Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games
heavily features a recurring motif throughout the novel: food. Collins, through
Katniss, often describes the food she is eating and often compares her low-quality
food in District 12 and during the games to the “rich fare” of the Capitol
(Collins 45). Collins uses the motif of food to draw a stark contrast between
the difficult lives of those in the Districts to the decadent lives of those in
the Capitol.
After the death of her father in the mines, Katniss describes how she was desperately waiting to turn 12, in order to obtain the tesserae grain and oil, which “cooks down to an unattractive brown mush” (65). As she waits, she attempts to sell “some threadbare old baby cloths,” but fails to find any buyers (28). The same day, Peeta throws her loaves of burnt bread, which Katniss and her family gratefully eat, preferring burnt bread to starvation. It is not until she begins foraging and hunting that Katniss is able to get enough food to feed her family, but even then, that food is “a poor substitution” for the Capitol’s food (65). Katniss’ first Capitol meal includes “a thick carrot soup,” “lamb chops,” and “a chocolate cake,” foods much more delicious and decadent than any she could have found in District 12. Later, when served a meal with chicken, oranges, and pudding, Katniss states that it would take “days of hunting and gathering for this one meal,” which Cinna obtained with only the press of a button (65).
The ease with which Capitol
citizens can obtain luxurious food while citizens in the Districts struggle to
avoid starvation reflects the massive wealth and power disparity between the
groups. The Capitol, having complete control over the districts, also has great
control over food. This power disparity is also seen in the games themselves, wherein
Katniss must once again hunt for her food. She even resorts to eating tree bark
at one point, and considers the dried fruit a District 1 tribute had as being a
luxury. Her difficulty in not only feeding herself but even getting water reflects
her powerless position as a pawn of the Capitol. Upon winning the games and
being treated in the hospital, Katniss, restrained in her bed, is given a
simple meal of broth, applesauce, and water. She gripes about how her “homecoming
dinner” should be more “spectacular” (349). Even after winning the games,
Katniss is still in control of the Capitol, who can feed her as “spare” a meal
as they choose (349). Later on, when she finally gets “a real meal” of roast
beef and rolls, her portions are still controlled, as the Capitol does not want
her to throw up on stage. Katniss must still play a role for the Capitol, and
cannot eat or act as she really wants to because of the pressure she faces from
them. The Capitol controls her meals, just like they control her.
I agree that food is an important commodity that is brought up time and time again in the novel. The difference between the quality and quantity of the food available to the Districts and the Capital highlights the class differences between the Districts and with the Capital itself. The richer Districts that are closer to the Capital have plenty of food. The citizens never go hungry in these Districts. Katniss is angry after destroying the Careers food stores, because she realizes that food has never been a real concern for them, in or out of the games. She wonders, “Why bother to carry food when you have such a bounty back at camp? When you kill you enemies so quickly you’ll be back home before your hungry (248). The tributes from these districts have been taught to fight, they have never had to worry about having to survive. This is a constant fear for Katniss and others from the poorer Districts.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the Capitol uses food as a way to control and punish the other Districts for their past rebellion, especially the lower Districts. One way someone can get more food for themselves is to put their name in the reaping multiple times. No one in the richer Districts would ever have to do this, whereas Katniss explains this is a common practice in District 12. As Katniss explains, “At the age of sixteen, my name will be in the reaping twenty times. Gale, who is eighteen and has been either helping or single-handedly feeding a family of five for seven years, will have his name in forty-two times” (13). This increases the chance of being forced to compete in the Hunger Games much higher for the poorest, most desperate people in Panem. This system puts all the power in the hands of the Capital. They control the lower Districts by controlling their access to food and using the fear of the Hunger Games as a constant reminder the Capital holds complete power over their lives.