History and The Hunger Games
With November 22 drawing near, legions of superfans are waiting with baited breath for Catching Fire, the second movie in the trilogy based off of Suzanne Collins’ hit young adult series The Hunger Games. The trilogy follows the trials of Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl who lives in Panem—a country that rose from the ruins of America. Each year, the 12 districts in Panem are forced to send two children into the Hunger Games, a gladiator-esque battle to the death that is televised with alarming pomp and circumstance.
For many, the cultural and historical allusions are obvious nods to the brutality and bloodshed that lines our history books and the corrupt nature of politics and government that we see today. For students who have yet to learn about ancient Rome or fascist Italy but enjoy The Hunger Games all the same, teachers can use a variety of resources to bridge the gap between history and entertainment and teach something that is both relevant and interesting. Here are some connections that have been drawn between Collins’ hit series and our planet’s past and present.
Collins herself has cited two main inspirations for The Hunger Games, the first of which is the history and bloodshed synonymous with Ancient Rome. The references to the infamous gladiatorial games are plentiful throughout the entire trilogy. In her criticism and historical study of The Hunger Games, Mary McGunigal references a quote from Collins in which she gives the three main support columns of the games: “a ruthless, all-powerful government, people being forced to fight to the death, and it to be a popular entertainment.” The government that uses fear to dictate their people resides at the garish Capitol (yes, like the Roman Capitol) and funnel exorbitant amounts of cash into the games in order to sponsor certain tributes and throw lavish feasts for tributes before they enter the arena. This is eerily similar to Ancient Rome, where aristocrats would provide feasts for the gladiators before battle, and the physically attractive gladiators would have more monetary value.
In The Hunger Games, the more attractive tributes receive more sponsors, so tributes are dolled up with a sickening attention to detail. It is an odd combination of the ideologies of Ancient Rome and the often criticized culture of the current youth pageant circuit. The Hunger Games are televised across Panem and the results of the broadcast vary throughout the districts. For the wealthier districts, the games are a form of entertainment in which they are deeply entrenched—this mimics and criticizes popular culture and reality television, as well as the lust for gore in Ancient Rome. For the poor districts, the games are elaborate displays of power, which is highly reminiscent of the government of Ancient Rome. The parallels could not be more clear: Panem’s President Corialanus Snow, the “Capitol” and the parading of tributes in golden chariots are all obvious nods to the violence of that ancient era. Panem is even a reference to the phrase “panem et circenses,” which translates to bread and circuses and was coined in reference to the large amounts of grains that were given away to the public coupled with the frequent (and costly) gladiator battles staged for entertainment.
Collins has also attributed aspects of The Hunger Games to Greek mythology, most specifically the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. According to the tale, the king of Crete has a falling out with Athens and demands seven boys and seven girls (all of whom must be physically attractive) to be selected from Athens each year and brought into a labyrinth to be devoured by the Minotaur. Theseus volunteers in an effort to undermine the power of the king and put a stop to the bloodshed. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the Hunger Games, she initially does it to protect her younger sister. But fans of the series know that Katniss’ motives evolve throughout the trilogy, and she soon becomes the bastion of the rebellion against the Capitol. There are many parallels between the Greek mythological tale and Collins’ novel—the young Athenians are all attractive and are also called tributes and Collins’ tributes are brought to an inescapable arena (much like a labyrinth) against their will to meet an untimely death. Katniss is clearly modeled after Theseus, as she outsmarts the arena and its obstacles at nearly every turn and seeks to restore balance to Panem, while Theseus manages to kill the Minotaur and unify the nation.
There are other, more recent historical and cultural connections that can be made when discussing The Hunger Games. As mentioned before, our culture’s preoccupation with reality television, violence and the youth pageant circuit (“Survivor,” “Grand Theft Auto” and “Toddlers and Tiaras”) is mirrored in the world of Panem. The totalitarian regime and fear instilled by such a government is reminiscent of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. Citizens of the Capitol are obsessed with physical appearance to the point of body modification, which is an obvious dig (albeit an exaggeration) of our culture’s preoccupation with perfect beauty. Suzanne Collins’ trilogy is a criticism of both popular culture and ancient history, and when taught in a school setting can provide students with an interesting and stimulating curriculum. There are other, more recent historical and cultural connections that can be made when discussing The Hunger Games. As mentioned before, our culture’s preoccupation with reality television, violence and the youth pageant circuit (“Survivor,” “Grand Theft Auto” and “Toddlers and Tiaras”) is mirrored in the world of Panem. The totalitarian regime and fear instilled by such a government is reminiscent of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. Citizens of the Capitol are obsessed with physical appearance to the point of body modification, which is an obvious dig (albeit an exaggeration) of our culture’s preoccupation with perfect beauty. Suzanne Collins’ trilogy is a criticism of both popular culture and ancient history, and when taught in a school setting can provide students with an interesting and stimulating curriculum.
What historical allusions have YOU noticed in The Hunger Games? Have you ever used this or any other popular book to add another element to your history lessons? Join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtags #hgteacher or #popreading