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Introduction

The Industrial Revolution that happened in England in 1750 spread slowly all over the

European countries till the end of the 18th century. Globally, this revolution significantly

altered the structure and general appearance of society. This Industrial Revolution upended

the world’s social, political, economic, and religious situation at the time. When this

revolution came into being, it cleared the path for capitalism, a new system of production, to

enter society. The ‘owners’ class and the ‘workers’ class were the two emerging classes into

which the capitalistic system was split.

The capitalists were primarily wealthy, powerful, and property owners. These

individuals began to take advantage of the working class by using their riches and influence;

they also began to treat the workers unfairly, which created an unstable environment and

made the workers’ resentment apparent. During this time, many philosophers and

intellectuals united against the capitalist hegemony over the working class because of the

injustice and exploitation that occurred in an unstable environment. One prominent figure

among the philosophers and thinkers was Karl Marx, a German economist, historian, and

philosopher.

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were supporters of numerous groups aimed at

improving the working conditions and democratic rights of workers. Like Karl Marx,

numerous other philosophers have tried to make “socialism” a new ideology. However, this

word has never been analysed scientifically. Only Marx attempted to present a new kind of

socialism.

Marxism is a social, political, and economic theory of Karl Marx. It was first brought

into public notice in 1848 in the pamphlet ‘The Communist Manifesto’ by Karl Marx and

Friedrich Engels, which expounds the theory of class struggle and revolution. The word
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‘Marxism’ itself was derived from the name of Karl Marx. Marxism is a multi-faceted term.

It doesn’t have one exact meaning. Many theorists from various eras have given their

interpretations distinct meanings. Many earlier socialist intellectuals, including Plato,

Aristotle, Babeuf, Robert Owen, Fourier, Saint Simon, and others, had expressed their own

opinions on political economics, history, revolution, and class conflict long before Marx and

Engels. Following Marx, theorists like Lenin, Stalin, Antonio Gramsci, Kosygin, Li-Tao-

Chao, and Mao Tse-Tung created their own Marxist concepts and ideologies.

Based on Karl Marx's examination of the power structures in society and the

economy, which was primarily focused on class conflicts, Karl Marx divided the people of

the capitalist world into two groups: Bourgeoisie (or bourgeois) are middle-class people who

adhere to conventional and materialist ideals. The powerful people who control society's

means of production are referred to as proletariats, and they are members of the working

class. These people are oppressed by the upper class, who see them as little more than people

who work to support the wealthy and powerful.

The bourgeoisie possessed factories, industries, or other means of production, and

they churned out a lot of goods by retaining the proletariat as the labour force. More than the

proletariats or working class, it was the bourgeoisie who retained a lot of profits from the

production. These people paid the money to the workers for their labour; in most cases, the

wages were always low. The bulk of the people in the society was made up of proletariat

members. They did not have the luxury of receiving a portion of the profits they generated,

and they were paid minimum wage. They were exploited and controlled by the bourgeoisie,

who employed them; they had no control over their circumstances. Due to their lack of their

own capital, they had difficulty making enough money to survive on a daily basis.
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This quote from the book The Communist Manifesto explains the proletariat and

bourgeoisie classes.

By bourgeoisie is meant the class of modern Capitalists, owners of the means of

social production and employers of wage-labour. By proletariat, the class of modern

wage-laborers who, having no means of production of their own, are reduced to

selling their labor-power in order to live. [Marx and Engels 6].

This theoretical framework of false consciousness and exploitation is based on Karl

Marx’s 1884 Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. Marx said that the workers see

themselves as animals that depend on their masters for survival; they are made to believe this,

and the bourgeoisie takes advantage of this misconception to exploit the proletariat. They

endure all of the upper class’s ruthless deeds and keep quiet like animals. Although the upper

class claims to be civilized, they act in an animalistic manner and take advantage of the

working class’s false consciousness for their own vested interests. The workers class are

obedient to their living conditions and tolerate everything without protesting because of the

exploitation and false consciousness that have been ingrained in them.

Marx believes that the elite of the economy and those who control the means of

production are in a position of power. The possession of the forces of production is the

foundation of supremacy or power. In all civilizations, the ruling class, those who control the

means of production, use their position of authority to oppress and take advantage of the

subject class. Marx thinks that collective ownership of the forces of production is the only

way to give the people back control. All members of society will share power, since they will

now have an equal relationship to the forces of production. This quote from the book The

Communist Manifesto supports the collective ownership of the forces of production.

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Capital is therefore not a personal, it is a social power. When, therefore, capital is

converted into common property, into the property of all members of society, personal

property is not thereby transformed into social property. It is only the social character

of the property that is changed. It loses its class character. (Marx and Engels 16).

According to Karl Marx, revolution was both essentially necessary and unavoidable

for the advancement of human society under capitalism. Eventually, he thought, the world’s

workers may realize they have nothing to lose but their chains and rebel against the capitalists

and industrialists who were secretly running their lives. According to Marx, capitalism leads

to cycles of exponentially growing affluence and decline and is fundamentally self-

destructive. Workers will eventually realize their potential and the significance of the world,

and he believes that they will attempt to overturn the capitalist system by revolution and

rebellion in order to create a worldwide Communist society.

The French Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser wrote an essay titled Ideology and

Ideological State Apparatuses. It develops the ideas and analysis of ideology put forward by

Althusser. Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx proposed a flimsy theory of ideology as a set of

lies propagated by the ruling class. The ruling class, or bourgeoisie, controls and dominates

the working class through the use of repressive state apparatuses (RSA). To accomplish the

same objectives as RSA, Althusser claims that ideological state apparatuses (ISA) employ

strategies other than physical violence.

