In Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, food is uncertain. In Most of the Districts, many of the citizens are hungry and malnourished. Katniss wondered “what it must be like, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by” (65)? The book obviously considers food to be a symbol of wealth or class with a name such as “The Hunger Games.” In the Capitol, delicious, decadent food is everywhere, all they needed to do was push a button. This is sharply contrasted to the lives the citizens in the Districts live. Katniss must illegally hunt for food in the woods to feed herself and her family, and Rue sees many people from District 11 be beaten to death for trying to steal some of the agriculture crops. Starvation is a real threat for the people in the districts, and if they did not learn to fend for themselves, they would die.
The ability to gather their own food like Rue, or to kill squirrels like Katniss is what differentiates people in the districts to the people of the Capitol who merely have to push a button. We can see this difference in some of the names Suzanne Collins chose for the major characters. They are wild plants that one would only know about if they had to understand how to survive by feeding themselves like many did in the districts. Katniss is also the name of a very hardy plant that is an adaptable survivor, apt for the character. Primrose, Katniss’ sister, is also the name of a wild plant. Primrose the plant, however, is not hardy or adaptable. And neither Primrose the character or primrose the plant is at The Hunger Games. Finally, Rue. Rue also is the name of a wild plant. This plant has been seen as a symbol of freedom in literature, it is also featured in cultural and religious ceremonies. Rue from District 11 died so that Katniss could start a rebellion in the name of Freedom from the Capitol.
I was particularly interested in Suzanne's use of food to define each district's culture and resources. While preparing for the games, Peeta points out the bread bowls hold loaves representative of each district. In a similar scene, Katniss muses over whether she could make one of the Capitol dishes by hunting and gathering in District 12.
ReplyDeleteMore indirectly, Katniss realized subtle cultural differences between the Capitol and District 12 while describing Caesar. In District 12, a round belly and a wrinkled face is a sign of success and longevity, whereas citizens of the Capitol value slim midsections and smooth faces.
Food is front and center throughout the novel, but I'm a little disappointed that Suzanne doesn't try to go further with it. I think it would have been interesting if it had been used as a character, similar to the way the jungle was used in Heart of Darkness.
On second read, food and the importance that it held for the protagonists stood out to me as well. Food is an effective symbol to juxtapose the districts and further signify their distinct differences. It's used in The Games as a desperate means for survival, however it also strengthens emotional bonds.
ReplyDeleteThe main prize for winning The Hunger Games is food and a surplus of it. This signifies how crucial it is to the less-wealthy districts, however it also shows that Panem understands its importance. Without the districts jumping through hoops for food to survive, the capital doesn't have the same kind of sway. Being able to catch or find your own food makes you stand out from the rest of the pack. Katniss's main skill, asides from her stubbornness and knowledge of the dangerous competition, is that she is able to find her own food. This is a skill that her fellow teenagers don't have and is one of the ways that she separates herself immediately. Prue and Peeta latch onto her knowing that she is special. Her name, Katniss, is a root. This is a practical name unlike the many flowery-names surrounding her and represents a sense of viability.
Food as an emotional connection is evident from early on in the story. Katniss and Gale's relationship stems from hunting animals for food. Their spot to initially meet at is even a grouping of berry bushes. Along with Gale, her connection to Peeta comes from the bread that he threw to her that ended up saving her life.