In the Hunger Games, the names Suzanne Collins gives to each character play an important role in the characteristics of each character in the story. It is interesting to compare the characters to the plants that they represent, and draw connections between the two. Some examples include Katniss, Prim, and Rue whose names all share properties of the respective plants that correlate with their names.
Katniss shares her name the Katniss plant that is described as being hardy, valuable, and an adaptable survivor. These descriptions seem to fit quite well with her demeanor as we can see. During the Games, her hardiness helps her get through tough times especially the scene where she cuts down the tracker jacker nest onto the career tributes. She is stung multiple times but still manages to cut down the branch which allows her to escape and live. Another interesting aspect is the plant is sometimes called "Arrowhead", a reference to her ability with the bow and arrow.
Prim's character takes inspiration from the evening primrose flower. Collins herself describes this plant as beautiful and delicate, two aspects that are reflected in Prim's character. Her delicate nature is shown right away when Katniss volunteers to take Prim's place in the Games; Katniss does not want her little sister to be killed in the Games and she knows she has a slightly better chance than Prim does at survival. The primrose flower does not thrive very well in regions west of the Rockies which, in a way, contributes to the reason she does not go to the Games.
Rue is named after the rue herb that is often called the plant of purity; it is a common feature of cultural and religious ceremonies. In the story, Rue is portrayed as being just like this plant—pure. Her death is not deserved, she had her whole life ahead of her. Due to the Capitol's control, her name is drawn for the games and she is killed during them. Katniss is heavily affected by Rue's death, and it inspires her to start a rebellion against the Capitol.
Plants are not the only things that have symbolic meaning in Hunger Games. Collins is very good at drawing symbolism from many things, and helps to make the story more interesting because there is a lot of small details that can potentially go overlooked in the story. What other objects have symbolic meaning that is present in the story?
It definitely is interesting how many characters have names with purposeful significance behind them once you begin to look closely. Another example that you didn’t mention is Gale, which can refer to a strong wind. This name fits Gale really well, especially when you consider the connection between Katniss and fire. Gale has always advocated for action, resistance, and rebellion in the novel, and we can see him as the wind that first gives Katniss power and allows her fire to spread across Panem. Gale also, especially in the first book, has a lot of effect on Katniss and her actions without actually being present, much like how a strong wind can affect the world while being invisible.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of name symbolism is one that we talked about in class, but is still worth mentioning. Panem gets its name from the Latin phrase, “panem et circenses,” which translates to “bread and circuses.” This phrase was first used to describe how Roman emperors kept their people happy by supplying them with food and entertainment, which allowed them to do pretty much whatever they wanted. Panem and the Capitol follow this exact logic as well, keeping the citizens of the Capitol docile by providing food and supplies brought in by the districts and entertaining them annually with the Hunger Games.
Finally, a simple example of clever naming is Peeta. This one is a bit more obvious, but Peeta is pronounced the same as “pita,” which is a type of bread. Peeta grew up as the son of a baker, and bread is definitely one of his motifs throughout the series. Beyond living in a bakery, Peeta and Katniss’s first memory together is when he threw her some spare bread against his mother’s orders, when Katniss was starving. It wasn’t pita bread, unfortunately, although that would have been great.