The differences between the RSA and the ISA are: The repressive state apparatus

(RSA) functions as a single, cohesive organization, or institution, in contrast to the

ideological state apparatus (ISA), which is multifaceted in nature and in functions. One

commonality between RSA and ISA is that the governing philosophy of ultimate control is by

the ruling ideology.

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In conclusion Marxist theory and critique in literary and social contexts can be used to

address all of these capitalist exploitations and power play, through which the working class

is subjugated by the upper class. Through the theories, solutions, and works of great Marxist

critics, so that the working class can overcome their false consciousness of being inferior to

the bourgeoisie and lead society toward a decent, revolutionary world where all classes are

treated equally.

Fiction that takes place in near-future or future cultures where societal structures and

beings are in post-apocalyptic decline is known as dystopian literature. In dystopian fiction,

the apocalyptic setting is usually used to examine societal and political structures and

consider the consequences of amplification. Usually, the end outcome is a broken society

with widespread injustice, violence, poverty, and the possibility of revolution or rebellion.

One of the greatest literary genres for examining and comprehending human inhumanity

toward his fellow humans is dystopian fiction.

A dystopia envisions a futuristic world where a power-dominant society employs

control, maintaining a false display of an ideal world through external manipulation.

Dystopias are totally contrasting to utopias. These are innovative and fictitious works that

critique and comment on societal injustice, political concerns, and problems by taking the

worst-case scenario.

Dystopian settings are usually futuristic; industrial cities, destroyed natural habitats,

and nature in a chaotic condition; a high level of monitoring and inspection; an atmosphere

and climate with the presence of strong oppression and restrictions surrounding society; and

civilization divided into many sections.

Dystopian societies in literature share common characteristics that define their

repressive nature. These elements create tension and apprehensiveness, making dystopian
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fiction both fascinating and intriguing. Propaganda and Control of Information,

scrutinization, monitoring, and lack of privacy, limitations and constraints of freedom and

independent thought, dehumanization and oppression, illusion of a perfect society are some

of the key characteristics of dystopian literature.

Examples of some of the famous dystopian novels are: Brave New World (1932) –

Aldous Huxley, Fahrenheit 451 (1953) – Ray Bradbury, Lord of the Flies (1954) – William

Golding, A Clockwork Orange (1962) – Anthony Burgess, V for Vendetta (1982) – Alan

Moore and David Lloyd, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) and The Testaments (2019) –

Margaret Atwood, The Children of Men (1992) – P.D. James, The Road (2006) – Cormac

McCarthy, The Hunger Games series (2008-2010) – Suzanne Collins.

Suzanne Collins is an American author and television writer and was born in the

United States on August 10, 1962. She had a long, promising, and fortunate career writing for

children’s television, and when she saw her reputation bloom after her shift towards young

adult novels, she became more concentrated and creative in it. Her first project became the

New York Times bestselling five-part fantasy/war series, The Underland Chronicles. And of

course, her most appreciated and popular work to date has been the young adult dystopian

book series The Hunger Games, which is a trilogy. The first book, The Hunger Games, was

published in 2008; the second book, Catching Fire, was published in 2009; and the last book,

Mockingjay, was published in 2010.

She became extremely popular amongst readers which led her to be named one of

Time Magazine’s Top 100 people in 2010. She studied at the Alabama School of Fine Arts

and New York University, where she was awarded an MFA in Dramatic Writing. She lives in

Connecticut with her husband and two children. Collins identifies as Catholic, and some have

said that there might be Christian themes intertwined throughout The Hunger Games.
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Some of the most notable accolades she received are as follows: American Library

Association’s Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults for The Hunger Games in 2009,

California Young Reader Medal for The Hunger Games in 2010, Goodreads Choice Award

for Best Young Adult Fantasy for Mockingjay in 2011, Children’s Choice Book Awards for

Teen Choice Book of the Year for Catching Fire in 2012, Georgia Peach Book Award for

Teen Readers for The Hunger Games in 2013, Kentucky Bluegrass Award for Teen Book

Award for Catching Fire in 2014, and Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement

in writing for young adults in 2015.

The Hunger Games is the first book of the trilogy series written by Suzanne Collins

and was published in the year 2008. The genre of the book is dystopian young adult fiction.

This book is written from the first-person of the main protagonist of the novel, a 16-year-old

young girl named Katniss Everdeen. The setting of the novel is a futuristic, post-apocalyptic

imaginary nation called Panem located in North America. The 12-district division of this

nation and the head of the Panem Nation, which is the Capitol, show us that it's a capitalist

intentioned society when one look at it through a Marxist lens.

An annual event known as The Hunger Games in which one boy and one girl 12–18

years old is selected through a lottery from each of the twelve districts surrounding the

Capitol to compete in a televised manner, live all the time, in an arena created by the Capitol,

and the players who are termed 'Tributes' for each district fight and kill until they either

remain or emerge as the winner to be taken home with necessities for their living, which

should have been provided. The Capitol and some districts are the bourgeoisie, and most of

the districts suffer from poverty, becoming the proletariats.

The book received wide critical acclaim among major reviewers and authors. For its

plot, the book had been praised highly. In coming up with The Hunger Games novel, Collins
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wrote from Greek mythology, Roman gladiatorial games, and reality television for themes.

The Hunger Games won a number of awards, including the California Young Reader Medal,

and also was named Publishers Weekly's ‘Best Books of the Year’ in 2008. The Hunger

Games has been translated into 26 languages, and publishing rights have been sold in 38

territories. This book was also adapted into a film, and the film received a better response

from the audiences.

