The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Original Date of Publication: 2008

Characters

Katniss Everdeen – A 16 year old who takes the place of her sister’s in the Hunger Games for district 11. To her, the Hunger Games is a death sentence, but she also promises her sister that she'll win

Prim – Katniss’ younger sister, who has to watch Katniss in the Hunger Games on T.V., in her place

Gale – Katniss’ hunting partner for about four years. He is two years older than Katniss

Peeta – The baker’s son who has had a crush on Katniss since the first day of school, and is the male contender for district 11 in the Hunger Games

Haymich – The only winner of the Hunger Games in district 11, who has to mentor Katniss and Peeta through the brawl.

Cinna, Portia – Stylists in the district 11’s support team

Setting
The Hunger Games takes place in the fictitious country of Panem.  Panem is split up into twelve districts.  It was originally split into thirteen districts but the thirteenth district was destroyed in a battle against the Capitol during the Dark Days.  The twelve districts remaining are ruled by the Capitol.  The narrator of the book, Katniss, lives in the twelfth district.  District 12 is enclosed by a sometimes electrified fence which is meant to keep predators from coming in.  Nicknamed the Seam, District 12 is home primarily to poor coal miners. 

The Hunger Games is somewhat like a very intense reality T.V. show.  All the action associated with The Hunger Games is filmed and broadcasted on live T.V., from the reaping to the final battle.  We get the sense that the book takes place in the future.  The very advanced technology and genetically mutated animals gives us this impression.  We see the majority of this in advanced technology during The Hunger Games.

Themes
There are several themes that take place in the book, The Hunger Games.  One of the themes is survival of the fittest.  The main character, Katniss, has to compete in the Hunger Games, a deathly battle between 24 people. The only way to win the game is to kill your opponents.  Katniss has to figure out how to survive in the woods, facing issues of starvation, dehydration, and most of all, death.  The idea of politics is another theme that can be seen throughout the book.  Politics plays a large role in the way the 12 districts are set up, and how they compare to the greatness of the Capitol.  The Capitol has all the control in the nation of Panem.  Love and care are part of another theme that takes place in the book.  Katniss makes it very clear that she loves her little sister, Prim, more than anything in the world.  Her main concern while entering the games is how her mother and Prim will be without her, since she is the one who takes care of them.  The theme of love can also be seen when Peeta, the boy tribute from District 12, admits his love for Katniss.  Throughout the game, their care for one another grows into love.

Questions and Issues
In the novel, The Hunger Games there are three main issues that are addressed.  The first issue that is addressed is manslaughter. Twenty-four kids are picked to play the "hunger game."  In the game, there is a winner and to win you have to eliminate your opponents.  These young adults are hunting each other and killing each other just to win this game.  If they do not hunt each other, and if there is no action going on, then the gamemakers will throw in a twist like setting the woods on fire to injure a player.  They are using manslaughter for entertainment which is horrible.

The next issue is the problem of starvation.  In the capital, they have a ton of nice food.  However, in the districts, especially where Katniss lives, some people will go hungry.  The capital will not help the people by giving them food.  Since there are limited food resources in district twelve, the price to buy food is higher, making many people have to live on very small rations.

The last issue that is evident in the novel is the issue of poverty.  This does tie into starvation because if you are starving you are obviously living in poverty.  In district twelve there are people who live in extreme poverty, which are usually the coal miners and the merchants that get by more comfortably.  However, if you compare the districts with the capital there is a big gap between the them.