NOT a love triangle

I don't really see the first Hunger Games novel as much of a love triangle. As an aside, I think that love triangle is a silly term. There are only two points each with a love line (of sorts) pointing towards a common point. This makes a V, not a triangle. Additionally, I think there should only be a line connecting two individuals who have mutual affection. In the case of the Hunger Games, Katniss never really understands that Peeta is interested in her and in this book Gale isn't really mentioned all too much.

              Katniss is too much in survival mode to understand that Peeta’s affection for her isn’t a tactic but rather a simple emotion. After Peeta announces to the Capital that he has a crush on Katniss, she flies into a rage, pushes him over. She then proceeds to berate him, “You had no right! No right to say those things about me” (134). Katniss cannot process that Peeta is acting in any other way than a strategy for self-preservation. Even at the end of the novel, she hasn’t caught on. She tells Peeta that Haymitch was coaching her but not him because he knew Peeta “was smart enough to get it right” (372). She still has not realized that Peeta is in love or that anyone is in love with her.

              Katniss also upon first mentioning Gale makes it clear that “[t]here’s never been anything romantic between Gale and me” (10). She explains that it was a long time before they could even begin to trust one another as hunting partners. They first met when she was only twelve, and Gale already looked like a man (10). Other than the early chapters there really is no huge mention of Gale. Katniss is too preoccupied with feeding her family and then surviving the Hunger Games to really sort out how she feels about boys.

              So The Hunger Games is a new and refreshing novel in some respects from the woman’s perspective of the “love triangle” because Katniss’s really not interested in boys at all. Katniss has the strongest instincts of self –preservation and is so intensely logical she cannot understand the illogical nature of love. Her world doesn’t revolve around analyzing what some boy said to her and whether or not a boy likes her. She’s not part of some love triangle, rather just someone focusing on staying alive.

Social Commentary in The Hunger Games

In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins seems to be making pointed social commentary while telling the story of Katniss and Peeta. Collins does this through the extravagance the ignorance of the Capitol, as well as her descriptions of the dire situations of many of the districts.

From early on in the novel, it is very apparent that Collins intends the reader to have an unfavorable view of the Capitol and those who live there. The very basis of the annual Hunger Games is to portray the Capitol's controls over all of the districts. "All year, the Capitol will show the winning district gifts of grain and oil and even delicacies like sugar while the rest of us battle starvation" (19). The Capitol could very feasibly feed all of the 12 districts, yet it will only show a district favor if its tribute wins the hunger games. Here, I believe Collins is providing commentary on how developed nations treat not only their poor, but other impoverished countries as well. Developed nations like the US have citizens who have more resources at their fingertips than they will ever need, yet there are so many who go without food and have to live in poverty. The gross overindulgence of citizens of the Capitol further serves Collins' point. Katniss says: "What it must be like , I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to [finding food] if it were so easy to come by?"(65). Katniss comes from a district where she has to forage for food in the forest and if she has a bad hunting day, her family won't eat. However, in the Capitol, full course meals come at the press of a button. Collins is pushing the reader to draw comparisons between what many see as the gross extravagance of the "1%" in the US today and how the Capitol acts in the novel.

The layout and daily lives of the 12 districts is a detail of the story that is loaded with Collins' social commentary. Districts 1, 2, and 4 provide luxury items and technology for the Capitol, and therefore are the wealthiest of the 12 districts. Meanwhile, in Districts 11 (Agriculture) and District 12 (Coal mining) many of the citizens go hungry. The Hunger Games only reinforce the disparity between the wealthy districts and the poor ones. When talking about how ill-equipped to win the tributes all look, Katniss says: "The exceptions are the kids from the wealthier districts, the volunteers, the ones who have been fed and trained throughout their lives for this moment" (94). In America today, there are many who feel that there are certain classes of people who are more privileged than others, and the Careers in The Hunger Games definitely fit this mold. While there is technically not supposed to be any training allowed, the Careers have been trained all their lives to volunteer to enter the Hunger Games. They have an unfair advantage over the rest of the poorer districts, and Collins is connecting them to the privileged individuals in society today who have a much easier time with accomplishing their goals than those who start behind them.