The Hunger Games book review by British Council, Brendan Dunne. It is the first

book for young readers to sell a million electronic books, and people can buy it in 26

different languages. Some parents in the US have complained about the violence in the book.

But Suzanne says she was very worried about how much violence everyone sees on TV

nowadays. She said that writing about death and violence in the story was the hardest thing

for her to do, and she hopes it will make people think about what they watch in the future.

AT Ross review on the novel The Hunger Games are that the first thing that struck

AT Ross about the novel was the depth of insight into human life that Collins so deftly

exhibits. The novel is not free of controversy. Some religious groups have denounced the

books as unacceptable for their presentation of violence and for the theme of looming death,

but all these are just misleading facts because throughout the novel Katniss avoids killing

where she can and only does so regretfully, in self-defence. This book is more about self-

sacrifice and the ability of love to overcome the might of totalitarianism, cruelty, and hatred.

Joshua S. Hill review the novel The Hunger Games, saying that it’s recommendable

to people of almost any age. The 12 districts exist to serve the Capitol; because of a long-

gone uprising, the districts are forced to provide 2 tributes each to compete in a ruthless

battle-to-the-death to remind them of their situation. Joshua S. Hill reviews that the novel was

simply a magnificent read.

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Allan Fisher has reviewed the first book of The Hunger Games trilogy; it is a young

adult book set in the future, long after North America has been demolished, in a nation

known as Panem. This book follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old from District 12, the

poorest of the districts, as she embarks on the journey of her life. Fisher reviews that this is a

book worthy of reading, and the readers have to suspend their imagination, as Fisher cannot

envisage a society where parents would allow this to happen and want to live in that

dystopian society if it does.

Miranda has written a review on the novel The Hunger Games. Every year, Panem

hosts a Hunger Games involving one female and one male representative from each of its

twelve districts to fight to the death. The Capitol uses the Games as a way to demonstrate the

sheer helplessness of the other districts and to keep the population cowed and in fear; it’s just

a power play put on by the Capitol. The novel has a smidge of romance that does not

overpower the novel; it’s more of a survivalist story.

Holt Grier, a news editor, reviews the book The Hunger Games, about how many

people can relate to on many levels with Katniss Everdeen, who only cares about her family

and friends and is just trying to survive under the tyrannical rule of the Capitol. This novel

was a great setup for the rest of the series. Holt Grier’s favourite thing about this novel is that

the majority of the book takes place during the actual Hunger Games.

The possible research questions for further exploration of the fiction could be,

1. How does the novel represent the class struggle between the Capitol and districts?

2. How does the novel represent the proletariat (that is ‘districts’ as represented in

the novel) as a revolutionary class able to overthrow the ruling class (Capitol)?
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3. How does the novel illustrate the concept of false consciousness in Marx?

Specifically, the districts' residents' perception of the Capitol's power and the

oppression that surrounds them is revealed.

4. How do the ISAs and RSAs intersect and reinforce each other in the novel,

through media, the propaganda, and education and the Capitol's power and control

over the districts?

All these questions will be answered in the forthcoming prospective chapters.

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A Marxist Exploration of the Novel The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins

Suzanne Collins’s dystopian novel The Hunger Games is analysed and examined in

relation to many theorists of Marxism, including Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Louis

Althusser with his Ideological State Apparatus and Repressive State Apparatus theory and

many other Marxist and oppression examiners. This novel explores and examines Marxist

themes like class struggle, social inequality, power control, division and control, capitalism,

the structure of power such as the bourgeoisie and the working class, false consciousness, and

rebellion decisions through revolutions and uprisings.

In addition to the topic of Marxism, based on the economic specialization of each

region, it leads to a social hierarchy between the districts and the Capitol in the upper chain.

They are always in power, in control, and can use subclasses, as they divide and classify or

group people as the proletariats or lower classes of each region. In addition to the Capitol,

there are other privileged districts, such as District 1, which produces luxury goods, and

District 2, which produces objects like masonry and weapons. Unlike other districts that are

facing poverty, these districts have the advantages and favour of the Capitol. In the book The

Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels states that, “The modern bourgeois

society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society, has not done away with class

antagonisms. It has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of

struggle in place of the old ones.” [Marx and Engels 6].

This depicts how the Capitol, just like the bourgeoisie in capitalist worlds, perpetuates

systemic injustice by holding command over the working-class neighbourhoods, guaranteeing

their subordination while promoting the advantaged few.

The novel The Hunger Games is based in a world where the majority of the human

population in all the districts in Panem is extremely poor, deprived of the things that they
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need in life, and ruled by the Capitol. The Capitol refers to the government that controls all

the districts and where all the leaders, including President Coriolanus Snow, the Capitol’s

leader, and other rich or bourgeois people live. Most people of the districts endure a lot of

suffering to live their day-to-day lives.

This Panem, a dystopian world originally consisted of 13 districts, but when the

districts collectively expressed their resistance by rebelling against the commanding rule of

the Capitol and fought against it, the 13th district was destroyed by the Capitol and was left

with no remnants. The remaining 12 districts were conquered and placed under the watch of

the Capitol again.

As a result of the rebellion of the districts, they were given punishment as a reminder

of the consequences of their revolt in the form of the ‘Hunger Games,’ where all the districts

are forced to celebrate an event that plays with their lives for the elite to watch.

