VolciakLens4TheHungerGames

Samantha Volciak Lens 4: Intertextual

When reading //The Hunger Games// most people cannot believe the cruelty the capital inflicts onto the people, leaving us with the question, how could they do something like this? Initially, I thought the same thing; a circumstance this unjust and gruesome could never actually happen in the real world. I have paralleled //The Hunger Games// to historical events and other texts to consider this question more thoroughly.

Throughout history, society has witnessed oppression, suffering, and unjust treatment inflicted on certain groups of people. Therefore, we know the occurrence of gruesome and oppressive events are not only possible, but have existed in numerous ways to many different groups of people. //The Hunger Games// relates to the Holocaust and the cruelty inflicted upon the Jewish people. Specifically, the capital officials in charge of everything represent Hitler and the Game makers represent the Nazis; the Game makers are in control of everything, but are carrying out orders from the officials, while the officials are isolated, behind the scenes, treating everyone less powerful as puppets. In addition, these Game makers may seem powerful; however, if they don’t meet expectations, they are likely to be slaughtered. We witness this when Katniss devises the plan to save her and Peta; the Game makers would have been killed if they both died. I also parallel the citizens of the capital to the neutral countries during WWII, such as Poland. In Art Spiegelman’s //MAUS//, I learned that the people in this country were willing to deceit and give up the Jewish people in hiding in exchange for a little bit of money, or some kind of material item. This reminded me of characters like Effie, who are only concerned with their own aspiration, and the citizens of the capital, who cheer and watch this gruesome event as entertainment. Finally, the people in the districts represent the Jewish people who were collected, segregated from society, and forced to fight to the death in order to survive. Another observation from //MAUS// that parallels //The Hunger Games// is survival through greediness. I learned that these people had to salvage everything they found in order to survive, including stealing from the dead. For example, the protagonist’s father only survived due to a piece of cloth he was able to use as a hammock; however, he had to use it in a selfish way, and not allow anyone else inside the hammock or he and those people would have all died. We see this constantly in //The Hunger Games//, through Foxface’s stealing, Katniss blowing up the food supply, and the need to take the dead tribute’s belongings. However, I don’t see the greediness in the Holocaust or //The Hunger Games// as pure greed, but a necessary means of survival. In addition, the political officials in power are displaying extreme malevolence by forcing these innocent people to pillage off one another.

Another text that //The Hunger Games// relates too is a short story I remember reading in high school, which I believe is called //The Big Game//. This short story is about a hunter isolated on an island who traps a passing sailor there from time to time. He does this in order to play a game; he has become bored with hunting animals because he is to skilled for them, so has decided to hunt humans because they can think and are more challenging to kill. Not only does this directly parallel //The Hunger Games//, but it exposes the fascination with the capability of the human mind. The hunter has a point, humans would be the most challenging and interesting species to hunt down, so why wouldn’t the media want to give the people the entertainment they’re craving the most. While most people wouldn’t want to admit they would like to see people kill each other, they cannot deny the fact that reality TV is boarder lining the surface and people are obsessed. Shows like fear factor, survivor, ridiculous, and jackass expose people struggling, terrified, and in pain, and people watch it without feeling any remorse. Whether or not the shows are actually “reality” shows is questionable; however, it is clear that society wants to watch this kind of action.

Even though today’s society probably wouldn’t allow us to throw a group of people in an arena and fight to the death, we know situations just as cruel and gruesome have occurred. When thinking about how depressing the Holocaust was, //The Hunger Games// almost seems normal. Not normal as in its acceptable, but normal in the fact that it could be real, or another oppressive event that happened in history. By examining other texts, and historical events I have learned things about //The Hunger Games// that I did not realize before. I learned that brutal, malicious situations similar to the hunger games have been rapidly occurring throughout history, usually due to mistreatment by political powers. It’s not that I didn’t realize tragic events happened before, but I was so blown away by the cruelty of the games that I dismissed the event as a fantasy. In addition, I realized that bystanders can be just as malicious as the people in power. They not only endorse the situation, but use it for their own benefit while a certain group of people suffer. I also noticed how naïve people on the outside can truly be; just because this tragic event isn’t happening to us, doesn’t mean its ok to sit and watch like its entertainment.