The Hunger Games and Mental Illness

By Anonymous -
The Hunger Games is set in a broken world. Likewise, the people who live in this world are also broken. Consumed by oppression, starvation, and violence, it is not a surprise that the people of Panem suffer from a variety of mental illnesses. After the death of her father in a coal mine explosion, Katniss’ mother becomes extremely, catatonically depressed, to the point where she can no longer take care of her two children, leaving Katniss to become the sole caretaker for the family. Katniss is left with her own mental scars as well, saying she wakes up from nightmares of her father’s death routinely. Katniss’ experiences with mental illness only expands once she becomes a tribute in the titular Games. Her mentor, Haymitch, is an alcoholic, who uses wine and liquor to cope with his own ptsd from winning an earlier Hunger Games.

Katniss’ response to the issues of both her mother and her mentor is to be dismissive. This is a reflection of the nature of Panem, where weakness is not, or in some cases cannot, be tolerated if you want to survive. The lack of proper mental health care is another tool used by the Capitol to oppress the Districts and keep them weak enough to stay divided and subservient. This attitude towards mental illness is derived from our attitudes of it in real life. Mental illness is often stigmatized as fake or not as serious as other physical illnesses. The lack of empathy and information afforded to those suffering with mental illness causes them to suffer quietly and in solitude unnecessarily. Much like in Panem, this hits harder for minorities and for those in poverty, robbing them of a chance to live fully happy, successful lives and makes it harder for them to overcome social obstacles than those without mental illness.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 9, 2016 at 8:47 PM

    I do understand what you mean by Katniss being mentally unhealthy. She literally became a parent to Primrose and her mother at a very young age, and was expected to provide and protect them. There was no mental or emotional transition from child to adolescence to adulthood. She never had a crush, or played with makeup, or figured out her identity. Going into the Capitol forced her to have to do things like only take care of herself, dress like a girl, and act like a girl. Although I do think that they misrepresented her masculinity and feminine qualities, I do enjoy that she went on that journey away from her family for the first time.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 9, 2016 at 8:47 PM

    I do understand what you mean by Katniss being mentally unhealthy. She literally became a parent to Primrose and her mother at a very young age, and was expected to provide and protect them. There was no mental or emotional transition from child to adolescence to adulthood. She never had a crush, or played with makeup, or figured out her identity. Going into the Capitol forced her to have to do things like only take care of herself, dress like a girl, and act like a girl. Although I do think that they misrepresented her masculinity and feminine qualities, I do enjoy that she went on that journey away from her family for the first time.

    ReplyDelete

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