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  • Essay / Totalitarian society and symbol of the mockingjay in The Hunger Games

    In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Panem is a dystopian society with totalitarian characteristics such as control of means of communication, use of weapons or violence to control those who oppose. them, and total control over the economy. Katniss Everdeen, protagonist of The Hunger Games, tries to rebel against the government. Katniss's rebellion first appears when she decides to go outside District 12's border and hunt even though she is not allowed to. His rebellion is also visible throughout the story with his attitude towards the Capitol and its inhabitants. Katniss' bow and arrows and mockingjay pin demonstrate her rebellion against the government and President Snow. Katniss' bow and arrow symbolize her independence and ability to provide for her family, as well as the responsibilities she takes on. The mockingjay pin symbolizes a creature with a mind of its own, a bird that previously marked resistance and rebellion when freed from the control of the Capitol. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Throughout the novel, the Capitol controls the twelve districts, both economically and politically. Snow, who is referred to as President of Panem, is known for being ruthless when maintaining law and order in the districts, inflicting fear in the districts so that all established rules are followed. Katniss, however, seems to break many rules and rebel in ways both subtle and loud. When we are first introduced to Katniss and her character, we see that Katniss is strong physically and emotionally, full of courage and resonance that help her preserve the difficult life she leads after the death of her father in the mines . Katniss endures the pain of seeing her mother literally shut down and goes hunting in the woods even when she is not allowed to. Outside the fence, Katniss has been known to speak out against the Capitol with Gale, which in itself is an act of treason. If anyone opposes the government, they are punished immediately. The Capitol even goes so far as to punish publicly in order to sow fear and gain more control over Panem. The Capitol has several ways to let Panem know that it is in control, one of them being The Hunger Games. “Each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that can contain anything from a burning wasteland to a frozen wasteland. For several weeks, competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins; taking the children from our neighborhoods, forcing them to kill each other while we watch - This is the Capitol's way of reminding us how completely we are at their mercy. How unlikely we would be to survive another rebellion” (27). The Capitol believes this is yet another way to control the districts. But unfortunately for them, even in the arena, Katniss demonstrates that the tributes are more than a piece in their games. And when Katniss challenges the Capitol in the arena, Haymitch gives advice and alerts Katniss of their fury. “Listen. You're in trouble. Rumor has it the Capitol is furious that you're introducing them to the arena. The only thing they can't stand is being made fun of” (495). There is a huge disparity between the rich and the poor in Panem. The author focuses on food as a symbol of wealth and inequality. Even during harvests,extremely poor people who do not have much to eat receive a tessera in exchange for food. This creates division and hatred towards these rich districts and Panem since the children of the outer districts can have more input into the harvest since they need food to survive unlike those of the rich families of the inner districts. Katniss and others who live in the districts furthest from the Capitol remain starving, while the Capitol, President Snow and neighboring districts live and enjoy their easy lives with a large amount of food, creating a lot of hatred in Katniss's heart. The connection people have with food parallels the chances of survival in the Hunger Games. For example, the tributes in the districts closer to the Capitol have plenty of food and are accustomed to a comfortable life. But in the Hunger Games, those same people who live comfortably can have a hard time when food is not available. But they are trained since birth to play the Hunger Games, which makes them more capable and ruthless in killing others. Katniss's hatred of careers has been present since the beginning of the games and is demonstrated in the following quote. “My hatred of the Capitol has in no way diminished my hatred of my competitors. Especially careers. At least they can be made to pay for Rue’s death” (330). Since the rebellion, these outlying and much poorer districts have been isolated and Katniss hates how the people of the Capitol live freely while others like her have to suffer and go through a lot to survive. When Katniss is thrown into the arena, she, like Peeta, wants to let the Capitol know that they not only disagree with them, but that they oppose them as a whole. “I want to do something, here and now, to shame them, to hold them accountable, to show the Capitol that no matter what they do or force us to do, they cannot take part of every tribute.” (328). ). The above quote is spoken by Katniss after Rue's death and accurately demonstrates Katniss' attitude towards the Capitol. She not only hates the Capitol but wishes to shame them for their actions. Katniss ends up decorating and surrounding Rue's body with flowers to let others know that each tribute is a human being and not Capitol property. The Capitol and President Snow decided to hold the districts against each other and prevent a rebellion. Division of sowing, dividing the country into twelve districts and giving the districts specialties in the production of goods and only those goods. The Districts then work for the Capitol in order to survive and feed their families, because then dependent on the Capitol to survive, this dependence increases further with rules such as those against poaching, which prevent the inhabitants from increasing their meager food supply. but Katniss stops by hunting and feeding her family. With her bow and arrows symbolizing her independence and ability to provide for her family, she goes beyond the borders of District 12 and regularly sells her hunted animals in a market due to financial difficulties. Crossing borders and going hunting might be more common, as Katniss says, if they were given any type of weapon and the ability to hunt. “Even though trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carries the harshest penalties, more people would risk it if they had weapons. But most do not have the audacity to venture out with a simple knife. My bow is a rarity, made by