While The Hunger Games is a novel containing an exciting story filled with action and an intriguing love story, Suzanne Collins has also filled it with social commentary that draws comparisons between Panem and the world we live in today.

The Romance Dynamic of Hunger Games

I find, looking back on what I remember of the "Hunger Games" series, it is interesting to note another example of the shift in relationship dynamics in YA fiction. In the past, the purpose of a love triangle was primarily to act as a motivation, a driving force behind a character's, usually the protagonist, growth. As love is, I believe, one of the defining aspects of humanity, it serves as a compelling reason for a character to journey, mature, fight, or any combination thereof, but more often in YA fiction I have seen a trend of instead using this set piece of the love triangle as a source of conflict.

In the "Hunger Games" fandom, people gathered under banners of war, figuratively, over who Katniss would ultimately end up with, and this is not a unique occurrence; team Edward vs team Jacob bears mention, but even in the later parts of Harry Potter, this plays out as well, albeit from a different perspective, and in a more side-plot level of detail. I suppose my question is, is this any different from the older stories of men fighting for a woman's affection, now that we see it from  a more nuanced perspective closer to the woman's POV, or are we seeing something new at all? If we are seeing something new, is better? Worse? I am curious to hear another's opinion on this matter.

Perception

     Throughout The Hunger Games, perception plays an important role. From the very begging of the book, Katniss has to be careful of what she says and does even in her home. She says that she "learned to hold [her] tongue and turn [her] features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read [her] thoughts" (Collins 5). The ability to hide what she is thinking because important during her time in the arena. As soon as Katniss volunteers, she begins to make conscious efforts to hide her emotions even more than normal so that she is not perceived as weak by the other tributes and possible sponsors. One major event before the games start is the interview with Caesar Flickerman. This interview gives possible sponsors a chance to hear about the tributes. In preparation, Haymitch tries to come up with a way to present Katniss. He tells her during their training that "'[t]he impression [she] makes tomorrow will decide exactly what [he] can get [Katniss] in terms of sponsors'" (Collins 116). Sponsors in the arena can be the difference between life or death, so securing numerous sponsors is critical. Peeta's declaration of his love for Katniss drastically changes the way that the Capital views her. She was the selfless girl who sacrificed herself to save her sister, then she was the girl on fire, then the girl who somehow scored an 11, then a "star-crossed lover." Her relationship with Peeta gives the people in the Capital something to root for.
     While in the arena, Katniss is aware of the fact that there is always a camera following her around. She uses this to her advantage to play into the idea of "star-crossed lovers" that the Capital has. While in the cave with Peeta, Katniss acts like she is in love with him and Haymitch rewards her with food. Keeping up this act is how Katniss and Peeta are able to survive the arena.  If the people in the Capital, hadn't been so intrigued and in favor of their relationship, the Gamemakers wouldn't have allowed them both to live.  All the Gamemakers want is to have a good show, and having two contestants who are in love but are destined to kill each other, is what the Gamemakers and the Capital think is great television. Katniss and Peeta play off the Capital's very shallow view of the games by exploiting how they perceive their relationship.  In Panem, how you are perceived can save your life as shown by Katniss and Peeta. 

Team Peeta

     The popular statement "nice guys finish last" is simply untrue. No one wants to bring a jerk home to meet their parents, and in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, this is amplified through the relationship between Katniss and Peeta. Peeta one of the sweetest, most likable characters in the novel, and is neither boring nor flat. While those on Team Gale may dream of a different ending, Gale was ultimately meant to be "friend-zoned" or even "brother-zoned" by Katniss. Peeta, however, has been there for Katniss since the beginning and has developed an irreplaceable bond with Katniss through the Hunger Games. 

