Amber Schenker ‘27
EE Staff Writer
When writing fantasy novels, authors often take a look at real-world historical events to place in their books, whether it is a metaphor for our modern society or using said events as part of world-building.
An example of the metaphor is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The fantasy trilogy was written in 2008 and was a metaphor for governmental secrecy, poverty and hunger, rebellion, and vanity. At a glance, it does not seem like it would have been a very close reflection of reality. But it is. During the French Revolution, the Royals and Nobles were living lives of luxury, similar to the members of the Capitol in the book. The people of the twelve districts fought skin and bone for the barest food, similar to the peasants of France.
The Hunger Games also have very dramatic, bold, and expensive outfits. An event similar to this is The Met Gala. Celebrities spend $75,000 to wear even pricier outfits with money that could have gone to charities.
A third thing that could be reflected between this story and real life is the power that the media has over someone. In The Hunger Games, the suffering of the twenty-four kids from the districts is presented as a show. They have commentary and interviews, designed to make the whole ordeal a fun show to watch, which is a form of propaganda. In real life, biased news channels feed people incorrect information to motivate them one way or another. And in modern technology, hearing false news and information is much easier, especially with the influence of artificial intelligence.
Opposing political teams are often dehumanized or spoken of as if they are dull children and idiots. They make sure people hear what they want, rather than what is actually true. These techniques were used in The Hunger Games. They can give the kids “sponsors,” and the Capitol gets to watch them get dressed up and shown off as if they are prizes and dolls rather than starving children.
The people are trained to think what the government wants them to think –whether this applies to The Hunger Games or reality is up to you.