With the control of the Capitol over the Districts, these games are forced as a

reminder to showcase who is really in control. The working-class people surviving to make

ends meet in their districts have no other choice but to participate in this; it’s basically the

wealthy people from the Capitol pitting the poor districts’ people against themselves so that

the Capitol can have some form of entertainment. They are just exploiting their economic

power over the underprivileged people of the districts. In the book The German Ideology,

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels argues that “The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch

the ruling ideas: i.e., the class, which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same

time its ruling intellectual force.” [Marx and Engels 35].

This depicts how the Capitol applies the Hunger Games as a means of ideological

control so that the districts can internalize oppression while the dominating class holds the

upper hand in the society.

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Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of the novel, belongs to District 12, which is the

poorest district among the others. Their economy is mostly reliant on coal mining and fuels,

which they produce with cheap labour and provide to the Capitol. This situation leads to the

prevailing condition of poverty throughout the districts, except for a few people. This is the

condition of many districts and their people, with only the Capitol bearing the fruit of all the

hard work, leaving the district people with basically nothing.

Katniss and her family face such conditions, and it’s even tougher for Katniss because

she is the breadwinner of her family, taking care of them after the death of her father in a coal

mine explosion. Even the death of her father is not given much consideration and importance

because the death of the proletariat doesn’t make much difference to the bourgeoisie.

The Capitol is filled with plenty of resources and advanced technology in comparison

to all the other districts; in fact, the Capitol might be the only region with such opulence. The

people who live in the districts, especially those low in the hierarchy, are basically survivors;

they live their lives with minimal food and money, and most of the time, they suffer from

starvation.

This exemplifies Marx's concept that gives us the idea that it's the bourgeoisie who

owns all forms of production from every other district. The people in the Capitol have

everything in terms of wealth, enjoying luxury, costumes, accessories, and an extravagant

lifestyle. The people in the Capitol live a prosperous life, unlike those in the districts, making

them the victims of both poverty and the Capitol's oppression. This highlights the stark class

divide and systemic inequality. As Karl Marx explains in Capital, Volume I, “Accumulation

of wealth at one pole is, therefore, at the same time accumulation of misery, agony of toil

slavery, ignorance, brutality, mental degradation, at the opposite pole” [Marx 449]. This is
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how the Capitol gains riches and wealth while imposing suffering and adversity on the

districts, reaffirming systemic oppression and economic inequality.

The class conflict, with the Capitol representing the bourgeoisie and the districts

representing the proletariat, is a fundamental element of Marxism present in the novel.

Marxism is primarily related to the conflicts of poor or working-class societies and the

socioeconomic consequences of the struggles they face amongst the people with power and

control in the society, and The Hunger Games is one such novel that is filled with many

aspects of Marxism left for us to explore and analyse.

Katniss Everdeen portrays her own house in District 12 in a bleak and despairing manner in

the book.

Our part of District 12, nicknamed the Seam, is usually crawling with coal miners

heading out to the morning shifts at this hour. Men and women with hunched

shoulders, swollen knuckles, many who have long since stopped trying to scrub the

coal dust out of their broken nails, the lines of their sunken faces. [Collins 4].

This quote from the novel explains the living conditions of District 12 people; they

are placed in the lowest hierarchy in terms of class and its division. It explains that even

though they feel tired, with no energy and strength left in their bodies, they head to work so

that the Capitol can enjoy their labour. It also clearly depicts a picture of how numb they have

become towards their work, that they've stopped caring about the aftereffects it brings to their

bodies or how it damages them, leaving them with sunken faces and poverty.

Marx believes that the work of the proletariat has taken away all individual meaning

and interest for the labourer. He becomes nothing more than an appendage of the machinery,

only doing the most basic, repetitive labour that demands little skill. The workers are not only

economically exploited by the bourgeoisie but also by the boredom and monotonous
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character of their labour, which does not challenge them and offer them opportunities to

excel. The proletarians are lost and do not have contact with their own labour. This quote

explains the monotonous labour from the book The Communist Manifesto, “Owing to the

extensive use of machinery and to division of labor, the work of the proletarians has lost all

individual character, and, consequently, all charm for the workman.” [Marx and Engels 10].

As Katniss enters into hunting, she is also conscious of being caught by the Capitol.

Suzanne Collins employs descriptive language to portray the gloomy presence of District 12.

Katniss, in the excerpt, employs vivid details again and again, elaborating on the terrible

consequences that await offenders who intrude into the woods, such as hangings in broad

daylight. This reinforces the strict compliance by the Capitol of its rules and willingness to

prosecute anyone who does not obey.

Katniss calls attention to the poverty-stricken life in District 12, where citizens are

restricted by the harsh Capitol laws. Citizens of District 12, and other districts as well, live

under constant fear and hunger, orchestrated by the Capitol rulers to ensure economic power

for their leaders, supporting Marxist theory about the driving forces of human activity.

The 'Reaping' is an important event in The Hunger Games. It’s a yearly ritual in

which one boy and one girl, known as tributes, are chosen from each of the 12 districts to

take part in The Hunger Games. The working class of the poor districts is likely to be more at

risk in this situation due to a system known as ‘tesserae,’ whereby families are rewarded with

additional grain and oil for having their children’s names drawn more times in the lottery.

This typically results in the poorer families’ children being listed more than once, so they

have more chances of having their names drawn.

Every time the child’s name is entered for the tesserae, the chances of the child being

selected for the games increase. This reaping event is very distressing for the districts because
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the families’ state of mind is filled with dread and alarm about their loved one being selected

to take part in the dangerous and life-threatening game. It’s a powerful symbol of the

Capitol’s dominating rule and the harsh reality and inequalities between the bourgeoisie

Capitol and the proletariat, poverty-stricken districts.