     The whole time that Gale had been by Katniss's side, Peeta had been watching out for her from a distance. Even though Gale served as a companion to Katniss, Peeta gave Katniss hope when Gale could not. The first interaction that Katniss had with Peeta was when he threw her a loaf of burnt bread and suffered a beating from his mother for her. Katniss had given up and felt completely helpless during this time. Later, she recalls, "To this day, I can never shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope" (32). Katniss's words clearly sum up how grateful she is to Peeta for putting her before himself and suffering in order to give her food, and this is something that Gale could never be in the position to do for her. 

    Furthermore, Katniss has a bond with Peeta that is impossible to replicate because of their experience in the Hunger Games. Experiencing something like the Hunger Games is traumatizing, and Katniss and Peeta had only each other as a source of comfort both during the Games, and after when both of them experience horrible nightmares as a result of the terrible deaths they witnessed. After the games, when Katniss is asked what was going through her mind when she pulled out the berries, she replies that she "couldn't bear the thought of... being without him" (369). Katniss knows that not only is their bond unbreakable, but that Peeta is the only person that would ever be able to understand her and what she had been through. Therefore, living a life without Peeta would be miserable for Katniss because her bond with Peeta is unbreakable and Peeta is the only person that can understand what happened to her. 

    In conclusion, Peeta deserves to be with Katniss in the end for many reasons. He has cared about her since they were five, and when Katniss had no hope of being saved from starvation, Peeta gave her hope, which Gale was not able to do. Furthermore, since Peeta experienced the Games with her, they have a bond that is unlike any other. This experience is what will connect them to each other for the rest of their lives. These reasons, along with many others, are the reason that Peeta is much better for Katniss than Gale would ever be. 


    

The Hunger Games' Success

How did one book out of thousands released a decade ago become a worldwide phenomenon?   According to Wikipedia, “The Hunger Games film series is the second highest-grossing film series based on young adult books…earning over $1.4 billion.”  I would argue that it was not masterful writing, but elements of the story, conflict, and setting which garnered its success.  In class, we discussed similarities between the Hunger Games and reality TV shows like Survivor and Big Brother.  The list goes on, as many popular TV shows over the last few years (American Idol, The Voice, So You Think You Can Dance, The Bachelor, America’s Next Top Model, etc.) feature casts of members which are eventually whittled down through talent and performance-based competition.  Regardless of if these shows and judges are truly legitimate and impartial (not merely scripted), they are successful for the same reason as the indisputably fictional Hunger Games: human beings enjoy viewing other individuals competing with everything on the line, life, career, fame, wealth, or otherwise.  After all, “there’s detailed coverage of the bloodbath” (363) but no focus on the aftermath; in the same manner, while cameras in the NBA and NFL playoffs might glance at the defeated party, the majority of screen and interview time is given to the victorious, overjoyed party.  While in no way realistic, The Hunger Games provides the same experience to its readers, gritting through the suspenseful conflict with worry and excitement to finally be put at ease as their (presumed) favorite tributes win.

Though the book and film series might be over, The Hunger Games’ legacy continues in many different ways.  In one unexpected manner, shortly following the 2012 release of the first film, a new videogame genre dubbed Battle Royale, Last Man Standing, or even Hunger Games was created.  In these games, very similar to the series, players are pitted against each other in some form of arena filled with weapons, medicine, and other supplies.  An electric force-field, akin to the “fire…designed to flush out, to drive us together” (173), slowly contracts until there is only one player remaining: the victor.  While this genre appeared insignificant at first, it hosts the current most popular games, Fornite and Battlegrounds, with over 100 million players and $1 billion in revenue over the last year between them.  It is unclear what exactly lies at the root of this popularity, but the innate desires to survive and (if necessary) outcompete one’s peers might play large roles.  Perhaps The Hunger Games, reality TV shows, professional athletic playoffs, and battle royale games all serve as enjoyable escapes from a periodically boring existence of school and work.

Katniss, Flat or Frightened?

In re-reading The Hunger Games series, Katniss Everdeen's confusing nature stood out. I remembered her blunt, severe attitude, but now had a sense of underdevelopment. Throughout the novel, it is hard to learn much about Katniss's true feelings towards other characters or herself. Cinna asks her to "just be [her]self" to Ceasar Flickerman, but she responds, "Haymich says I'm sullen and hostile" (Collins 121). This shows Katniss's character through the words of another character. She describes herself with this method often, and confuses readers to what she actually believes.

