The Hunger Games + Image vs. Identity
I think one of the most relevant aspects of The Hunger Games to the lives of adolescent readers is Katniss's struggle to reconcile staying true to herself with the image she is expected to present for Capitol viewers. Adolescent readers trying to balance the person they present on social media and the person they feel like they really are can definitely relate to Katniss's attempt to subvert the Capitol's expectations and not just play the role that looks good to other people. Especially in a time when celebrities increasingly use social media to promote brands they're working with, it can be hard for adolescents to judge whether someone is being genuine or not with how they present themselves.
Peeta is an example of someone who adapts easily to the "game" of appearing charming and charismatic to give his audience a positive impression, and adolescents might feel the same way Katniss first does about him: that their peers seem to effortlessly have things under control and understand how to appear "cool" on Instagram and Snapchat etc. However, when Katniss gets to know Peeta outside his constructed public personality, she finds he has the same insecurities and discomfort she does. He wants to show the Capitol he's not only a "piece in their Games" (142) and that he's his own person despite expectations to act and look a certain way. Katniss replies: "'But you're not,' I say. 'None of us are. That's how the Games work.' 'Okay, but within that framework, there's still you, there's still me,' he insists. 'Don't you see?'" (142). Katniss argues that it doesn't really make a difference whether or not they hold on to their independence inside, because in the end they're forced to submit to the Capitol.
I'm not sure who's right here if the metaphor is carried to public image and social media. Peeta's belief that holding on to an inner sense of self is all he has left ("what else am I allowed to care about at this point?" [142]) makes sense, but also betrays a certain amount of privilege compared to Katniss's priority. "'Care about what Haymitch said. About staying alive'," she replies (142). For adolescents struggling with issues more serious than their Instagram persona, Katniss's logic may seem more relatable. He wants to rebel, and she just wants to survive. It reminds me of the teachers on the reservation in Diary: they're privileged enough to come to the rez and believe they're nobly fighting for a cause, while the actual people on the reservation don't have time to worry about advocating for themselves and organizing public efforts because they're just trying to survive poverty, hunger, and alcoholism.
The fact that Katniss eventually comes around to Peeta's side and begins to place subverting the Capitol over simply surviving and making it home to her family has interesting implications... is political activism and standing up for a cause always more important than the safety of one's family or oneself? I think there are definitely really interesting political messages in The Hunger Games, especially for adolescents. In some ways it feels like a call to arms to stand up to oppression at all costs, and in some ways it feels like an argument for fighting from the inside and (seemingly) assimilating-- using your pastel Instagram aesthetic to make Bernie Sanders or body positivity posts. Maybe Collins is trying to cultivate a sense of political activism early for younger readers.
Peeta is an example of someone who adapts easily to the "game" of appearing charming and charismatic to give his audience a positive impression, and adolescents might feel the same way Katniss first does about him: that their peers seem to effortlessly have things under control and understand how to appear "cool" on Instagram and Snapchat etc. However, when Katniss gets to know Peeta outside his constructed public personality, she finds he has the same insecurities and discomfort she does. He wants to show the Capitol he's not only a "piece in their Games" (142) and that he's his own person despite expectations to act and look a certain way. Katniss replies: "'But you're not,' I say. 'None of us are. That's how the Games work.' 'Okay, but within that framework, there's still you, there's still me,' he insists. 'Don't you see?'" (142). Katniss argues that it doesn't really make a difference whether or not they hold on to their independence inside, because in the end they're forced to submit to the Capitol.
I'm not sure who's right here if the metaphor is carried to public image and social media. Peeta's belief that holding on to an inner sense of self is all he has left ("what else am I allowed to care about at this point?" [142]) makes sense, but also betrays a certain amount of privilege compared to Katniss's priority. "'Care about what Haymitch said. About staying alive'," she replies (142). For adolescents struggling with issues more serious than their Instagram persona, Katniss's logic may seem more relatable. He wants to rebel, and she just wants to survive. It reminds me of the teachers on the reservation in Diary: they're privileged enough to come to the rez and believe they're nobly fighting for a cause, while the actual people on the reservation don't have time to worry about advocating for themselves and organizing public efforts because they're just trying to survive poverty, hunger, and alcoholism.
The fact that Katniss eventually comes around to Peeta's side and begins to place subverting the Capitol over simply surviving and making it home to her family has interesting implications... is political activism and standing up for a cause always more important than the safety of one's family or oneself? I think there are definitely really interesting political messages in The Hunger Games, especially for adolescents. In some ways it feels like a call to arms to stand up to oppression at all costs, and in some ways it feels like an argument for fighting from the inside and (seemingly) assimilating-- using your pastel Instagram aesthetic to make Bernie Sanders or body positivity posts. Maybe Collins is trying to cultivate a sense of political activism early for younger readers.
I agree. The Hunger Games is a good way to introduce adolescents to political activism and societal issues that they are already dealing with, but don't always have a way to express.
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