The other negative side of this tesserae system is the clash and misunderstandings

within their own districts with people who have somewhat of a comfortable life. It definitely

cannot be compared to the Capitol’s luxurious lifestyle, but it’s still a comfortable life, which

most of the district people do not have the privilege to. In the novel there is a particular scene,

where an interaction takes place before the reaping ceremony between Katniss Everdeen,

Gale Hawthorne, and Madge Undersee, the mayors’ daughter of District 12.

During this interaction, one can understand and feel Gale’s anger and resentment

towards Madge, that she does not have the need to take tesserae from the Capitol, and thus

the risk of her name being called is very slim, even though her family is not as rich as the

Capitol; they do not have to starve like Katniss, Gale, and many other people from District

12. Gale’s anger towards Madge is not really valid and totally misdirected, but he feels

resentment about his situation and how her economic condition is far better than his.

The line which expresses the resentment Gale feels towards Madge:

You can see why someone like Madge, who has never been at risk of needing a

tessera, can set him off. The chance of her name being drawn is very slim compare to

those of us who live in the Seam. Not impossible, but slim. And even though the rules

were set up by the Capitol, not the districts, certainly not Madge’s family, it’s hard not

to resent those who don’t have to sign up for the tesserae. [Collins 13].

The small, privileged elite of individuals residing in the Capitol accumulate all the

resources and wealth in the dystopian society of Panem, while the citizens of the districts
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must fight to eat. For example, there is one scene in the book where Peeta is being punished

for scorching a loaf of bread. This one loaf of bread has financial repercussions for Peeta's

family, the reason why his parents become so enraged at him for setting it on fire. Overeating

and any mistakes that cause wastage of food in the districts are shown as unhealthy practices

that yield only bad results.

Compared to that, in the Capitol, individuals eat large banquets and have a never-

ending amount of food available to them, never having to be concerned about being able to

come up with enough money to scrounge up such items. Individuals within the Capitol are

not concerned about having to ration what they have; consumption is welcome and even

commended. And thus, within the book, the burning loaf of bread of Peeta becomes a symbol

of the lean lifestyles of individuals living in the districts.

Further, in the domain of riches, neither the women nor the men have an advantage

over each other. Both the men and women in the districts, even though they perform different

occupations and family responsibilities, share the common element of trying to survive.

The wealthy, most probably from District 1 and District 2, who are tributes, have

another advantage, as they are usually trained to participate in the Games and offer

themselves for it. These trained tributes, which Katniss calls Career Tributes, are usually

larger, stronger, and more equipped to handle the ordeal of The Hunger Games than those

poor tributes chosen by luck. They are therefore more likely to survive. For these wealthy

tributes, to compete in the Games is a privilege, but for the poorer tributes, it is a sentence of

death. This idea of Career Tributes serves to be detrimental to Katniss and Peeta from District

12 and to all the other impoverished districts and emphasizes the economic inequality that

exists in the guise of Marxist elements and aspects.

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The citizens of the Capitol are depicted wearing elaborate wigs, elaborate clothes, and

flawless makeup, all of which are intended to reflect their superior position. Both men and

women dress up in order to differentiate themselves from the underprivileged district citizens,

who are not able to afford such extravagant pieces. Their look is a reminder to the lower-class

citizens that they are not equal, associating money with superiority.

Moreover, the Capitol’s appearance is created to be impossible to achieve. With

elaborate facial hair, bright makeup, designer clothing, and complicated hairstyles, their

appearances are established as impossible, if not too hard, to achieve.

This impossibility is a symbol of Marxist ideals, emphasizing how the lower-class

citizens of the districts are isolated from such extravagances as much as they are from

prosperity. Being poor, they cannot afford to project themselves in the same manner; without

that projection, they are left outside the rich elite club and thus do not possess any power.

When tributes arrive at the Capitol ahead of time, before The Hunger Games actually

begin, they are handed new clothes instantly and worked on by hair and makeup stylists,

regardless of gender, to enhance their public image. This makes them presentable for Capitol

residents, increasing their ability to gain sponsorships, which include equipment, gifts, and

awards along the way.

For example, Katniss and Peeta are each provided with a stylist to appear presentable

in front of the Capitol audience during the start of The Hunger Games. This is against

Marxist principles, as Katniss takes on capitalist principles to promote her own agenda and

elicit sympathy.

In the nation of Panem, the primary objective behind the game designed by the

Capitol is to demonstrate and maintain their limitless and merciless domination. This ruling

elite desires complete domination over poor individuals whose sole and final objective is
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survival. However entertaining for the Capitol, the oppressed district citizens are aware of the

game’s tyrannical nature. Sadly, the victims can do nothing to prevent it, and although there

is a single winner at the end of the game, the sole winner is always going to be the Capitol.

As discussed earlier, Marxism primarily negotiates the struggles of the ruling class

against the working class. The Hunger Games is taken as an excellent example that points

toward various Marxist elements. It is a reflection of the materialistic nature of the society,

where the Capitol of Panem has enormous control over all the districts.

Panem had thirteen districts, which later decreased to twelve. It experienced

unprecedented prosperity after it was once thought of as a weak nation, achieved through

their dominating methods. This is what Marxist theory entails: the low-grade people (the

districts) are at the service of the rich individuals who are in control of them (the Capitol).

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels explain in The German Ideology that,

For the proletarians, on the other hand, the condition of their existence, labor, and

with it all the conditions of existence governing modern society, have become

something accidental, something over which they, as separate individuals, have no

control, and over which no social organization can give them control.

[Marx and Engels 67].