During the Games, Katniss puts on a face for the Capital citizens in order to get sponsors. She transforms into a frilly, airheaded, giggly girl, and the subject of Peeta's love. Whenever she is "guaranteed a close-up" Katniss responds with "a knowing smile," even in discovering her lover's betrayal (Collins 163-146). This shows her actions are only to play to the Capitol's feelings. The readers only get a glimpse of the former Katniss in District 12. At the beginning of the novel, Katniss introduces Gale, Prim, and her mother. Gale is simply a friend who "could be [her] brother," and towards her mother she is "not the forgiving type" (Collins 8). New characters are presented with simple feelings, devoid of emotion. Katniss presents herself as a person who is indifferent towards the people in her life.

Prim is the only character she shows actual feelings towards, and later on, Rue. Prim is "as fresh as a raindrop…lovely as the primrose for which she was named" (Collins 3). Descriptions of others fall flat in comparison to Katniss's feelings towards her sister. It even compels her to volunteer her life as tribute. During the games, Rue quickly becomes Prim's image. After Rue is shot, Katniss says "this Prim's, I mean, Rue's last request," as if it was not obvious enough that Katniss saw her sister through Rue (Collins 234). Katniss puts her trust in Rue completely, and her feelings towards Rue and Prim are the only times in the novel where readers can discern legitimate feelings.

Katniss could be flat in her development as a character, or she could be traumatized. Her mother, who she trusted, betrayed her as a child, almost killing their entire family. After this, Katniss seems to decide to never trust another again. She shows no emotion towards others as a result of this trauma. Loving someone creates a connection that will cause horrible pain if broken. Katniss is afraid and angry at the thought of experiencing such loss and hurt again, so she distances herself from anyone else. While Katniss is presented as a girl uncapable of having any emotion, and possibly underdeveloped, it could also be from the lack of love and true parenthood in her childhood.

Are you from the Capitol?

The Capitol received a lot of flack this past week in classes. People commented on how the people seem oblivious and shallow to the true lives of the people. However, I would challenge that many people are very similar to the Capitol people. The characters come to the districts in capitol garb which makes them stick out like a sore thumb such as Effie’s outrageous hair style and make-up. Similarly, tourists often do not wear clothing that is suitable to the culture unless necessary. The Capitol people also look at the people of the district as if they are an exhibit for them to ogle. Prior to the games, the tributes are showcased like art to the public. On top of that, the Capitol acts as if it is a hero to the tributes with the promises of riches and food for the victors. This use of peoples’ suffering and the fake help for entertainment reminds me of the incredibly unhelpful and often toxic charity that many people from the United States take part in both internationally and in poorer parts of the community. All this charity does is leave those that are “helped” with a dependence on the rich communities, instability, and often worse conditions, but it gives those that are providing the charity a sense of: “I am a good person because I helped this poor person”.  This is seen in The Hunger Games at the interviews when Katniss is asked about her favorite parts of the Capitol and in the way The Hunger Games are portrayed as something to be proud of by the commentators. Katniss reminds the reader that it is a way of the Capitol showing their dominance over the Districts. Similarly, many people that are affected by the toxic charity that is rampant see the “white savior” as a mockery of something they will never be able to achieve. The white savior complex is seen everywhere in The Hunger Games by how the Capitol people try to fix Katniss into a pretty lady because she was so barbaric in their eyes prior. Katniss is obviously annoyed by this but hides it because she wants to appear nice. In the same way, when receiving charity, many people do not feel comfortable speaking up against the ignorance. All these factors show that the qualities of the Capitol that were very quickly thrown out as outrageous are very alive in today’s society and people should not so quickly consider them to be so absurd. Instead, people should take a look at their lives to make sure they are actually being helpful and not living in an illusion.

