Yesenia Santiago

English 114B
Professor Lawson
15 April 2014
Project Text Essay Final Draft
1292
The Capitol and Individuality
In The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins, there are many themes that can be
seen and analyzed as a critique of American society. The novels are set in the futuristic dystopian
society of Panem. Panem is a country that consists of twelve districts and a Capitol. The people
in the districts view the capitol citizens as strange, and inhumane because of their ridiculous
beauty ideals and the crazy things they are willing to do in order to stay fashionable and
attractive. The trilogy addresses the themes of individuality and also critiques the superficial
culture of the capitol. The capitol is in many ways like our society, with our disturbing obsession
with celebrities, unrealistic ideals of beauty and our ability to be easily entertained by the media
without asking ourselves whether the things the media presents to us is accurate. Individuality is
also a strong theme present in the trilogy as Katniss struggles to maintain herself as a separate
individual from the capitol and its ways.
There is a strong individuality presented in Katnisss character, as she breaks free from
the stereotypical girl in young adult novels. Unlike most girls in young adult novels, Katniss is
presented as a strong independent thinker who can be seen as playing the role of a male
character. The article Killer Katniss and Lover Boy Peeta discusses the traits Katniss
possess that make her different from other female characters in young adult literature. Katniss
Everdeen is a female character who balances traditionally masculine qualities such as
athleticism, independence, self-sufficiency, and a penchant for violence with traditionally
feminine qualities such as idealized physical female beauty. (Lem and Hassel Par. 1) Katniss
is a hunter, and doesnt like to portray much of what she feels, unlike Peeta who is a baker and
unafraid to display his feeling and affection. Unlike most female characters in young adult
novels that are often portrayed as fragile and easily falling in love, Katnisss character is
different. She has a hard time understanding her feelings for Peeta, who has no trouble
expressing his affection towards Katniss. She doesnt act like the love-crazed girl in most novels.
Scott argues that, The Hunger Games allows or maybe compels a kind of universal
identification that is rare, or maybe even taboo. Its generally assumed that girls can aspire to be
like Harry Potter or Spider-Man, or can at least embrace their adventures without undermining
their own femininity. (Scott, Par. 11) Katniss is a very important character that should be valued
by young girls because she represents a strong woman who does not necessarily need a male
character to make her strong.
Katniss is an independent thinker, who strives to keep separate from the capitol and its
superficial ways. Although she is aware of what is considered beautiful in the eyes of the capitol
she never tries to attain that look by her own will. The article Burn with Us: Sacrificing
Childhood in The Hunger Games argues that, From the moment Katniss is selected as tribute
she becomes public property. Her body is not her own, and as she sees herself prepared for an
interview her own image is made strange... Katniss's commodification has made her object,
animal, and alien: inhuman, or perhaps, posthuman. (Tan, End Page 60) Because Katniss is
aware of the fact that once she became a tribute the capitol would be free to do whatever they
wanted with her, she tried to remain as separate from capitol culture as much as she could. She
told herself that she would not allow herself to be turned into another one of the capitols freaks.
Katniss is not the only character in the trilogy that displays individuality. Peeta is among
the characters that stands out and tries to remain separate from the cruel ways of the capitol.
Before entering the arena he tells Katniss that he doesnt want to be just another piece in the
capitols cruel games. Peeta demonstrates his individuality when he tells Katiss that he cant go
down without a fight. Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to to show the Capitol they
dont own me. That Im more than just a piece in their Games. (Collins 142) These words that
Peeta reveals to Katniss in their first games are the words that stick with Katniss through out the
entire trilogy. When Peeta reveals his thought to her, she doesnt understand what he means but
as time progresses she understands and tries to also be more than just a piece in their Games.
Maintaining themselves as separate individuals from the Capitol is extremely important to Peeta
and Katniss because they do not want to be associated with the cruel, superficial ways of the
capitol.
The Capitol of Panem is very much like our own society, as both societies share an
obsession with entertainment, idolization of celebrities, and superficiality. To the Capitol the
games are nothing more than just a source of entertainment, they never see it for what it really is,
a cruel way of punishing the districts. When arriving to the capitol and viewing the dramatic
looks of the Capitol citizens, Katniss cant help but wonder What do they do all day, these
people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of
tributes to roll in and die for their entertainment? (Collins pg. 65) Every year the Capitol waits
with great anticipation for the games to come around and be entertained by it once more.