This reaffirms how the Capitol has kept power by economically relying on the

districts and rendering them powerless politically, making them remain subordinated

under its authority.

As far as the issue of class struggle is concerned, District Twelve, to which the two

protagonists, Peeta and Katniss, belong, is one of the poorest districts. This district is

characterized by extreme poverty, to the extent that its citizens are deprived of nutritious

food. The residents are so malnourished that encountering an elderly person in their district is
 20

considered a miracle, as surviving in a place so lacking in essential resources is incredibly

challenging.

There is also District 11, which is the second poorest district after District 12. The

people of District 11 are renowned for agriculture, and everything they produce is sent back

to the Capitol. Not only this, but President Snow has also prevented the districts from trading

amongst themselves with the aim of controlling the Capitol’s economy. The condition of the

districts is evident in the quotation below, where Katniss and Rue, a girl from district 11, are

conversing:

It’s interesting, hearing about her life. We have so little communication with anyone

outside our district. In fact, I wonder if the Gamemakers are blocking out our

conversation, because even though the information seems harmless, they don’t want

people in different districts to know about one another. (Collins 203).

The concepts of the bourgeois and proletariat, as defined by Marx, can be observed in

the example provided here, where the Capitol dictates every aspect of the lives of the

oppressed, even down to what they can and cannot see and hear.

The workers were isolated among themselves, and thus opportunities for a recurrence

of a rebellion were uncertain (such as occurred during the dark times of the past) because the

Capitol was endeavouring hard to prevent it from occurring. But there was a need to crush the

oppression by arousing the consciousness of the populace in general.

There are many Marxist aspects in the novel which can be analysed through its

themes, symbols, and characters. Characters such as Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark,

Haymitch Abernathy, President Snow, Claudius Templesmith and Rue can be analysed in

terms of Marxist theory, allowing us to have a clearer understanding of the Marxism present

in the novel through these characters.

 21

Katniss Everdeen embodies the proletariat as she is forced to confront the repressive

capitalist society brought about by the oppressive bourgeoisie, as symbolized by the Capitol.

She protests against systemic injustice and inequality, false consciousness, and ideology in

maintaining power through what she lives. Katniss, being native to District 12, illustrates

working-class resistance. She engages in illegal hunting to sustain life, as food is restricted

under the Capitol regime, creating economic dependence.

Her reality illustrates Marx’s concept of exploitation, with the districts that work as

labourers creating value for the Capitol or the elite but being poor. As Marx states, “By

converting part of his capital into labour-power, the capitalist augments the value of his entire

capital. He kills two birds with one stone. He profits, not only by what he receives from, but

by what he gives to, the labourer” (Marx 402). This reflects how the Capitol extracts labour

from the districts to sustain its own wealth while ensuring their continued subjugation.

She admits the Capitol's tyranny but feels resistance is pointless. As opposed to Gale,

with his revolutionary sentiments, Katniss is hesitant to defy authority. Yet, her involvement

in the Games pushes her toward class consciousness, an important step toward a possible

revolution.

It is understood that the intention behind creating this game is always with the

Capitol, but Katniss was not taken to these circumstances. Katniss describes the trick that she

created in order to stay alive from this game; she pretended to eat poison berries with her

rival Peeta Mellark. Katniss and Peeta received so much publicity by creating this stunt in

order to escape from this game. From this, Katniss begins to resist the Capitol’s laws in a bid

to better her standard of living as well as that of district people.

Katniss plays the Games initially for survival and not rebellion. Yet her natural

defiance, from her refusal to show deference to Capitol protocol to her overt defiance
 22

(saluting for Rue of District 11 and her suicide attempt with Peeta), starts to show the fault

lines in the system. Katniss is required to sell an illusion of being the ‘star-crossed lover’ with

Peeta in order to survive. This is an echo of the way that capitalism compels the working

class to sell their identity for economic survival.

Her act of dedicating Rue with flowers and her refusal to kill Peeta undermine the

Capitol’s hold on power and its control over the people of the districts. She may not yet

accept revolution completely, but her actions of questioning authority, disobeying by not

conforming to spectacle, and defying the Capitol’s codes indicate the emergence of class

consciousness. Marxist theory views her journey as a metaphor for the proletariat’s

awakening, foreshadowing more widespread revolutions to ensue in the subsequent half of

the other two books in the trilogy.

Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son of District 12, is of the working class but holds a

marginally better status than that of Katniss Everdeen. Although residing in one of Panem’s

poorer districts, relative to Katniss, he and his family never go without food as Katniss and

her family often do. Peeta’s family enjoys access to bread, one of the most basic survival

needs. Peeta’s family, particularly his father, offers Katniss and her family food in the form

of assistance and generosity in return for the small commodities she receives in hunting.

Once chosen as a tribute to battle in the arena, he is regarded as one of the victimized

children of Panem because of the Capitol’s complete authority. From a Marxist point of view,

Peeta is in a lower socioeconomic status in the strict class system of Panem. Despite the fact

that Peeta's family owns a business, they are still helpless under the economic repression of

the Capitol and cannot alter their situations. Peeta, along with every other tribute, is

dehumanized and is used as a means of entertainment for the citizens of the Capitol.
 23

His inner conflict, feelings, and even his affection for Katniss become material for

the narrative of the Games, crafted by the Gamemakers to have a good story. When he

professes his love for Katniss in his interview, it is instantly politicized into a love story,

turning him into an instrument of the Capitol’s ideological manipulation. While Peeta starts

the novel with minimal class awareness, he comes to develop a sense of his oppression over

time. One of his strongest Marxist moments is when he wants to hold on to his uniqueness in

the games.