Rue's Importance

            Rue is mentioned in the beginning with all of the other tributes, but her importance begins with the tracker jacker nest. Katniss is stuck in a tree with the Careers camped out underneath her and she would not have escaped the situation if not for Rue. Rue points out the tracker jacker nest to Katniss (Collins 185) that she then uses to scare away the Careers below. Rue was not Katniss’s ally at this point, so that means Rue saves Katniss’s—a stranger’s—life with nothing expected in return. She did not save Katniss in search of an ally, either. She doesn’t even believe Katniss when she proposes an alliance, saying, “You were joking, about wanting me for an ally?” (Collins 201). Despite Katniss and Rue never expecting to form an alliance in the game, the two become allies. From this moment, Rue is a very important part of The Hunger Games series.

            When it comes just to Rue’s life and actions, Rue is the reason Katniss begins to truly fight to win. When Katniss allies with Rue, she thinks, “And for the first time, I have a plan. A plan that isn’t motivated by the need for fight and evasion. An offensive plan” (Collins 207). She gives Katniss a reason to be offensive rather than defensive because she brings humanity back into Katniss’s life. She has to break out of her survival-only mode in order to care for another person. She knows that “Rue has only me” (Collins 213) and it fills her with purpose. Rue also makes Katniss begin to think about life in other districts. She tells Katniss about her job in District 11 and how they are treated, and her stories are the first Katniss has heard from any district besides her own. She is the first step Katniss needs to begin bridging the gaps between the districts and ultimately leading to a somewhat unified revolution.

            Through Rue’s life is important for The Hunger Games, her death is an important catalyst for Katniss’s desire to win and her hatred and defiance of the Capital. In arguably the most realistically human scene in the novel, Katniss promises a dying Rue, “I’m going to [win].  Going to win for the both of us now” (Collins 233). Rue’s death sparks rebellion on Katniss. She does the unheard of and gives Rue a funeral, bringing an unbefore seen humanity to the games. She truly begins to hate the Capitol:

I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is part of every tribute they can’t own. That Rue was more than a piece in their Games. And so am I. (Collins 237)

When Katniss is faced with death at Clove’s hands, she thinks of Rue and decides she wants to go out on her own, defiant terms. “I won’t close my eyes. The comment about Rue has filled me with fury, enough fury I think to die with some dignity. As my last act of defiance, I will stare her down as long as I can see” (Collins 286). Without Rue and her death while allied to Katniss, the rest of the books in the series may very well have never happened. Katniss may have died without Rue’s help no more than halfway through the book. Even if she had survived, without Rue’s death Katniss would have never had the spark of rebellion instilled in her. She would have never become the Mockingjay.

What Makes Katniss, Katniss

In The Hunger Games, Katniss is portrayed as lacking certain characteristics.  She is not personable, friendly, or trusting.  As Haymitch notes, Katniss has a habit of coming off as “sullen and hostile” (116) when she speaks.  Though the lack of these traits does not pose an issue in her everyday life, it becomes apparent that having some of them would assist her in the Games by helping her appeal to the audience to obtain more sponsorships.  One may wonder why, even when these traits could help Katniss save her own life, they do not come naturally to her.  However, the real question is, why would they?

At a very young age, Katniss becomes the sole provider for her family after her father is killed in the mines.  With the death of her father, Katniss loses her sense of security.  Her mother, deep in depression, finds herself unable to get out of bed, and “no amount of pleading from Prim seem[s] to affect her” (27).  As a child, Katniss mistakes her mother’s inability to provide for her children in their time of need as abandonment.  She feels that she “ha[s] lost not only a father, but a mother as well” (27).  This feeling of desertion instils trust issues in Katniss that affect her still while she is in the Games and cause Katniss to become extremely independent, arguably to a fault.

