Food for the Soul

Throughout The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins repeatedly refers to food, or lack thereof to reveal things about the characters in the novel; their wealth, their priorities, their health, their skill level. Food and the character’s reaction towards food is used to discern things about the character and the circumstances in which they live.

When Effie and Katniss first truly meet on the train to the Capitol, Effie compliments Katniss and Peeta on their manners rather than understanding that they have very rarely been able to boast full stomachs (44). The emphasis is not on eating for sustenance, but rather on eating properly; Effie focuses on the outward appearance of eating. Effie’s behavior towards food reflects the living circumstances of much of the Capitol; they are more concerned about eating for pleasure instead of living, something that is foreign to Katniss and the citizens of District 12.

Similarly, when forming an alliance with Rue, Katniss is again uncovering information about Rue through the introduction of food. When Katniss offers Rue a leg of groosling, Rue responds, “I’ve never had a whole leg to myself before” (202). Through this statement, Katniss learns both about Rue and the conditions she, along with others, face in District 11. She learns about the strict peacekeepers, the lack of food, and Rue’s family circumstances. Much more is revealed by this interaction than the simple fact that Rue has never had a groosling leg to herself. This trend continues with her opponents in the arena; the way they obtain food reveals their living circumstances at home. Rue is familiar with plants and animals that Katniss doesn’t recognize and is apt at collecting them while other victors live only off the food provided by the gamemakers. The careers’ district living lacks the urgency and necessity that is connected to food for both Katniss and Rue. 

Despite Peeta and Katniss both living in District 12 and knowing each other prior to the closeness they achieve in the arena, Katniss learns more about Peeta as she learns his reactions and experiences with food. In the caves, Peeta talks about how the food at the bakery is too expensive for his family to eat. They rely on stale bread to live. This revelation shifts Katniss’s perspective on the citizens of District 12 she is not as familiar with: the merchants. Katniss thinks in response to this new information, “Huh. I always assumed the shopkeepers live a soft life. And it’s true, Peeta has always had enough to eat. But there’s something kind of depressing about living your life on stale bread, the hard, dry loaves that no one else wanted” (310). Katniss discovers that all the citizens of District 12 experience some type of sadness or injustice regarding food, even if they aren’t starving like the people in the Seam. Even though Katniss and Peeta are, at this point in the novel, well-known to each other, food allows her to discern more about Peeta and the other merchants in District 12.

Through Effie, Rue, and Peeta's experiences and reaction to food Suzanne Collins reveals important information about the characters and their living conditions to the reader and to Katniss.