This is a subtle but crucial act of resistance. By recognizing that the Capitol is using

him as a pawn, he does not want to be reduced to a mere commodity, an object of

entertainment, or a tool for the Capitol’s control. Peeta knows that the dictatorial Capitol is

exploiting him and other children as a form of entertainment, and in order to achieve their

malicious objective, this statement indicates how Peeta fits into the cruelty of the Capitol and

that he knows he is morally and physically being exploited. Peeta says “No, when the time

comes, I’m sure I’ll kill just like everybody else. I can’t go down without a fight. Only I keep

wishing I could think of a way to … to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more

than just a piece in their games” (Collins 142).

Peeta’s own silent resistance reinforces the strength of Marxist ideology, the battle for

one’s identity when oppressed, and the manner in which even those who are the most

controlled among us can begin to question the status quo. Gramsci states, “The crisis consists

precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a

great variety of morbid symptoms appear” (276). This reflects Peeta’s internal struggle, he

exists in a system where the Capitol’s ideological control is weakening, yet a new

revolutionary order has not fully emerged. His resistance, though subtle, signifies the cracks

in the dominant hegemony and the potential for change

 24

Haymitch is the mentor and advisor of the two tributes, Katniss and Peeta, of District

12. Though he is from the districts, after his victory in The Hunger Games, he became a

wealthy man as assured by the rules implemented by the Capitol. He gave advice to Katniss

and Peeta, he is “one of the most influential characters in terms of political impact” (Heit 89).

Heit adds that Haymitch “reduces politics in the context of the Hunger Games to a simple and

constant goal: survival” (89), drawing on his own experience in the Games. Although he was

favoured by previously being declared a winner, he still harbours contempt for the Capitol.

His win in the Games, instead of granting him freedom, forces him to become a servant to the

Capitol in the form of a mentor, continuing the cycle of oppression.

Haymitch’s self-destructive tendencies, his alcoholism, and sarcasm indicate a loss of

identity. He no longer identifies himself as a hero or a leader but as a pawn in the Capitol’s

game. His alcoholism can be seen as a reaction to this systemic oppression, a way of dealing

with the alienation he feels under Capitol rule.

The presence of previous victors, such as Haymitch, provides the illusion that success

is achievable. But their agony and ongoing exploitation show that the system is rigged. Even

when people get ahead, the system doesn’t change, perpetuating class oppression.

Psychologically, Katniss won the Games because she heeded his advice to ‘stay alive,’ and

she was able to survive in the arena and ultimately be declared a victor at the conclusion of

the Games. Besides that, Haymitch is a symbol of victory because he views the Capitol as an

enemy.

President Snow is the epitome of the ruling class. Snow governs Panem in a

dictatorial and tyrannical style so that he might govern over poor citizens belonging to the

districts and reap profit out of them. Snow dominates the populace by means of Ideological

State Apparatuses (ISAs). Control by the Capitol of the media ensures that narratives good
 25

for Snow’s governance get distributed. By televising the Games and the winners of the past

games glamorous lifestyles, he gives a false impression of hope that makes the people believe

they can ‘succeed’ in the system instead of revolutionizing it.

Snow also depends on Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs) police, military, and law

enforcement to stay in power. The Peacekeepers are Snow’s enforcers, whose presence is

witnessed in the first book of the trilogy. If there is a need for control and enforcement

because of some rebellious activities, the peacekeepers will look after it. This is how, in

capitalist societies, the police and military tend to guard ruling class interests instead of the

working class.

President Snow is largely a remote character, but his authority is strongly felt through

the repressive regime of Panem. President Snow appears only on special events; whenever he

appears, it looks like he is extremely powerful, and everyone, particularly district people,

dreads simply seeing him. As the representative of the upper class, he represents cruelty and

tyranny.

When Katniss and Peeta threaten a double suicide, they subvert the authority of the

Games. This tiny act of rebellion sows the seeds of revolution, demonstrating that Snow’s

power is not invincible. Although he does not move immediately, one can subsequently

discover that he views Katniss as a threat. Book 1 of The Hunger Games sets up Snow as the

repressive bourgeoisie, employing both ideology and violence to assert control, much like

how, as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels states, "The executive of the modern state is but a

committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie" (7).

Claudius Templesmith is a representative of the ruling class and a key figure in

keeping Panem’s totalitarian and capitalist system oppressive. As the voice of The Hunger

Games, Claudius Templesmith in a way follows the Ideological State Apparatuses concept.
 26

He presents the Games as a spectacle, diverting the districts’ attention from their oppression

by depicting it as a noble and thrilling event. His dramatic announcements make the killings

appear as entertainment and not acts of state-sanctioned violence. His high-pitched voice and

manner of speaking signify leadership, supremacy, and superiority.

As a product of the bourgeoisie society, he imitates the same practices as President

Snow and other members of the ruling class as far as psychological as well as physical

repression is concerned. Templesmith’s commentary gives the impression that tributes

actually have a possibility of winning through ability when, in fact, the Games are intended to

amuse the Capitol and ensure district subjugation. Templesmith, by his announcements, adds

to the commodification of human lives, treating the tributes as commodities and not as

people. His position indicates the ways in which the upper class employs media and

propaganda to maintain the lower classes as being divided and passive instead of unified in

revolution.

