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
I agree with Megan. There are many dystopian themes that are present in both The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale. The similarity that I find most striking so far is the fear the citizens in both societies feel due to the oppressive nature of the government.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of The Handmaid's Tale, Offred tries to distance herself from the society. She tries not to get attached or sucked into any of its elements because she wants to stand her ground and eventually work out a way of getting her life back to normal. As the book progresses, however, she starts to fall victim to the pressures of society due to the fear she experiences.
In the beginning of The Hunger Games, the reader can already see how much Katniss expresses her contempt of the society. She mentions her times in the woods with Gale and how they would use that time to speak freely because they felt afraid if they spoke freely in public. Although Katniss does not agree with the way society is run, she is obidient. She even volunteers as tribute at the hunger games ceremony.
As Megan mentioned, the red headed girl is an example of how the society uses fear to keep its citizens in line. The red headed girl's unfortunate fate reminded me of what the Aunts did to Moira and Janine in the red center. When others see this type of mutilation, they are afraid to act out, and eventually become worn down into being submissive.
As we continue to read The Hunger Games, I am looking forward to seeing how Katniss's character develops. Will she become submissive of time like Offred? Or will she act on her morals and speak out against injustice?
It is interesting that societies of both The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's tale use fear to control their citizens. While the society in Brave New World has a similarly strict social hierarchy to the two, it does not seem to use severe punishments to keep the people in order. Rather, the process of conditioning the people that begins at fertilization instills an inherent obedience in everyone. In some ways, I find the conditions of Brave New World to be more daunting because not only is the society oppressive, but also the people within it have lost both their free will. They have lost their mental ability to fight back as well as their physical ability.
ReplyDeleteThe most striking difference between Gilead and the Districts is the fact of human relationships. In Gilead, Offred cannot speak to other handmaids (except using scripted dialogue) and she expresses envy that the Marthas can at least engage in some casual conversation. This silence is imposed by the government as a form of control. In District 12, despite the fact that their living conditions are miserable, the characters are still allowed to maintain some form of relationship with each other. True, they fear being heard even in the woods, but they still defy their government. I wonder if this is because the Capitol is physically so far from District 12, whereas Offred is right at the heart of Gilead.
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