The Feminist Games

The Feminist Games- A Feminist Look at the Novel The Hunger Games

May the odds be ever in your favor. This famous phrase from Suzanne Collin’s novel, The Hunger Games, has strongly made its way into 21st century pop-culture. The phrase denotes “good luck” in the famous novel, but why must one need this luck? The Hunger Games takes place in a nation known as Panem, consisting of the wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts united under the Capitol's control. In order to control future rebellions recalling a past rebellion, high powers of the capitol force one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district selected by an annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games. The "tributes", must fight to the death in an outdoor arena controlled by the Capitol, until only one individual remains. Now you can see where one may want favorable odds. In a typical patriarchal society, one would assume who would have the preferable odds- the boys. This story is different though; in which typical gender roles aren’t typically portrayed…well at least by the book’s main characters. Although I do not believe that Collin’s intended The Hunger Games to be a work of feminist empowerment, she uses these characters as well as feminist ideas throughout the book to create a storyline that contradicts several mythical norms enforced by a stereotypical patriarchal society. By analyzing the two main protagonists, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, as well as the underlying feminists themes within the storyline, I will demonstrate how Suzanne Collin’s novel, The Hunger Games, changes the perceptions of gender roles and how they are related to feminist ideals in post-modern society.

The story is written from the point of view of a District 12 teenager girl, Katniss Everdeen, who isn’t the typical girl portrayed in today’s pop-culture. Instead, Everdeen exhibits both “feminine” and “masculine” characteristics making her a very complex character. She has...