How does Collin’s incorporate classical features of Roman social and political culture into her work ‘The Hunger Games’?
The Silver Age poet Juvenal used the phrase ‘Panem et circensus’ to capture the frivolity and barbarianism of Roman society. If the public had their bread and circuses, they would provide little objection to the overall running of Rome, thus creating the image that societal riots could only be stimulated if ‘society’ could not be distracted. Collins provides a similar comment on her dystopian nation ‘Panem’. Not only is there an obvious association to Juvenal’s phrase through the name of her world, but also the premise of The Hunger Games is of hunger and violence. Children from all twelve districts are annually selected at random in the government lead ‘reaping’, to represent their district in fighting to the death to commemorate the end of civil war and rebellions within Panem. As the title of Collins’ books suggests, she manipulates the ideas of hunger and violence and produces them into one of the major narrative drives from the protagonist Katniss. This is evident from the offset of the novel as Katniss morbidly reflects on the fact:
“Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch — this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy.”
Which ultimately shows how heavily intertwined food and political control are. Unlike Juvenal, a Roman aristocrat commenting on the behaviour of the roman citizens, Katniss is a perspective from the poorest citizen, she is the everyday woman. Whereas Juvenal’s comment seems laced with judgement and contempt, Katniss alternatively provides a justification for the way people react when they are hungry. Suddenly justifying why people acknowledge the bad political system but don’t rise up against it. The thought of sacrificing one child to prolong the lifespan of their other family members seems reasonable. Especially when considering those of the poorest districts, Collins uses this to show why The Hunger Games could be seen as an opportunity rather than a punishment. Both Collins and Juvenal’s ideas show a clear manipulation of morality to appease hunger, the poorer districts must abide by the cruel system, yet the extra food privileges granted seem to indoctrinate away any tensions, thus showing a way both a Roman Emperor and President Snow- Panem’s dictator- maintain the social order.
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