The Conclusion of the Hunger Games

           The conclusion of the Hunger Games served to reinforce the novel's dystopian themes. Even after struggling through a rigorous, and emotionally devastating competition and beating all odds, Katniss finds herself tested by the government of Panem. While she was promised rewards for winning the Hunger Games, due to her rebellious act involving threatened suicide with poisonous berries, which made the Capitol seem weak, she is apparently in more danger than ever. Despite her assumption that she would no longer have to act for the camera, she desperately tries to retain the partial illusion of loving Peeta wholeheartedly so as to make her actions seem impulsive, rather than rebellious.
           Much like in the Handmaid's Tale, where every public event is given a twist to encourage loyalty to the government, the Hunger Games are recapped on television to avoid each rebellious action Katniss takes, such as the decoration of Rue in flowers. Even though the games are over, Katniss still knows she is under surveillance and that her decisions must reflect loyalty, otherwise, the Capitol will have her killed so as to preserve It's image of absolute control.
            A final comparison between the Hunger Games and the other two dystopian novels that we've read, the Handmaid's Tale and The Road, is that they all ended with slight ambiguity. Although Katniss is undoubtedly alive at the end of the novel, and although her story will be continued in a sequel, the conclusion retains the uncertainty of whether our protagonist is safe or not at the end, just as Offred did not know whether she was escaping or being taken away to be punished, deported, or killed, and just as the Boy's safety is also in question. While the Boy seems to have been in relatively safe hands, he was still in the same barbaric world he started in, with little hope of humanity recapturing the dignity it once possessed.

While I get farther and farther into the Hunger Games, I feel that it is only appropriate to show my disappointment  towards Peeta. Peeta would not make it far at all in the Hunger Games if it wasn't for Katniss. He has no really cool, standout skills and is always by Katniss's side.  He is practically just an annoying puppy that is always at her heels begging for her attention and her love. I'm not really buying this whole love scenario between Katniss and Peeta. It did not catch my by surprise at all and I saw that coming since they were both indicted to the Hunger Games. I think it is just so obvious and cheesy and it makes me want to hurl my book into fire. At this point in the book I actually am finding myself rooting against Peeta.

Post #2

I'm posting this on behalf of Patrick, who's having account troubles:


"As i read more about the hunger games i realize how pointless it really is. the whole game is rigged. the game maker can chose to make the weather hot or cold, day time or night time, filled with danger or safety. it frustrates me because the whole point is to survive the games and to use your skills to do that. What's the point of having a skill if accentually the game maker can chose who lives and who dies? The tributes are pushed towards one other due to dehydration, forest fire, animals, etc... (all created by the game maker) which i find ridiculous, why cant the game maker just make the arena smaller in the beginning?"

The Hunger Games vs. The Road

       As I continue to read further on into The Hunger Games, I am struck by the similarities between this novel and our previous novel, The Road. Although the two authors clearly differ in their approach, as The Hunger Games utilizes a much more family-friendly writing style, while The Road often attempts to shock the reader in the brutality of the post-apocalyptic world, both novels delve into the same themes.
       The Hunger Games and The Road both explore the choices humans must face in an environment where their survival is constantly tested and, often, selfishness is an easier road to survival. The characters are commonly faced with the decision between retaining their humanity or ensuring their survival, for the time being, at least. While The Road clearly takes a more gruesome look at these choices, The Hunger Games still is addressing the same choices. As the Man and the Boy are met with choices like becoming cannibals or starving to death, or whether or not to help out wanderers by offering up some of their scarce resources, Katniss knows she will inevitably end up facing the choice of killing Rue and Peeta or dying herself.
      The situations that the protagonists face in both cases involve overcoming selfishness in favor of retaining one's humanity. In fact, Katniss' current predicament in the Hunger Games is the direct result of her loving choice to volunteer for her district so that her little sister, Prim, would not be chosen as a tribute. As the novel draws closer to its end, it will be interesting to see what choices Katniss will make, as we already know that in The Road, both the Man and the Boy largely retain their humanity in an even more barbaric world.