Additionally, Katniss’ lack of friendliness can be explained by her resistance to form emotional bonds with others.  Though she and Peeta come from the same district, they experience very different lives.  Katniss is required to live day by day, relying on illegal hunting just to feed herself and her family.  On the other hand, Peeta does not face the same obstacles.  As Katniss puts it, “there are things you don’t question too much . . . when your home always smells like baking bread” (266).  Katniss watches neighbors starve to death in The Seam, but Peeta lives in the wealthier part of District 12 among the shopkeepers and is not so close to this kind of pain.  This partially explains the stark contrast between Peeta’s and Katniss’ personalities.  Katniss is all too familiar with the frailty of life.  She pushes people away instead of allowing herself to form close relationships because she is afraid of experiencing for a second time the pain she feels when she loses her father.  This can be seen in the fact that even when she realizes “how much [she] doesn’t want [Peeta] to die” (297), she finds herself unable to express her feelings.  This is partially due to her hesitance to form a close emotional bond with Peeta and partially due to her inexperience with expressing emotions caused by years of avoiding relationships to spare herself of emotional turmoil when she loses her loved one.

The Erasure of Disability

During the Games, both Katniss and Peeta suffer from numerous injuries, but perhaps the two most salient of these injuries are Katniss's hearing loss in her left ear and Peeta's blood poisoning and eventual leg amputation. Katniss and Peeta must both learn to adjust during the games. Katniss soon feels vulnerable, stating, "I can't adjust to the deafness in the ear. It makes me feel off-balanced and defenseless to my left. Blind even. My head keeps turning to the injured side, as my right ear tries to compensate for the wall of nothingness where yesterday there was a constant flow of information" (228-229). Katniss views this as a disadvantage during the games, and she struggles throughout the rest of her novel to eventually adjust her survival strategy to no longer having her sense of hearing on the left. Likewise, Peeta's leg injury makes him essentially immobile for days as Katniss takes care of him. When he does regain movement, he is significantly slowed. Katniss even remarks that when the mutts are chasing them, Peeta is "about fifteen yards behind [her], hobbling as fast as he can" (339). Peeta must continue to adjust after the games, when his leg is ultimately amputated. He is described as "almost losing his balance" (361) upon his reunion with Katniss after the Games, clearly still becoming used to his prosthetic leg.


The Capitol is quick to erase the disabilities Katniss and Peeta received from their Games. As Katniss wakes up after leaving the arena, she remarks, "Not only are the scars from the arena gone, but those accumulated over years of hunting have vanished without a trace." (359). Furthermore, her hearing in her left ear has returned completely. The Capitol has been quick to erase any signs of the physical and emotional trauma the Victors went through in the Games in order to downplay the severity of the Hunger Games. Though the Capitol could not heal Peeta's leg, they are careful to hide it from the audience, making no mention of Peeta's amputation until Katniss notices the prosthetic on camera. To the Capitol, the violence of the Hunger Games is just entertainment. If they had allowed Katniss and Peeta to showcase their disabilities (war scars of a sort) to all of Panem, it would harm the vision they had crafted so carefully of the Games. Constant reminders of the violence endured by the tributes in the arena could lead people all across Panem to question whether the Games are really just.


But perhaps we ourselves aren't so different than the Capitol in this respect. The film adaptation of the Hunger Games entirely disregards Katniss' loss of hearing. Not once do we see Katniss suffer to adjust to her newfound deafness in the first movie. Though Peeta's leg injury is shown, Peeta ultimately does not have an amputation in the film adaptation. After the Games, Peeta's leg is somehow completely cured, and he has regained full mobility. The erasure of Peeta's amputation eventually leads to plot holes in the series' later films. In Catching Fire and Mockingjay, Peeta often struggles to physically keep up with the other tributes and rebels. In the books, this is clearly attributed to his struggle to adjust to his prosthetic. However, the movies offer no explanation for why Peeta is constantly left behind in physical challenges. In refusing to show the full extent of Katniss and Peeta's injuries, the film series, in a Capitol-like manner, completely erases one of Collins' most important themes, as well as representation for individuals with disabilities.

Is the Hunger Games Progressive or Conservative?

One question I would like to ask the class about the Hunger Games is whether the Hunger Games has a liberal or conservative perspective, if it has political bent at all. I am not convinced for either side, although I do see how arguments for either one could be made.

