughter of an apothecary meaning that her family was better off than Katniss's dads kind of similar to peta's this might also be one of the reasons why there is a disconnect between mother and daughter while Katniss had to fight and

grow fast to provide for her family her mother's life may have been quite different and a little more comfortable than hers although Katniss seems to resent her mother for breaking apart she still hugs her before leaving showing that she doesn't truly despise her you can't tune out again no you can't not like when Dad died I won't be there anymore you're all she has no matter what you feel you have to be there for her do you understand deep down katna still loves her mom and believing that she might never return she allows herself to

show some kindness and affection katness is not the only one with mommy issues however Peta also has a rather tense relationship with his own this tension is evident when his mother slaps him for burning the bread he obviously fears her which explains why he threw the bread at catness instead of giving it to her directly he didn't want to get caught and punished again I think peta's relationship with his mother is less want stunned kisses with hers his mother seems plain cruel as evidenced by her comment that District 12 will finally have a Victor implying

Katniss you know my mother said she said District 12 might finally have a winner but she wasn't talking about me she was talking about you while Katniss's mom generally loves her children but is not in the mental space to care for them speaking of PETA his relationship with catniss is also an interesting one though I believe that Peta is the United Nations of green flags Katniss seems quite standoffish around him this attitude starts when she sees him speaking to hey chelone on the train and escalates when he asks to train separately after the personal demonstration

well what about him no he says he wants to be trained on his own from now on it culminates with her witnessing him with the careers her initial attitude towards paa might stem from an inability to understand his Charisma and that is simply good at playing the Capitals game he is adept at talking to haage and feels comfortable enough to wave at the capital people from the train while Katniss struggles with both he knows that they needs sponsors so he does what he can to secure them by asking to hold Katniss's hand in the Chariot

which makes them memorable along on with ca's outfit all in all Peta seems to be born for the spotlight while Katniss shies away from it which makes her kind of wary of him initially even though their story could have followed the classic enemies to lovers Trope it resides more in a gray zone of its own catniss even though she's not peta's biggest fan does not truly hate him after all he saved her and her family from starving by throwing that bread at her in the books Katniss recounts that memory as such Peter mear and I

are not friends we don't speak our only real interaction happened years ago he's probably forgotten it but I haven't and I know I never well the boy took one look back at the bakery as if checking that the coast was clear then he threw a Loa of bread in my direction Kenna's attitude towards P at first truly has to do with the discomfort emerging from her initial encounter with him she likely feels indebted to him which she hates as she states in the first book I feel like I owe him something and I hate owing

people his kindness in burning the bread and giving it to her saved her and her family's lives and now she finds herself in a position where she might have to compete with him or even kill her benefactor this is a challenging situation for anyone especially she a 16-year-old why'd you help me out back there you didn't have to why did you you helped me once you remember that yeah now we're even even so we're just like everybody else now we have to be all right good night and the breath throwing is not the only time

Peta saves Katniss he does it by joining their hands in the Chariot earning them sponsors he confesses with Caesar for the same purpose though I do believe that there is some truth to it he dissuades her from from going to the cornicopia during the countdown he pushes her away to safety after being stung by the tracker jackers and he is ready for her to win the game after hearing that only one of them can make it out of the Arena go ahead one of us should go home one of us has to die they have

to have their Victor the sense of owing Peta so much prevents Katniss from despising him for allying with the careers and drives her to find him when senica changes the rule to allow two tributes to win his kindness is what leads Katniss to genuinely love him though she does end up loving Peta the movie and the book make it hard to pinpoint the exact moment their feelings for each other became genuine due to the underlying necessity of Performing love for survival Katniss is so convinced that Peta is acting that she stops herself from fully embracing

