The Individual and the Expectation
The Development of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
We humans understand that life comes with obstacles. These are the things we either overcome and persevere through or make us suffer and knock us down. We must choose how we want to be molded by said challenges throughout our lives, and it is up to us to become who we strive to be.
Katniss Everdeen, protagonist of the 2013 movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, written by Francis Lawrence, must deal with her unintentionally and rapidly changing social class and ever-developing interpersonal ideologies.
Katniss, a previous victor of the brutal Hunger Games, is again thrust into the primal arena, where her ideology changes. Here, Katniss must evade the obstacles thrown in her way and, in the process, define her identity. Katniss’s choice affects more than just herself, as her ideologies influence those in the lower class who support her dearly.
Plot Summary
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire occurs after Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark embark on and win the 74th Hunger Games. They are forced to participate in a victory parade where they travel to the capital city and celebrate with those of the upper class. However, when the nation's twelve districts began to rebel, the president of Panem, President Snow, declared that the 75th Hunger Games would be a third-quarter quell. This declaration means that even though Katniss and Peeta had just won the 74th Hunger Games, they would again be forced to participate in the Hunger Games side-by-side in an arena filled with other victors. Katniss and Peeta follow their mentor Haymitch’s instructions to do their best to survive again. In the arena, Katniss makes many allies, who, along with Peeta, conspire against the capital to evacuate Katniss from the 75th Hunger Games safely. As the 75th Hunger Games progresses, this alliance tries to reach its goal by defeating the other tributes. Eventually, Katniss destroys the arena, which ends the third-quarter quell earlier than expected, helping many tributes escape the grasp of the capital. The movie’s end sets up the beginning of a rebellion against the capital of Panem.
The Fundamentals of Marxism
When understanding Katniss Everdeen’s sudden involvement in the 75th Hunger Games, many components of Marxism can be found.
In The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies, Chris Barker describes Marxism as “materialism that stresses the changeable character of social formations… in the material conditions of existence.” Also, in The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies, Barker emphasizes how class, an essential piece of Marxism, can be defined as people who are categorized into “groups based on shared socioeconomic conditions.”
Furthermore, Barker defines a system of how people are a part of society and are described as a part of the lower class or “lumpen-proletariat,” those of the working class or “proletariat,” the middle class known as the “petite bourgeoisie,” or those of a higher class known as the “bourgeoisie.”
Tim Libretti, a tenured professor at Northeastern University, states how a lumpen-proletariat society revolves around “unemployment and poverty,” something Katniss is used to.
The obstacles thrust into Katniss’s path of survival are apparent and affect her ideology.
In Key Terms in Literary Theory, Mary Klage describes the Marxist theory of ideology, as interpreted by Louis Althusser, as representing a person’s ideology that “materializes” from “personal actions and choices.” Someone’s ideology can be formed or changed from what we experience in society, and these experiences can ultimately affect how we behave.
Klage also notes that class and ideology are directly related, as “ideology in this sense constituted the ideas of the ruling class.” Since social classes can hold ideologies together, shared ideologies can reinforce class structures, making classes of individuals similar to a collective mind.
Warren Montag, professor at Occidental College, describes the dominant ideology as “justifying the domination of the ruling class,” something Katniss must combat. Therefore, as Katniss switches between social classes, she is affected by many different collective ideologies that affect her internal beliefs.
Changes in Katniss’s social class and internal ideologies
Katniss has a unique relationship with different social classes and their ideologies as she navigates the social and psychological aspects of the Hunger Games. Katniss’s winning the 74th Hunger Games thrusts her from the poor lumpen-proletariat class of the 12th district coal miners into the bourgeoisie class of the Panem capital.
This prior and ingrained socioeconomic view makes her transition between social classes even more shocking for her as a character. Katniss's attendance at President Snow’s capital party is the first time Katniss feels the effect of her changing social class. Lawrence mentions during this scene how “Katniss stops; she’s never seen such opulence.” When Katniss first steps into the social spotlight, this moment appears both rewarding and oppressive. Barker also emphasizes that when people transition into another class, they first experience proper “upward social mobility.”
Katniss must now navigate what it is like in this new social environment before the 75th Hunger Games begins, and she is forced to figure out who she can and cannot trust from the bourgeoisie and her fellow tributes.
Additionally, since Katniss is forced to participate in this “game” of choosing who and who not to trust, her view on her elevated social status is clouded, and her sense of self becomes even duller. Accompanying this sudden change in class is a change in Katniss’s ideology. When Katniss first walks into the party, her face shows signs of uncertainty and acute disgust.
Katniss says, “There’s nothing I want here.”
We can see here how her ideology remains that of one from the lumpen-proletariat, and she holds ideals that oppose the lavish grandeur that the upper class thrives on.