One could argue that the Hunger Games is progressive because the protagonists are a subversion of gender roles. We talked about in previous discussions how Katniss is less concerned with romance than survival while Peeta, and in the later books Gale, make it more of a priority. However, Katniss does have feminine qualities. She is very maternal; she parents Prim when their own mother is unresponsive and she also looks after Rue in the games. She does not relish in the killing as some of the female career tributes do. Another feminine attribute is that Katniss is presented as an object during the games. The romance with Peeta and her conventional attractiveness are marketed to the viewers to appeal to sponsors, leaving out the substance of her character for. One could argue that blend of masculine and feminine traits is more progressive because flipping gender roles makes each character stick to the script of the other gender. However, there are multiple characters who stay comfortably within gender expectations, like Prim, Effie Trinket, or Gale.  

            Another aspect to examine would be race in the books. We talked briefly about the choice to make all of the black characters from the agricultural district, which is more prominently featured in the movies than the books. The reason for this choice is never addressed and the lack of addressal seems in poor taste.

            Aside from social justice issues, the book could also be a warning against the perils of big government and how governments with too much power abuse the rights of the people. Taxation is also an issue, the districts, especially District 12 are so poor because they are not justly compensated for the goods they send to the Capitol and the only representation the districts seem to have is in the hunger games.  

As in Ragged Dick, clothes are a very important aspect of The Hunger Games, though they accomplish different things in each novel. In Ragged Dick, similarly to The Hunger Games, the main character is given a used set of nicer clothing on a significant day. For Dick, he is gifted a new suit after showing his new friend around the city, and the day is significant, because after this day he aspires to become a great man and works toward that. For Katniss, her mother gives her “one of her own lovely dresses” (15), “[a] soft blue thing with matching shoes” (15), for reaping day, where Prim is chosen for the games, and Katniss volunteers.

In each novel, new clothes seem to appear during each significant event. In Ragged Dick, the clothes are significant of gaining enough money, and performing good deeds such as when Dick saves the boy from drowning, however in The Hunger Games, clothes are given for significant events. The emphasis on clothes starts on reaping day, but becomes even more significant throughout the novel. Especially as Katniss enters the capitol and gains a stylist, more emphasis is put on clothing and what their clothing symbolizes. “For the opening ceremonies, you’re supposed to wear something that suggests your district’s principal industry” (66), Katniss says, revealing the first instance of clothing as outright symbolism. The interviews then reveal even more of the significance clothing holds in the book. As the tributes have very little to be judged upon in order to recruit sponsors, their interviews are curated to make them appeal in a certain way, and clothing holds a definite role in determining the tribute’s appeal. This is clear when the girl from District 1 steps out “looking provocative in a see-through gold gown” (125). Katniss thinks, “With that flowing blonde hair, emerald green eyes, her body tall and lush… she’s sexy all the way” (125), impressing how easily tributes are judged by their presentation.

Presentation becomes very important for Katniss later in the novel, after the games when she has challenged the Capitol’s power. “This is a very calculated look” (355), remarks Katniss evaluating her simple look for the second interview. Cinna has made her look “[i]nnocent” and “[h]armless” to counteract the Capitol’s suspected malice. Though less calculated perhaps, Dick wears his suit when he is going to rent his room for the first time, in order to seem respectable.

Clothes are used to signify wealth and social standing in each novel. In Ragged Dick, Dick is judged by Mickey when he is seen wearing his suit, as Mickey believes Dick is putting on airs. When Mickey sees Dick go to collect his letter in his rags, Mickey asks if Dick has,” …given up being a swell” (114). The boot blacks also determine their customers by their clothing, as only wealthier men will pay for their services. While in District 12 most people know who is wealthy and who is not, clothing still holds significance. When Katniss and Gale see Madge on the reaping day, Gale is set off by Madge’s clothes. Katniss notices the pin she is wearing that “could keep a family in bread for months”. This emphasis on clothing serves to make the gap in wealth much more obvious, and the underlying social commentary of the novel hold more weight.