Because of how eager and overly enthusiastic the people in the capitol seem for the games,
Katniss cant help but wonder what else these people do with their lives because all she can see
are these strangely obsessed individuals who are too naive to realize the credulity of it all. In our
society reality T.V and many other forms of entertainment are viewed in a similar way as to how
the capitol views the games. Our society is just as celebrity obsessed as the capitol is obsessed
with the victor of the games. We venerate and idolize these people in a way that can be seen as
being just a foolish and ridiculous as that of the capitol citizens and their obsession with the
victors.
Throughout the trilogy the districts describe the Capitol as a freak show, because of their
strange fashion and beauty ideals. The culture in the Capitol is very similar to our culture and our
superficiality and love for material possessions. The fashion trends in the capitol are described as
obnoxious and strange. The Capitol is filled with people who have dyed skin, bizarre hair, and
strange fashion. The people are extremely superficial, and are willing to undergo any procedure
as long as they remain fashionable. American culture is extremely similar to this, always trying
to keep up with trends and striving to reach the ideal image of beauty. Our society is willing to
undergo crazy procedures, just like the capitol, as long as the ideal figure, and image of beauty is
accomplished. Because of all these strange and ridiculous obsessions the capitol has, Peeta and
Katniss strive to maintain themselves as separate individuals.
The Hunger Games trilogy has many great themes in it that can teach both adults and
young readers about important issues in our society. Collins embeds the themes of individuality,
and non-conformity in her critique of the capitol and its ridiculous culture. The Capitol can be
seen as the epitome of American culture, with our obsession with celebrities, unrealistic beauty
ideals, and our blindness to the world around us. Collins demonstrates individuality in several
ways, as she breaks from the stereotypical female and male characters, in her portrayal of
Katnisss strong character, and in Peetas free-willed spirit.
Annotated bibliography
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print
Lem, Ellyn, and Holly Hassel. ""Killer" Katniss and "Lover Boy" Peeta." Of Bread, Blood, and
The Hunger Games: Critical Essays on the Suzanne Collins Trilogy. By Mary Pharr and
Leisa A. Clark. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &, 2012. 118. Print. The essay reflects on the
characters of Katniss and Peeta and the gender roles they play in the novels. The essay
reflects on Collinss breakthrough of successfully engaging both male and female
readers. The essay discusses the importance of Katniss as an important figure that defies
gender segregation (121) I found this article from one of the posted articles
Professor Lawson shared with the class on moodle. I knew it was a trustworthy source
because Professor Lawson stated that it was an academic source we should use. This
essay is useful to my essay because it discusses how different Katniss is from other
female young adult characters. I will use this to portray her individuality. I will discuss
how unlike most girls who care about their looks and fashion sense, Katniss does not. I
will tie this to the idea that, her lack of superficiality makes her a strong character who
strives to maintain herself as a separate individual from the capitol and its strange
superficial ways.
Scott, A. O., and Manohla Dargis. "A Radical Female Hero From Dystopia." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 07 Apr. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. This article discusses
the big influential role the character of Katniss plays in our society. The article argues
that Katniss is a role model for many young girls, who allows girls to view themselves as
adventurous and heroic. The article also talks about the portrayal of Katniss and Collinss
depiction of a strong female character that breaks from stereotypical gender driven roles.
This article was also among the articles posted on moodle. It is an article from a well-
respected newspaper so it was a credible trustworthy source I could use. I will use this
article to support my argument of Katnisss individuality.
Tan Ming Shan, Susan. "Burn With Us: Sacrificing Childhood In The Hunger Games." The Lion
& The Unicorn 37.1 (2013): 54-73. Project MUSE. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. This essay
analyzes the trilogy as a cultural critique. Compares the world of The Hunger Games to
American culture. Discusses how tributes are transformed by the capitols standards of
beauty. The obsession with celebrities both in America and Panem. It discusses the
idea of becoming a consumer item to the capitol and how Katniss hates it. The article
talks about the numerous amounts of child deaths within The Hunger Games and why
this is another reason to rebel against the capitol. I found this source by searching for
The Hunger Games on google scholar. I know that this is a credible source because it
is from an academic journal and it has bee peer reviewed. I plan to use this article in my
essay to talk about how similar our culture is to that of the Capitol.