her feelings for him however it seems clear that Katniss didn't have strong feelings for him initially she did what was necessary to survive and help him survive kissing him and putting herself in danger to retrieve the Satchel at the carnicopia without having romantic feelings for him yet by the time we reach the Barry scene the audience starts to see that there might be something real developing between them Katniss is confronted with her fears from the very beginning when she hears peta's name called during the reaping making the possibility of having to kill her benefactor a

terrifying reality Katniss could easily kill Peta he even tells her to but she decides she'd rather attt faith and defy the capital than do that this not only shows that peta's understanding of the games has influenced Katniss but also that she cares for him more than she cares to admit even at the end of the movie when they return to District 12 Peta asks Katniss what happens next perhaps alluding to their relationship so what happens when we get back I don't know I guess we try to forget I don't want to forget the relationship remains

complex to the very end of the first book more so for Katniss and Peta she still refuses to let herself be affected by the games even if it means ignoring what she's begun to build with Peta The Hunger Games has a more lasting effect on its audience than other dystopias of the era largely thanks to its author's knowledge of Politics the series is perfect specifically because it serves as a realistic warning and delivers a potent message let us compare it to other dystopias of the same era such as divergent and the Maze Runner while both

are entertaining and gripping they fall short when compared to colins magnum opus though she did not have a formal background in politics Collins was likely influenced by her father an Air Force officer military historian and Vietnam War veteran uh when I was a child my dad fought in Vietnam he was career Air Force he was a historian he was a doctor of political science he was a military specialist so I can distinctly remember when I was 6 years old the news would come on and I can remember hearing the word Vietnam I knew he was

in Vietnam and I was terrified and to this day when I see footage or footage be it Iraq or Afghanistan or whatever it still has a very powerful effect on me his experiences may have given her an early introduction to the cruelty of this world and the horrors of War this perspective is clearly infused into the Hunger Games which unlike divergent or The Maze Runner illustrates the unsettling fragility of a dictatorship like panm President Snow though undeniably cruel is not ignorant of the this fragility he openly acknowledges it to Katniss during their encounter at her

house in Catching Fire people viewed your little trick with the berries as an act of defiance not as an act of love and if a girl from District 12 of all places can defy the capital and walk away unharmed what is to prevent them from doing the same what is to prevent say an uprising that can lead to Revolution and then in a fraction of time the whole system collapses it must be a fragile system if it can be brought down by just a few berries yes it is indeed this interaction highlights the precarious nature

of Pam's regime and underscores the series deeper political commentary Snow's awareness of this fragility is evident throughout the series particularly in his interactions with senica crane in the first movie he repeatedly warns his game maker to thread carefully with the leniency shown to Katniss emphasizing the delicate balance of giving hope to the districts and the capital A little hope is effective a lot of hope is dangerous spark is as long as it's contained so so contain it for the districts especially those of the careers hope comes in the form of social Mobility recognition and the

relative Financial Security that comes with becoming a Victor meanwhile for the capital this manifests into circuses or the entertainment provided to them by the games however snow recognizes that giving too much hope to the districts can backfire making it a dangerous tight Rob to walk indeed snow is explicit about his disdain for underdogs at capus as they can become Martyrs or leaders in a revolution which ultimately happens by the end of the series there are lots of underdogs and I think if you could see them you would not root for them either here Collins clearly

takes a page out of any dictator's book highlighting a theme that is often observed in our own reality as a political science major I learned early on that most social movements if not all need a charismatic leader to drive their point home and Garner sympathy both domestically and internationally for instance in The Hunger Games Katniss becomes the mocking J the face of the revolution because the districts can relate to her and rally behind her although she may not always be charismatic or eager to assume the role she is portrayed as such by plutar and his

crew throughout mocking J part 1 the political aspect of The Hunger Games drives home the discomfort of the Audience by reminding us of our own history and if we're not careful our future this is exactly why Colin's portrayal of war and loss in The Hunger Games puts it in a league of its own that diversion or deaz Runner fail to do the hunger gam confronts us with the cruelty humanity is capable of and underscores the importance of compassion and empathy compassion and empathy are Central to The Narrative of The Hungry Games emphasizing the systemic fragility