The Mockingjay

Within The Hunger Games, the Capitol constantly reminds the Districts of their complete dominance and control, but the mockingjay shows otherwise. The Capitol bred genetically altered animals to use as weapons during the rebellion: "one was a special bird called a jabberjay that had the ability to memorize and repeat whole conversations" (Collins 43). After their use, they are left in the wild to die, but instead they mate "with female mockingbirds creating a whole new species that could replicate both bird whistles and human melodies" called mockingjays (44). The mockingjays are "a slap in the face to the capital" because they are a sign of rebellion (43). They are living proof that it is possible to escape the control of the Capitol and, thus, that the Capitol does not have as much power and control over the creatures of Panem as they portray they have.
Before leaving for the Capitol, Katniss is given a mockingjay pin to wear during the Games as the District 12 token. By wearing this pin, Katniss is rubbing the Capitol's failure in their face as well as partaking in the little resistance she can manage without getting into too much trouble. It is a reminder to the Capitol that it is possible for creatures to be free of their control, which can also be seen with how the 74th Hunger Games ends. At the end when Katniss and Peeta believe they both have won the games, Claudius Templesmith announces that "the earlier revision has been revoked...only one winner may be allowed" (337). Refusing to give in and knowing "they have to have a victor", Katniss and Peeta decide to commit a double suicide by eating poisonous nightlock berries, but are stopped just in time for the announcer to declare them both victors (338). This little form of resistance shows the Capitol that, no matter how hard they try, they lack full control over the people and creatures of Panem. Just as the mockingjay escaped the Capitol's clutches, Katniss represents the people's power to also resist and rebel against the tyranny of the Capitol.
In the novel, the mockingjay is also associated with Katniss's father, who would "whistle or sing complicated songs to them",  and with Rue, who "sings a little four-note run" to them to spread so everyone knows work is over (44, 210). Both her father and Rue are fire beneath the anger Katniss has against the Capitol and for her desire to seek vengeance and punish them for their wrongdoings. These characters are related to the mockingjay because they represent reasons why the Capitol needs to be stopped, and the necessity for the Districts to rebel. As hard as the Capitol tries, there will always be reasons for the people to rebel, and there will always be the mockingjays that pull it off.

Does Anyone See Katniss?

"When you think the night has seen your mind; That inside you're twisted and unkind; Let me stand to show that you are blind; Please put down your hands; Cause I see you" is the chorus to the Velvet Underground's "I'll Be Your Mirror." Although Katniss has two prospective lovers for the duration of The Hunger Games, I do not believe either of them, nor any other character, truly "sees" her as the Velvet Underground puts it. Every character, especially Peeta, "sees" what they want to in her. 

At the conclusion of the novel, when Katniss announces to Peeta that the two of them are in danger as a result of their spur-of-the-moment suicide pact, Peeta is shocked she needs to be "'coach[ed]'" in order to keep up her end of the romance (Collins 372). Peeta asks her "'what's going to be left when we get home?" (Collins 372). Peeta's shock reveals that he never really understood how Katniss felt in the arena, nor does he truly "see" her - he has no idea who Katniss is outside of the Games. In fact, he barely knows who she was in the Games. As he reveals in the Arena, the main thing he knows about Katniss, the thing that caused him to allegedly fall in love with her, is that she sang well in their early school days (Collins 301). He knows nothing of Katniss in the woods, where she feels most comfortable. Simultaneously, Gale cannot truly "see" her because he knows nothing of her trauma in the Arena. 

For Katniss, the saddest part of Collins' love triangle is that neither of her options "see" her in the way that the songwriter for the Velvet Underground "sees" his or her inspiration. At the same time, the lyrics apply to Katniss. She believes she is "twisted and unkind." At the conclusion of the novel, Peeta's sadness that she is unable to immediately sort out her feelings following an unimaginable trauma causes Katniss guilt for feeling anything. She says she "want[s] to tell him how much [she] already miss[es] him" but cannot because it would not be "fair" (Collins 373). Katniss is strong enough that she does not need someone to "see" her, to tell her that she is not as hardened as she believes, that she is allowed to have feelings, but it certainly would not hurt her.