In Panem, the dystopian country that serves as the setting in Suzanne Collin’s trilogy The Hunger Games, President Snow governs the citizens of twelve districts in a totalitarian manner. The ideology of totalitarianism allows for “no individual freedom and seeks to subordinate all aspects of individual life to the authority of the state” (Brittanica). In O’Brien and Szeman’s Popular Culture: A User’s Guide, the authors introduce an ideology, stating that it “refers to the process by which the set of values and beliefs that bind individuals together in a society become ‘naturalized’” (Szeman, 37). Most of the districts in Panem have accepted the totalitarian rule. How did this happen, and why is it important?
The Capitol offers safety to the districts in return for goods and services that are unique to each district. The geographic location of the districts gives each one a different resource that they were required to provide to the Capitol. When a district, such as 13, did not obey, the Capitol eliminated them so they did not pose a threat to the government. This is how The Hunger Games were created, to serve as a reminder to the rest of Panem that the Capitol had ultimate control. The main occupation of each district then became a status symbol that contributed to the assemblage of The Games, because the tributes wore outfits to correspond with the trade of their district. The districts that provided items of greater value had a distinct advantage over the other districts in The Games, because the tributes from these districts could train for the games without punishment. Those at a disadvantage, such as the coal miners from the Seam in District 12, formed a subculture that eventually contributes to the rebellion.
The Hunger Games alone are not enough to subdue the discontent in the districts. Peacekeepers are placed throughout Panem to keep the citizens in check and report back to the Capitol. District 12 is surrounded by an electric fence, and District 11 has tall watch towers so that the peacekeepers can survey from above. These methods of surveillance are as close to a panoptic point of view as the Capitol can achieve outside of the games. In the arena, the gamemakers can see and manipulate everything in the tributes’ environment. In District 12, the fence also separates the district from the woods. As discussed in Bland and Strotmann’ s The Hunger Games: An Ecocritical Reading, the wilderness offers “freedom but also the unknown” (Bland, 28). Most of the residents of District 12 fear the woods and the consequences of disobeying the Capitol by entering it. This fear gave Katniss an advantage, allowing her to sharpen her hunting and scavenging skills that ultimately lead to her survival in District 12 and in the 74th Hunger Games. The Hob, a black market in the Seam of District 12, buys meat and plants from Katniss, and the Peacekeepers are known to frequent the Hob. This is another example of how subculture in Panem leads to the rebellion.
The control and confinement over the districts influence the culture of each district, which is why some districts are quicker to join the rebellion than others. The cultural hegemony led by the Capitol eventually backfires due to the countercultures that form in the districts as a result of their disadvantages.
Follow this link for an interesting discussion on Antonio Gramsci's development of the concept of cultural hegemony. Thank you for reading!
Works Cited
Ashley. “I Just Can't Wait to Be King.” I Just Can't Wait to Be King, 1 Jan. 1970, scarinsalem.blogspot.com/.
Bland, Janice, and Anne Strotmann. "The Hunger Games: An Ecocritical Reading." Children's Literature in English Language Education, vol. 2, no. 1, 2014, pp. 22-43.
Cole, Nicki Lisa. “How the Ruling Class Maintains Power Using Ideas and Norms.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 6 Jan. 2020, www.thoughtco.com/cultural-hegemony-3026121.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic Childrens Books, 2013.
“Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The.” Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games, www.imfdb.org/wiki/Hunger_Games:_Catching_Fire,_The.
“Panem.” The Hunger Games Wiki, thehungergames.fandom.com/wiki/Panem.
Szeman, Imre, and Susie OBrien. Popular Culture: a Users Guide. Wiley Blackwell, 2017.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Totalitarianism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Dec. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/totalitarianism.
“The Hunger Games Photo: New Still - Mockingjay: Part 1: President Snow.” Fanpop, www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-hunger-games/images/37754087/title/new-still-mockingjay-part-1-president-snow-photo.
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