The central reason that Katniss faces as much danger after the Games as in during them, is the defiance she shows the capitol, to some extent due to her send-off for Rue, but chiefly for her orchestration of her and Peeta's gambit with the poisoned berries. These actions are a natural extension of Katniss's awareness of the oppressive power of the capitol. In both cases she thinks as much about what the cameras would show to viewers as the actual actions she performs. When she cloaks Rue in flowers, she does it "to make [the Capitol] accountable" (237). Katniss knows that "[t]hey'll have to show [Rue's body]" and thinks about what message her actions will send (237).
Later, Katniss only gets the idea with the berries because she knows "they have to have a victor" (344). Peeta then says that he "want[s] everyone to see" what they are doing (344). Peeta has shown an aptitude for playing for the cameras throughout the book and this is a natural extension of that and shows that even he is aware to some extent of the defiance that their actions represent.
Although this defiance allows Katniss and Peeta to both survive the games, the fall under close scrutiny for the rest of the book, and they have to be extremely careful to appear as sympathetic star-crossed lovers to give them protection from any retribution the Capitol may take. Even though they appear to have won the games, they can never truly escape from the watchful eye of the Capitol, and thus can never truly live the life of comfort that victors are promised.
This message of the book relates to the larger themes of class inequality that are present within it. The Hunger Games seems to offer an impossible-seeming dream that the tributes, through victory, can rise above their poverty and win a life of comfort for themselves and their family, much like how the oft-touted American Dream promises that with enough work and effort, one can rise through the class hierarchy and draw nearer to the upper echelons of society. By not allowing Katniss to ever truly win the games, Collins comments on the similarly false promise of the American Dream, on the difficulty of ever truly achieving upward class mobility, and the difficulty of seizing power away from those who wield it.
I completely agree that the Hunger Games never really end for the victors. After the scene in which Haymitch tells Katniss that the Capitol is not happy about her and Peeta’s act of defiance with the berries, Katniss thinks, “The most dangerous part of the Hunger Games is about to begin” (359). Even though Katniss and Peeta have won the physical Hunger Games already, there is still the game of them having to figure out how to present themselves to the Capitol in a way that they will be seen as in love rather than defiant against the Capitol. Katniss later explains that there will be victory ceremonies in a few months, which is “the Capitol’s way of reminding people that the Hunger Games never really go away” (370). Again, even though Katniss and Peeta have survived the arena, there is still the game of looking good for the Capitol. Even months after the Hunger Games have physically ended, the Capitol still watches over the victors. I think this also adds to the theme of class inequality in the way that even though the victors may technically have a luxurious life after the Games, they are still submissive to the Capitol just because they live in the districts.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Capitol manipulates the games so that the victor never truly wins and that the book leans into themes of class inequality to reinforce this idea. Being from a poor and starving district, both Katniss and Peeta find the reward of a life of riches appealing. Many times throughout the games, Katniss thinks about returning home and being able to keep Prim well fed and it is her main motivator for the majority of the games. She doesn't let herself think about everything else that comes with being a victor. After she wins, she realizes that her life will never go back to normal as she has lost her privacy and "won't have that luxury for who knows how long" (Collins 359). While Katniss and her family may be rewarded with riches and food, she has been permanently traumatized and exploited for the gain of the Capitol. The Hunger Games mirrors class inequality in this way. The elite gives a false sense of hope to those that are below them but then strips them of their humanity when they feel threatened. The victors of the Hunger Games will never be able to live the lives of those in the Capitol despite everything that they were promised because the dehumanization and exploitation that they have already faced never ends.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a great point about the Hunger Games never truly ending. It makes me mainly wonder who are the real winners of the games, those that died and escaped the never-ending oppression of the Capitol, or the victors. This goes beyond the first book, but in Catching Fire, the theme of the Hunger Games involves victors from past years being selected as the tributes for the games. While this is due to the defiance Katniss showed the capitol, it shows that the Capitol disregards promises of peace in order to teach a lesson.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your identification that the Capitol’s main problem with Katniss arises from her stunt with the berries at the end of the games. They have never been challenged like this before, so for the final two tributes to attempt this and get away with it ruffles some feathers with President Snow. This is reflected in the crowning ceremony after the games when “[t]here’s just one crown…and you can hear the crowd’s confusion–whose head will [President Snow] place it on?--until President Snow gives it a twist and it separates into two halves” (364). Katniss has to walk on thin ice during their journey back to district 12 because the Capitol needs to be convinced by their love story in order to keep them safe. While this isn’t a challenge for Peeta, it proves to be difficult for Katniss, and sets up the narrative that the danger of the Hunger Games will follow her until the eventual fall of the Capitol at the end of the series.