An essential contribution to the Young Adult or 'YA' genre is the influential trilogy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Since the first novel's release in 2008, all three books have generated successful Hollywood movies, merchandise and a large fanbase. Therefore, in a discussion of YA fiction, the impact of The Hunger Games cannot be ignored. To understand the significance of The Hunger Games on YA fiction, an investigation into the first book of the trilogy will highlight the conventions and themes that relate to the YA genre.
The themes present in The Hunger Games are essential to understanding the novel concerning the YA genre. As dystopian fiction, The Hunger Games shares concepts with that of science or speculative fiction such as politics, surveillance, exploitation and segregation. However, the difference lies in how these themes are conveyed and for what purpose. Typically, dystopian literature aimed at an adult audience act as warnings. These warnings encourage readers to be critical of present conditions that could potentially lead to harsh consequences. In contrast, dystopian fiction for young adults can act as a representation of the dissatisfied adolescent psyche (Pharr and Clark, 2012, p. 20).
One of the most prominent themes in The Hunger Games is segregation. Often found in young adult literature, commentary on racism, sexism, classism or discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community can express the injustice behind segregation (Hughes-Hassell, 2013). While The Hunger Games mainly focuses on classism, the intended adolescent reader can associate the inequality represented in the novel to the inequalities they may be experiencing in their own life.
Collins depicts segregation through the division of the districts in the dictatorship of Panem. The most prosperous people live in the Capitol and the twelve districts surrounding it become progressively more impoverished (LitCharts, 2014). However, Collins portrays segregation through not only classism but also the separation of the districts by skill. For example, District 1 produces luxury items, District 4 specialises in fishing, District 11 is agriculture-based and District 12's industry is coal mining (The Hunger Games Wiki, 2019). This separation by skill is also present in other prominent YA books such as the Harry Potter series, where students are separated into houses by personality traits. The Divergent trilogy, which is often compared to The Hunger Games, also portrays segregation through the division of a city into factions based on psychological qualities. However, in those books, there is a level of interaction between the different groups. This is presented through friendships, relationships or the ability to transfer into another group. In contrast, Collins implies that every person born into a particular district is trapped in it forever and intercommunication between the districts is illegal except for in the Games itself (The Hunger Games Wiki, 2019).
Within The Hunger Games, segregation leads to exploitation. While many YA fiction novels subtly explore the theme of exploitation, Collins places it at the forefront of her book. Within The Hunger Games, segregation leads to exploitation. For example, the Capitol uses the various districts’ manufactured goods for their benefit without much consideration of the well being and health of the people living in those districts (LitCharts, 2014). Furthermore, the core concept of children violently murdering each other for the enjoyment of wealthy people has shocked many worldwide (Bartlett, 2012, p.9). In the United States of America during 2010 alone, there were 348 instances involving the banning of the trilogy. The reasons range from offensive language to insensitivity, although the most common reason appears to be that The Hunger Games is too violent for the intended demographic (Merritt, 2016).
It can be difficult to determine what the intended demographic for The Hunger Games is. The typical age range for YA protagonists is fifteen to twenty-one. Therefore, it can be assumed that the age range for YA readers would be the same (West, 2018). However, a 2012 study revealed that fifty-five per cent of YA readers are adults with the largest portion for YA readers being adults aged thirty to forty-four years old (ShereeKUWTP, 2019). The mature themes of The Hunger Games can be appealing to older readers but Scholastic’s rating of the book reveals the target audience is aged approximately between eleven and eighteen years old (Scholastic, 2019). The young age range has caused concern amongst parents who believe that the content is too mature for their children. However, a study by the American Psychological Association revealed that there was no correlation between reading banned books like The Hunger Games and anti-social behaviour. Although, there was a relationship between banned books and internalising and externalising mental illness and this only affected a small number of readers. Instead, there was an association between reading banned books and an increased desire for reading for pleasure (Ferguson, 2014).
The mature themes of The Hunger Games such as segregation, exploitation and violence are important in understanding the real injustices in the modern world. The violence in the book reflects that of real-world terrorist attacks, shootings and wars (Merritt, 2016). Collins dramatises the violence and exploitation in her book to the point of them being too fictional to happen in real life. This allows for readers to dissociate from the horrors presented while still thinking critically about the themes at hand. The technique of exaggerating horrific events to highlight social commentary is conventional for dystopian fiction. Furthermore, it can be argued that The Hunger Games is reminiscent of prominent dystopian fiction novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell with themes such as propaganda, surveillance, control and rebellion (Mills, 2013). However, what modernises The Hunger Games is the commentary on the ambiguous line between truth and entertainment which reflects the notable ‘fake news’ period of the 21st century (Bartlett, 2012, p. 9).