Before reading The Hunger Games, I knew the basic premise for the story, that kids were put in an arena and forced to fight to the death. I did not think about the book's logistics, however. In many dystopian novels shock value plays a large role in the book's plot. I think that this is especially true in The Hunger Games, as well as in The Road. The Hunger Games depicts a society in which kids are mutilated by other kids while the rest of the society watches. In The Road, the man and the boy come across horrific sights, such as many dead bodies and people practicing cannibalism. I believe that it is this shock value that makes the reader so intrigued to continue reading even through difficult material. This was definitely the case in the road, and I predict that as The Hunger Games becomes more cut throat, the material will be even more graphic and subsequently more compelling.

The more and more that I have been reading Hunger Games I have been seeing more of a resemblance of Handmaid's Tale. As of recently, I am starting to see less similarities between The Road and Hunger Games. I say this because Hunger Games and Handmaids Tale revolve around a dystopian society.Where as the road just takes place in an uncivilized apocalyptic wasteland. In the Handmaids Tale there seems to be a massive displacement of wealth. Thier capital building has many luxuries and slaves at the commanders expense, but the colonies out side the capital is devastatingly impoverished. This is similar to Hunger Games because the capital city also is quite wealthy and exactly what you would think a futuristic, utopian society would look like. However, the districts surrounding the capital city are too very impoverished.

As I have continued reading The Hunger Games and have begun to experience the world of the "Games" this novel has begun to take on similar themes as The Road. Now that all of the tributes have been thrust into the arena many of their thoughts revolve solely around food and survival. They are pitted against each other for resources because only one or two of them can survive. Just as in The Road, the characters in The Hunger Games are now fighting for survival.

The easiest connection to draw between the novels is both characters lack of food and resources. As the games begin all the of tributes in The Hungers Games have nothing and they are forced to battle other tributes out in the open or use stealth to acquire materials as time goes on. But even Katniss, who is experienced in the woods and used to hunger struggles at times. Within the first few days of reaching the arena Katniss is dreadfully dehydrated and in dire need of water stating, "fatigue is beginning to settle in on me, but it's not the usual tiredness that follows a long hike. I have to stop and rest frequently, although I know the only cure for what ails me requires continued searching" (166).

Additionally in The Road as well as The Hunger Games characters are pitted against each other, and every new face appears to be an enemy. Although The Road is not a formal competition, those who live in this post- apocalyptic world have extremely limited resources, there is not enough to go around and often certain groups result to dire measures, such as cannibalism, to stay alive. The tributes in The Hunger Games know that there can be only one victor so the competition is very real to them. Katniss often thinks during her first few days in the arena, "I could kill them, every one of them, if those silver weapons were in my hands" (183).

Lastly the theme that connects these novel is the idea of "carrying the fire." The boy and the man often talk about it in The Road, they want to keep their humanity even in their dire situation and despite all the people around them who have clearly lost their humanity. The same is true for Peeta and Katniss in The Hunger Games. Before even entering the area Peeta states, "My hope is to not disgrace myself... I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not." It is clear here that Peeta values integrity and want to stay good and pure no matter what is thrown at him in the arena. Additionally, when Rue died Katniss does everything she can to honor here, and to show the citizens of Panem what an awful thing the Hunger Games truly are. She places flowers all over Rue and sings her to death, she wants to "shame the [capitol], to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do is a part of every tribute they can't own." Here she is, in a way, pledging to continue carrying the fire, she will not let the Capitol break down her character.