In a way, Katniss can see through the charades and gimmicks of the upper class of the capital as she understands that this lifestyle will never be or reflect who she truly is. In this scene, it is apparent how this class of the petite bourgeoisie is a trap instead of a reward. When Katniss enters this group of victors, she will be fed a false sense of accomplishment to be maintained and kept at bay by the capital. This concept of upward social mobility is simply a facade used to ensure the victors of the Hunger Games are not truly victors but slaves and indentured servants of the capital.
Throughout this scene, we can see other elements of Katniss’s ideology, such as hatred towards the Hunger Games, game makers, and President Snow himself. Katniss’s lower-class ideology reinforces how she fits into her class, as she seems to have been bundled into the bourgeoisie but remains idealistically a part of District 12, the dirt-poor servants in society, and those who oppose the capital most vividly.
“It’s a little overwhelming,” says Peeta Mellark.
Katniss’s mandatory attendance at this party is crucial for her changes in class and ideologies in this movie and her first literal interpersonal changes. Furthermore, this party forever changes how Katniss views the capital, perhaps contributing to her increasing opposition to President Snow.
Another pivotal moment for Katniss’s ideological development is the night before she enters the arena, as she divorces herself from other classes by choosing to have no allies despite her mentor Haymitch’s suggestion. Katniss refuses to associate with those tributes living among the bourgeoisie, and, in this way, she rejects this economic class even further.
This moment indicates Katniss’s understanding of the “trap” of the petite bourgeoisie and her way of dismissing said class alliance. This action makes Katniss stand out as a unique figure who does not choose to move up in social class but instead remains where she is.
Also, this “trap” creates a conflict between ideology and class. The ideology of a victor clashes with this new class of the petite bourgeoisie, creating a new, confusing environment for victors, which is used to create the illusion of being a faithful member of the bourgeoisie.
Before being forced to participate in the 75th Hunger Games, Katniss was a part of the petite bourgeoisie. Now, she is a part of the working class, a tribute doing the capital’s bidding to appease the upper class.
In Key Concepts in Critical Social Theory, Nick Crossley defines people as objects that are “desirable to others.” In this case, tributes are desirable to Panem’s upper class. As a part of a new social group, Katniss must associate with others of her class or face death in the arena. Even though Katniss views the tributes as members of the bourgeoisie, she must forget about social class and become a survivor.
However, even this task becomes difficult, as Katniss does not trust anyone and tries to protect herself and Peeta from death. Katniss must now focus on a way to survive the games or save the one she loves, Peeta, and by doing so, sacrifice herself so that Peeta may live.
“Do whatever you can to save him,” says Katniss to Haymitch
This change in what is primarily important to her is a change in her interpersonal ideology, which tells Katniss what she must do. In this case, she weighs Peeta’s life before her own, when before, in the 74th Hunger Games, her survival was her priority. The ideological growth that Katniss endures here is a necessary change, as it is the first time Katniss lets the possibilities of death sink in, and she chooses to protect what is most precious to her. Katniss says things like “I don’t care about myself,” exemplifying her caring and selfless personality.
Now more than ever, Katniss’s ideology has shifted to an accepted fate ideal, in which she no longer has any regard for her life despite all those she holds dear in District 12. This final ideological change before the initiation of the 75th Hunger Games is crucial as it sets Katniss up for success and the possibility of escaping the games entirely.
This film’s final and essential class transformation is during and after the initiation of the 75th Hunger Games. Once Katniss steps into the Hunger Games arena, she becomes a member of the proletariat again.
Unlike previous moments of social mobility, Katniss’s ideology does not change. With Katniss giving up her life for Peeta, her internal thoughts remain unchanged throughout the games: to save and protect Peeta.
Key Takeaways
Katniss is an adaptable character in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Throughout the movie, she faces many obstacles. Instead of bowing in defeat or accepting her fate, Katniss adapts to her situation and accepts the socioeconomic and ideological pressures thrust upon her. Katniss can do what others in society cannot: stay true to herself and do the right thing. Katniss chooses to represent someone with a solid moral character and a tribute who does not bend to political and cultural pressures. Even when forced into different classes, Katniss thrives and becomes a beacon of individualism and strength for those around her.
The journey Katniss embarks on in this film can exemplify the struggles of any person coming of age, and her persistence should be used as a model for future generations when experiencing the obstacles of life.
Additional Sources Used in this Article
Francis Lawrence. “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Lionsgate. 2013.
Chris Barker. “Marxism.” The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies. 2004. Found on Credo Reference.
Chris Barker. “Class.” The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies. 2004. Found on Credo Reference.
Tim Libretti. “Proletarian Literature.” The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory. 2011. Found on Credo Reference.
Mary Klage. “Ideology.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.
Warren Montag. “Louis Althusser (1918–1990) and His Circle.” The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia of Modern Criticism and Theory. 2002. Found on Credo Reference.
Nick Crossley. “Recognition (Desire and Struggle For).” Key Concepts in Critical Social Theory. 2005. Found on Credo Reference.
