The Hunger Games

The dystopian setting offers clear stakes from the beginning of the story. In District 12’s ghetto, the Seam, death by hunger is a possibility if not a likelihood, only staved off through illegal foraging and poaching, which also risks a public flogging (which may also lead to death). Beyond this daily threat, the concept of the Hunger Games provides the reader a clear understanding of what to expect: hardship, injustice, tragedy, and death.

Despite elements of a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age story, the novel’s primary narrative is a hero’s journey, a concept popularized by Joseph Campbell in 1946. In the typical hero’s journey, the protagonist is called to adventure, overcomes a crisis, and returns home transformed by their experiences. The initial exposition in The Hunger Games makes it clear that Katniss has already experienced a coming of age—when her father died and she became the head of the family at age 11. Instead, these five chapters constitute the first three stages of the hero’s journey as defined by Christopher Vogler in “A Practical Guide to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” There are 12 stages in total: (1) ordinary world; (2) call to adventure; (3) refusal of the call; (4) meeting with the mentor; (5) crossing the threshold; (6) tests, allies, enemies; (7) approach to the inmost cave; (8) ordeal; (9) seizing the world, reward; (10) the road back; (11) resurrection; and (12) return with the elixir. Notably, The Hunger Games forgoes the refusal of the call, as Katniss’s call to adventure is compelling enough to prevent any uncertainty.

In terms of characterization, the protagonist, Katniss, is a reluctant hero. She has no interest in fame or glory, only in protecting her loved ones. This motivation leads to the dedication and perseverance she needed to become her family’s provider after her father’s death, despite her young age. Since then, Katniss has grown into a no-nonsense survivor with one goal in mind: protecting and providing for her sister, Primrose. The story’s call to action serves as a direct challenge to this priority. Once again, Katniss sacrifices her own safety to protect her little sister by volunteering as tribute.

Prim’s character is quickly established as the archetype of the innocent: a morally pure, universally beloved character who, in this case, serves as the catalyst and motivation for the hero’s journey. Katniss’s desire to protect Prim also serves as evidence of one of the book’s common themes: the struggle against impotence. Katniss first becomes aware of her lack of power when her father dies. After this tragedy, Katniss does all she can to provide for her family. Despite all Katniss’s sacrifices to keep her sister safe and fed, she is no match for the Capitol’s power. Ultimately, she can only save her sister through yet another act of self-sacrifice—volunteering to take Prim’s place.

Despite her role as the protagonist, Katniss does not have the arrogance typically associated with the hero archetype. In fact, she may have an unreasonably low opinion of herself, as shown by the contrast in her perception of herself and her perception of Prim: “People deal with me, but they are genuinely fond of Prim” (38). While she considers herself to be as resilient as required to provide for her family and little else, there are hints that belie her modesty and foreshadow her ultimate perseverance, such as her admission that “it isn’t in [her] nature to go down without a fight, even when things seem insurmountable” (36). Additional foreshadowing hints at Katniss’s ability to emotionally dissociate from the tasks required to survive and the associated guilt, exemplified when she admits, “the awful thing is that if I can forget they’re people, it will be no different at all” (40). These statements show Katniss’s fear of the games and expectation of failure but also demonstrate the traits that will lead to her success: stubbornness, perseverance, pragmatism, and ruthlessness. Katniss is not without fault, however. She is quick to judge and dismiss others, as seen by her treatment of Haymitch Abernathy, Effie Trinket, her styling team, Peeta Mellark, and her mother. Even in the early stages of establishing her character, Katniss Everdeen is a well-rounded, multidimensional figure.

One of the dominant themes so far is the contrast between the Capitol and the districts—especially the Seam. The Capitol is full of people in outlandish dress who seem to lack concern for the lives of others. The Capitol’s abundance is contrasted with the districts’ squalor, most clearly in the novel’s depictions of hygiene, etiquette, and food. This is clear from the stylist assistants’ comments about Katniss’s body hair and general layers of grime, Effie Trinket’s offhand remarks about previous tributes’ lack of table manners, and the repeated instances in which Katniss is stunned—and appalled—by the food offered to her as a tribute. During an abundant lunch with Cinna, Katniss laments, “Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitution for the Capitol version. What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button?” (65).

Katniss has long felt ostracized even in District 12 because of her poverty. However, she is surprised to find herself supported by her community after she volunteers as tribute. The act of volunteering to save her sister turns her into a symbol—an icon of familial love and sacrifice—and the posterchild of what the Capitol is set on destroying. This is most clearly demonstrated by the crowd’s decision to protest the reaping with silence and to honor Katniss with an important cultural gesture:

Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don’t expect it because I don’t think of District 12 as a place that cares about me. But a shift has occurred since I stepped up to take Prim’s place, and now it seems I have become someone precious. At first one, then another, then almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means goodbye to someone you love (24).

This gesture and the mockingjay pin foreshadow the symbol of resistance that Katniss will later become.