The Oppressive Governments of The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale
      
        The first six chapters of The Hunger Games reveal a dystopian society that somewhat resembles the oppressive government of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. While the two governments clearly differ in their approach and their policies, both restrict their citizens and ultimately create an unhappy living style. While Offred is faced with combating a society that wholly dictates her behavior, forcing her to become an object only valued for reproduction, Katniss must overcome a society in which she is starved and is forced to fight to the death against other teens.
        In both situations, the protagonist is neither able to speak ill of the oppressive government that controls them nor is she able to flee. Attempted escape is met with cruel punishment: Moira has her feet beaten with a cattle prod so she is unable to walk, and the redhead Katniss meets has had her tongue cut out.
        Additionally, both governments mostly choose the occupations of their citizens. In the case of The Handmaid's Tale, Offred and her peers are forced to become objects of reproduction, while others are forced to become nurses, and in the case of The Hunger Games, although each citizen is not forced to have one certain occupation, the districts are divided based on occupation (in Katniss' case, District 12 is the coal mining district). Katniss and her fellow District 12 citizens also have their lives largely dictated by their need for food. In a starving district, Katniss, as well as Gale, is forced to provide for their family through whatever means necessary, including taking tesserae, which increases their chance of being selected as a tribute to be placed into the Hunger Games, which, in itself, demonstrates the oppressive government of Panem as it symbolizes the governments' complete control of the other districts. Though the governments of The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games differ, both rule oppressively, creating a dystopian society for their citizens.

I'll be completely honest right now. Currently, I am finding this book to be incredibly exciting and thrilling. My hands begin to tremble with excitement every time I turn the page. What I find to be the most interesting aspect of the book is how corrupted the government. I think this government can be most closely compared to the government of Handmaids Tale. They are both similar because they both create a dystopian society for their people. A fine example of this is in Hunger Games, the people of the districts in America live in an impoverished and primitive way. However, the capital, which houses the government, is extraordinarily  futuristic and luxurious. This is just like the government in Handmaids Tale lives in extreme luxury, when their civilians have to face tough living conditions. Also the government from both books both exploits their civilians. In Hunger Games the government summons kids to fight in a battle to the death, just to achieve amusement. The government in Handmaids Tale also enslaved most of their civilians. This represents how both governments in Handmaids tale and Hunger Games are corrupted and how they both exploit their people.

I find the governments in both A Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games, to be somewhat identical. They both control their people with mandatory jobs, roles, and  severe punishments.
But if you look deeper into them they govern completely different. In The Handmaid's Tale, they keep peace by putting people into distinct groups, handmaids, aunts, commanders, eyes. In The Hunger Games, the way they keep peace is by having the hunger games once a year (one boy& one girl, form each district- fighting to the death).
Although both governments are wicked corrupt, I think that the government in The Hunger Games is the most corrupt.

While reading the first six chapters of the The Hunger Games I was able to draw clear connections  to The Handmaids Tale. Although the style of The Hunger Games is much simpler, they both contain similar themes. First of all both societies are very structured. In The Handmaids Tale that can be seen through the strict social hierarchy and compartmentalizing of jobs, while in The Hunger Games the society is partitioned into districts according to occupation, and within each district there are clear social hierarchies. The purpose of this structure in both societies appears to be for control, the governments in both of these communities strive to have complete domain over their citizens, and feel that it is best achieved through a clear chain of command.
The government also attempts to inspire fear in its citizens, hopefully to keep them in line and obedient. In The Handmaid's tale the government seemed to be all knowing, thus citizens were afraid to deviate even slightly from the societal norms. Fear of the government can also be seen in The Hunger Games when Gale and Katniss are afraid to speak ill of the government even deep in the woods. But the government in the The Hunger Games takes this fear to another level through the tribute system. The whole purpose of the tribute system it to remind the citizens of The Hunger Games that their government is in fact all powerful; they defeated all of the districts once and they can do it again. This strategy seems to be working. The tribute day is one of fear for all citizens in district twelve and readers have seen little rebellion thus far in the book, suggesting that the people do not want to cross their government. And even when citizens do try to escape, as the redheaded girl that we meet in chapter 6 did, the punishments are so harsh, death, mutilation, and servitude, that it is hard to imagine many people actively going against such an all powerful and organized government.

Megan Ratcliffe