The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is an American dystopian science fiction film that was produced in 2012. The movie was directed by Gary Ross. The movie is based on the novel The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins. The film is categorized as dystopia since it portrays a setting that is contrary to the ethos in which the directors of the movie appeal to. Dystopias are mostly found in speculative-fiction movie genres and science-fiction, this explains why it is used in the Hunger Games movie.  Themes such as love, rebellion, class divisions, evolving identities, and stoicism are depicted in the movie. Individuals have developed their reader’s responses to the film. Reader response of the film looks at how individuals perceive the message passed across by the film. The lens of criticism has also been used to analyze the film. Scrutiny of the Hunger Games film, through the lens of feminist criticism, depicts the female character, Katniss exhibiting female strength as she journeys in a dystopian world.

The film takes place in a dystopian future, in a land known as Panem. Twelve districts are enslaved and ruled with an iron fist by a cruel authority, the Capitol. The film is therefore political (Fisher, 2012). Each year, a boy and a girl are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, a battle which was conducted to death. They are referred to as “Tributes,” and come from each of the twelve districts (Fisher, 2012). Katniss is a female character who lives in one of the districts and has a friend known as Gale. The two have a habit of trespassing their territories and go hunting in the forbidden woods. Katniss takes care of her little sister since the death of her father. She is not interested in what is taking place with the Capitol authorities and only ensures that her sister is not selected to be a tribute. A twist of events occurs, and her sister gets chosen, but Katniss volunteers to take her place (Fisher, 2012). Her male tribute was Peeta, whom Katniss seems to have met before. The two are taken to the venue of the battle and on their way, they are advised by the survivor of battle from their district. On arrival at the venue, they are given designer outfits. Their outfits appear to burst into flames, as such, Katniss is nicknamed, “the Girl on Fire.” They spend days doing training, however, Katniss makes a great impression by being excellent in arrow shooting. This makes the duo have sponsors solicited by the last survivor of the battle. The games begin and at the end of the first day, half of the tributes are dead. Peeta gets badly injured in the arena and therefore, needs medication. As asserted by Fisher (2012), the two begin behaving like a couple to gain the favor of the audience. After some time, Peeta and Katniss are the only survivors in the battle and the Capitol authorities seem reluctant to change their mind on having one victor. The two decide to take poisonous berries while being watched, this changes the minds of the Capitol and they become the victors.

Through the lens of feminist criticism, Katniss is portrayed as a heroic female who embraces masculinity. As asserted by Skinner and McCord (2012), Katniss is a protagonist in the impoverished dystopian world that exists in the future. First of all, she volunteers to take the place of her sister in the gladiatorial death battle, as she says “I volunteer! I volunteer! I volunteer as a tribute! This was quite shocking as this was unheard of in Panem. The battle was deadly and therefore, it took strength for a female to volunteer. She becomes a victor in the battle as she fought tirelessly without giving up, therefore, she was a hero of her district.  This victory was predicted because, before the game, Katniss tells her sister that, “Of course maybe I can, I am smart, you know.” This statement depicts that, Katniss was a master of all trades, therefore, she could overcome all challenges thrown at her. Gale her friend, also resonates with the assertion that Katniss was strong by saying that, “listen to me, you are stronger than they. You are. Get to bow.” Katniss had started panicking and Gale reminded her that, she could hunt and the humans she was supposed to battle against were just like the animals. Since she had mastered the game of hunting, the battle was no different. The feminism in Katniss is also depicted through her behavior. She has anxieties, vulnerabilities and in some cases, she finds pleasure in embracing her physical beauty. All these points out that, Katniss was a typical girl who was aware of her feminism. Katniss also depicts feministic archetype behavior when she befriends Rue, and together they support each other in the battle arena. Thus, she recognizes a fellow female’s strength and offers the ultimate support in the face of oppression. The film illustrates that Katniss does this through intuition and emotion.

The reader’s response to the film is quite different from one individual to another. This is because people perceive the idea presented in the film differently. The movie is powerful and presents ideologies well, but it fails to explore some of the ethical dilemmas presented. The other response from readers is that those who have read the book in which the film was adapted from envisioned Katniss as malnourished. The character Katniss did an impressive job in illustrating her role, thus, making the audience appreciate the fact that, she was not forced to starve for the film role. The film makes the audience believe that Katniss is a heroic female, although it is clear she is being manipulated to create a picture of rebellion against the Capitol. The ending of the film is another area of concern. This is because all along Katniss has been depicted as a smart and strong character, however, she compromises by acting dishonestly to gain the favor of the audience. It, therefore, shows how humans tend to change their ways when they feel they are being monitored and watched.

In conclusion, the Hunger Games movie is a true depiction of a dystopian society. The cruel authority of Capitol plays a crucial role in the life of Katniss as she participates in the Hunger Games which are deadly to save her sister. Through the lens of feminist criticism, Katniss is depicted as a feminist who illustrates masculinity. The reader’s response to the film is quite different as each views the film from a different perspective.

References

Fisher, M. (2012). Precarious Dystopias: The Hunger Games, in time, and never let me go. Film            Quarterly, 65(4), 27-33.

Loo, R. H. (2014). Katniss’ fluid identities: gender performance and media influence in the Hunger Games trilogy (Doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia).

Skinner, M., & McCord, K. (2012). The Hunger Games: A Conversation: Jungian and Literary     Perspectives on Violence, Gender, and Character Development. Jung Journal, 6(4), 106-           113.