To tailor her social commentary to her YA audience, Collins utilises her characters as reflections of certain themes in her book. The main protagonist of The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, represents rebellion. While her rebellion is more literal and obvious in the second and third books of the trilogy, the first book establishes rebellion through her character, particularly her gender. The Capitol not only creates division between the different districts of Panem but also through gender. Katniss lives in District 12, which is considered the most disadvantaged district. It is established that in District 12, the societal norm is for men to work in the mines and for women to stay at home to do domestic duties and bear children. However, if the man in the family dies like Katniss and her friend Gale Hawthorne’s fathers in the mines, the wife would need to find work otherwise her and her family would starve to death. For example, Gale’s mother has to work as a laundry cleaner due to her only skills being in domestic activities. However, her work isn’t enough to feed her family and Gale has to hunt to find food. Katniss’ family is not as lucky; Katniss’ mother is unable to find work, leaving Katniss to become the “man of the house” at the age of eleven, having to illegally hunt to find food. Moreover, the Games themselves are structured in a manner where boys are more likely to win over girls due to being physically stronger and the social culture. Katniss notes that the male tribute of District 12, Peeta Mallark, learnt wrestling in school with the other boys. There is no suggestion of girls learning similar skills, perhaps except for those living in the more privileged districts. Katniss defies all odds of being a girl from District 12. Her secret hunting skills demonstrate her ability to overcome the patriarchal Capitol through the rebellion of gender norms (Henthorne, 2012, pp. 44 - 52). Thus, Katniss’ Mockingjay pin not only acts as a general symbol of rebellion but also as a reflection of Katniss’ ability to overcome the Capitol’s restrictions, just like the mutated Mockingjay bird itself (Shmoop, 2019).
Other characters in The Hunger Games symbolise particular themes. Katniss’ younger sister, Primrose or “Prim” is the epitome of innocence with her name carrying connotations of youth. In the context of the first book, it is the day of Prim’s first “reaping” where the tributes are announced to participate in the Games. The act of drawing Prim’s name at the reaping brings the reader out of the dystopian fiction dissociation and highlights the shock surrounding the child exploitation of the Games. Katniss volunteering as tribute in Prim’s place demonstrates Katniss’ rebellious desire to protect the innocent, even though she is only sixteen years old herself. The act of protecting the innocent is further reinforced through the character of Rue, a twelve-year-old tribute from District 11, who reminds Katniss of Prim. Rue’s death represents Katniss’ failure to protect the innocent and serves as a reminder of the effects of child exploitation, with some arguing that Rue’s death was the beginning of the revolution (Connors, 2014, p. 10). The significance of Katniss’ sisterly relationships with Prim and Rue is at the forefront of The Hunger Games and is perhaps more effective than the love triangle presented later on (Merry, 2015).
Collins’ choice to emphasise the sisterly relationships over the love triangle breaks the conventions of a typical YA novel, where love triangles are a cliche (Wren, 2015). Furthermore, the rejection of the conventional love triangle is apparent in the first book, when Katniss initially rejects the notion of the feigned relationship with Peeta, dismisses Peeta’s confessions of attraction for her and regards her relationship with Gale as platonic, rather than romantic (Henthorne, 2012, pp. 44 - 52). However, as the love triangle is slowly integrated into the later books, the sisterly aspect of the narrative disappears until Prim is killed. However, perhaps correlation does not equal causation in this situation and maybe Collins meant it to be a representation of Katniss’ growth in the trilogy and the death of her sister is the death of her innocence in the face of rebellion. Alternatively, including the love triangle could have merely been a way to appeal to the target demographic of YA literature.
Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is a valuable example of young adult literature. The exaggeration of mature dystopian themes along paired with key symbolism represented by compelling characters allows the intended teenage audience to think critically with regards to real-world issues without being too direct. Furthermore, Katniss as a heroine is relatable to teen readers yet unique enough to sympathise with her story. It is no wonder that The Hunger Games reached mass success and is a staple in young adult literature.