within the story this vulnerability is apparent even before Katniss and Peta pretend to eat the berries rather it begins with Katniss who out of love her sister volunteers for her an unprecedented Act of courage in district 12 while it's expected for Katniss to display such compassion particularly towards her little sister it's surprising to see the people of District 12 respond with similar empathy for her though they might know Katniss and Prim seeing them around town baring to survive they do not owe these girls anything yet they still choose to stand in solidarity with Katniss they

rais their fingers in a gesture of respect expressing their sympathy for Katniss's plight they do not only feel bad for Katniss who is to be sent to her death they also do so to show strength to Katniss's mother and sister who are about to lose yet another member of their family another bread Renner the show of solidarity comes after Effie a representative of the capital asks the crowd to applaud Katniss for facing the games to save her sister let's have a big hand for our very first volunteer catniss evine in the books Katniss recounts that

she is shocked that the people of her District would do that for her that they would so overtly push back on the capital all to show that they do care about her the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand and hold it out to me it is an old and rarely used gesture of our district it means thanks it means admiration it means goodbye to someone you love this fragility becomes even more apparent when District 12's tributes capture everyone's attention during the charot sequence overshadowing the capital's usual favorites this un ented admiration

for the underdog tributes the Forgotten ones perturbs the established order the cers are supposed to be the favorites because they are the ones that are loyal to the capital but Katniss and peta's performance still this away from them disturbing tradition this explains K's glare towards Katniss and Peta this deviation from tradition creates a sense of unfairness among the careers as they believe that their attention and the subsequent sponsors and chance of survival should be theirs by right Collins uses this scene to highlight how katness and Peta challenged unspoken social contract meant to m maintain this

order a system where the capital sustains its power by offering small luxuries to its own citizens and to District 1 2 and four while relegating District 12 and other non-career districts to a lower status accepting their secondary importance and treatment as third class citizens the social contract begins to unravel and the system starts showing cracks with the introduction of ruse's character particularly through her innocence and Katniss's affection for her Katniss whose love and compassion until then only applied to her family and Gail now extends to Ru her minds are of Prim but isn't her this

compassion for ruse spreads to the capital and Dev across bam who perhaps For the First Time start to feel empathy for the tributes ruse's in a sense and youth make it impossible for the audience to ignore the inherent cruelty of the games one of the most poignant moments for me was seeing Ru in her little blue dress during her interview with Caesar which was a strike reminder that she is just a child thrust into certain death and are you a hunter a gatherer a scavenger well I can find food what about Weaponry are you good

with a a knife a gun well I'm good with a slingshot a slingshot I like it how old are you 12 12 years old amazing such composure indeed from her initial appearance there's a sense of dread her youth suggest that she might not survive the games but her intelligence and endearing qualities draw Us in well if they can't catch me they can't kill me Katniss's bond with Rue reminds the viewers of why she's even a tribute in the first place it is difficult not to be reminded of Prim and consequently of Katniss's sacrifice for her

sister when witnessing her care for Ru the similarity between the two little girls extends beyond their age to Ruth's requests for catniss to sing her a song when she's ultimately dying which is something Prim has asked of her sister earlier in the [Music] movie thus ru's death deeply traumatizes Katniss not just because she loved her but also because it underscores the system's inherent unfairness this realization makes Katniss's subsequent outburst and Defiance more understandable and manageable for senica to overlook because Katniss becomes even more lovable than before and her actions are seen as Noble even by

the sponsors though it is not the case for President Snow who sees the true danger that Katniss poses for his regime ultimately the bear symbolized the ultimate Act of rebellion serving as the final nail into capital's credibility coffin they exposed the system's fundamental weakness and highlight the power of human compassion and solidarity exemplified by peta's willingness to die for Katniss and Katniss's determination to defy snow to keep them both alive together together