At the heart of the Hunger Games lies a commentary on wealth and the divide in opportunity it creates within the nation. In the Hunger Games, poorer districts are less likely to win because of the poor condition the tributes are usually in as many of the tributes come from poor families that have hardly enough to eat to survive. Meanwhile, the wealthier districts have tributes that are well fed and prepared for the Games, often training beforehand to ensure their success. This divide between the poor districts and wealthy districts can be compared to the divide in college admission rates between the wealthy and the poor in the modern society.
The symbol of wealth among the districts is held within the Career districts, or districts 1, 2, and 4. As Katniss explains, the tributes from these districts "have been fed and trained throughout their lives for [the Hunger Games]" (Collins, 93). The tributes from the career districts have a distinct advantage that allows for them to win the Games more easily as they are well fed and knowledgeable about the in's and out's of the Games. On the other hand, tributes from the poorest district 12 are already at a severe disadvantage, shown by the district 12 tributes from the year prior, "two kids from the Seam who’d never, not one day of their lives, had enough to eat" (44). These tributes do not have spare time to worry about preparing for the Games as they are more focused on having food to eat each day, putting their odds at winning the Games at a low.
Comparing the situation of the districts in the Hunger Games to the modern society, it is clear that students from wealthier families are more likely to get into and complete college than poorer students. As reported by Forbes, 39% of high school graduates coming from families with an income of under $30,000 enroll in a four year college, compared to the 61% of high school graduates coming from families with an income of $100,000 or more. This gap in enrollment stems from a variety of issues and one of these issues is that students of lower socioeconomic status do not have enough time to participate in extracurricular actives or school work as they are most likely busy working at part time jobs to provide for their family. On the other hand, students from wealthier families often do not need to work part time and can spend their time working on their resumes and college application skills, participating in extracurricular events and studying to maintain high grades, mimicking the advantages tributes from districts 1, 2, and 4 have over tributes from district 12.
I completely agree with your statement that The Hunger Games has an underlying commentary on social class and modern society, which is seen through the circumstances of the tributes from each of the districts. Like you mentioned, tributes from the districts closer to the Capitol are referred to as the “Career Tributes” since they train for the games from a young age, and they “project arrogance and brutality” (95). On the other hand, the districts that are farther from the Capitol, like District 12, have tributes that have been hungry their whole lives and who have no training or experience. I think this reflects our society today, in the sense that those with more elite social status, like the Career Tributes, have the tools to succeed in life (or the games) when compared to those with lower social status. Not only is this a commentary on social class, but I also think it reflects the American ideal of the underdog. We love to cheer for the underdog, whether it be in sports, movies, or life in general. Nobody expects District 12 to win the games, since Katniss and Peeta have no experience and are much less talented in comparison to the arrogant Careers. However, we choose to cheer for them and hope they find a way to be victorious, and even see the Careers as the enemy. Overall, the novel comments on social class and the idea of the beloved underdog, which is visualized through the unique circumstances of each of the tributes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of the class differences in The Hunger Games in reference to today's society. As in the novel, closer districts are given the advantage of training and having more than enough food, leading to an endless loop of always winning. Because the district with the winning tribute is given a year's worth of food and gifts, the next year's winner is more likely to be from that district. Meanwhile, the tributes from the farther districts, whose only training comes from their needed searching and hunting for their food supply and whose districts never win, are automatically given the disadvantage. This is similar for people who are homeless or are receiving food stamps. As their children are not getting the necessary amount of food, they go hungry and struggle to stay awake and focus on their schoolwork. This inevitably leads to worse grades, which means a decreased chance of getting into colleges, and worse jobs. This cycle then continues on to their children. While there are a few people that beat the odds, as stated in a New York Times article, "just 8 percent of American men at the bottom rose to the top fifth," showing the difficulty of breaking out of the cycle of poverty, as displayed by the winning of Katniss and Peeta from District 12.
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