When reading The Hunger Games, it is easy for readers to
identify the horror and tragedy that is taking place. We see each of the
characters as people opposed to pawns in the games and identify with each one
of them. However, it is easy to forget that for those in Panem, specifically
District 1, this separation of fiction and reality within the Hunger Games is
one that does not come easy due to the deliberate organization of the Games by
the government.
The spectators, specifically those in the Capitol, are bombarded
with skewed perceptions of the Games and the Tributes, making it easy for them
to ignore the inhumanity of what is occurring. They see this sacrifice of
children's lives as a "show" used exclusively for entertainment,
opposed to the true horror that it is. This is evident from the beginning of
the novel. Effie Trinket greets District 12 at the reaping with enthusiasm and
excitement for the events to come, blind to the fact that she is forcing a
family to potentially sentence one of their children to death. She greets the
District by exclaiming "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in
your favor!" (Collins 20). Effie, with the Capital's perspective, sees the
Hunger Games as a spectacle. She does not see it for the death and horror it
represents to the rest of Panem outside of the Capitol.
Additionally, the Tributes themselves understand that they must
play into the "show" for the Capitol in order to ultimately survive.
The gifts and sponsors they receive through gaining the favor of the Capitol
can ultimately decide life or death for the Tributes. Therefore, in the midst
of a fight for their lives, the tributes must worry about appealing to the
Capitol and becoming likable and engaging characters. It is for this reason
that in an attempt to save Peeta's life, Katniss understands she must play the
role of a lovestruck girl in order to have a chance at winning. Katniss
realizes this when the Playmakers announce there can be two winners from one
District. She thinks to herself, "If I want to keep Peeta alive, I've got
to give the audience something more to care about. Star-crossed lovers
desperate to get home together...Romance" (Collins 251). Katniss
understands that appealing to the Capitol and creating an entertaining
"story" for them is necessary for survival, as she knows that they
see The Hunger Games as nothing more than a show.
The separation between fact and fiction is one aspect of The Hunger Games that I find particularly interesting. Of course, the contestants of the Hunger Games are aware that all of their actions are being watched and filmed for entertainment purposes and can use this to their advantage. Katniss even gives “a knowing smile” to the cameras (164). And because the Hunger Games are televised, the government gets to choose what to show their captivated audience. The government ensures that the audience doesn’t see some of Katniss’s small acts of rebellion. For example, “they omit the part where [Katniss] covered [Rue] in flowers […] Because even that smacks of rebellion” (363). Even though Rue’s death was the realest, most genuine thing Katniss experiences during the games, the government does not air it, and instead chooses to focus on the romance between her and Peeta. Katniss herself doesn’t know what was real between her and Peeta and what was simply for the cameras; she cannot separate fact and fiction in her own head (373). Katniss struggles with her feelings for Peeta as they get closer to District 12, knowing that things will be different once they are no longer under constant supervision.
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