Rue is the most oppressed section of the proletariat child labourers. Rue is from

District 11, where individuals are employed in agrarian labour. Rue and Katniss enter into a

fleeting class solidarity, reminiscent of Marxist principles of working-class unity throughout

districts. Both share food, information, and protection, paralleling working-class mutual aid

struggles in actual labour movements. Rue assists Katniss in destroying the Career Tribute

food stockpile, which is an attack on the privileged classes’ accumulated wealth. Rue’s

killing is a turning point for both the novel’s story and the class struggle.

The two conflicting classes in this book are the individuals who reside in the districts

of Panem and the ruling Capitol Gamemakers. The conflict of power between the proletariat,

who are the districts, and the bourgeoisie, who are the Capitol, and between the oppressor and
 27

the oppressed, and between the exploited and the exploiting, is well-evident throughout The

Hunger Games.

These events coincide with the Marxist class theory, where the bourgeoisie rely on the

proletariat to produce the goods that are needed for their use, but instead of doing it

themselves, they exploit the physical labour of the district people, so when one reflects this

theory in the novel, it’s visible that the Capitol forces the 13 districts, which at present is 12

districts because of the rebellion of the 13th district, which was completely destroyed by the

Capitol, so to produce whatever the Capitol needs, the people of the districts are obliged to do

so.

The twelve districts which they are responsible for and compelled to produce: luxury

goods, masonry and weapons, manufacturing, technology, fishing, power and electricity,

transportation, lumber, textiles, grain, livestock, agriculture, coal mining, and nuclear

technology, respectively.

In a more detailed explanation, the novel in question depicts the conflict between

classes, discusses essentially the working class, the residents of the districts of Panem, and

how they are compelled to create the products for the Capitol’s advantage, to make a sacrifice

and risk and fight one another until death for the amusement of the Capitol. That the

oppressive Capitol is observing how the children are killing one another and deeming this

game of death as a form of entertainment itself is oppressive.

For the people residing in districts, The Hunger Games are employed as a method of

‘punishment’; on the contrary, it is an amusing method for the Capitol, who do not want to be

materialistic; instead, they are interested in demonstrating the social differences, mainly their

superiority and dominance. The struggle of classes is illustrated ideally through the novel, not

just between the two major categories but also between districts themselves. A deeper
 28

analysis of the novel shows that, not only are the poor districts under the Capitol’s control,

but even the wealthier districts are. It is quite easy to see that even in the twelve districts of

Panem, there exists a gap between the poor and the wealthy.

Certain tributes of some districts are wealthier than tributes of other districts. For

instance, when Katniss is compared with kids from other districts, one can observe that other

kids are already trained for the battles in addition to having some amenities compared to

Katniss, who only began her training by the time she had reached the training camp. Another

manifestation of class conflict in the novel is illustrated when the Capitol rewards the tribute

who survived and his/her district by giving them a less complicated and easier life, and

pampering them with gifts and things that they require, while other districts, as opposed to

them, experience starvation.

Rue’s death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice

they inflict upon us. But here, even more strongly than at home, I feel my impotence.

There’s no way to take revenge on the Capitol. Is there? (Collins 236).

This quote again illustrates the vulnerability of the districts’ victims against the

superiority of the higher class. Katniss’ sorrow over the loss of her friend Rue and the

internal conflict caused by losing a companion is only a result of a larger conflict, that of

class conflict. This event further stokes the anger within Katniss’ heart against the Capitol

individuals, aggravated by the helplessness of avenging. This scene illustrates how much less

the voice of the lower class is to that of the upper one.

The Hunger Games is a book that raises social issues, namely, class conflict and the

oppression of individuals belonging to the lower class. The Capitol, by conducting the

Games, is reminding the districts of their lower position in society, lack of freedom, and

inferiority, which is exceedingly oppressive and heartless. Therefore, the novel occurrences
 29

highly align with Karl Marx’s theory, the exploitation and the exploited in the production and

acquisition of resources and the oppressing and the oppressed and how they are compelling

them to do things that they cannot really endure and for the Capitol’s own interests because

this latter views the others below them as not really human beings, just a way of means, to get

things done.

The Capitol, to sustain their dominance, employs the political tactic that is parallel to

that of the Roman Empire: divide and conquer. One can see how the Capitol presumptuously

deliberated District 13 with its power of military force and also the violent law enforcement

that came with violence. Furthermore, all the Capitol’s regulations are designed to make the

districts ununited, from The Hunger Games until the district border. The Capitol is vulnerable

as it relies on the districts for food up to the peacekeepers; therefore, if the districts unite and

declare independence, the Capitol will fall.

In the book, Suzanne Collins has also addressed certain overt tools of power for

exercising domination over the districts, but which are not covert; they are overt. Louis

Althusser here is highly appropriate. The repressive state apparatus comprising different

kinds of institutions, such as the schools within the districts, the bounding rules and

obligation under the treaty of treason, and the peacekeepers (the police), are all powers that

are not covert but overt.

The Capitol is able to maintain its dominance, instilling fear in the people through the

peacekeepers. They are placed in each district to monitor their activities. This is a direct

expression of power. They apply violence on the violators of the rule. They are in control and

limit the mobility of people (Repressive State Apparatus).

The Capitol people seem to be completely different from those in other districts in

terms of their appearances.

 30

the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and painted faces who have never missed a

meal. All the colours seem artificial, the pinks too deep, the greens too bright, the

yellows painful to the eyes, like the flat round disks of hard candy (Collins 59)

This quotation from the novel describes Capitol people’s appearance, which creates

the sense of otherness so that they differ from district people. In the novel, on the day of

reaping, Katniss dresses beautifully and makes her sister wear decent clothes too. This is to

ensure that if they become a tribute, they should dress ‘appropriately’ when being taken to the

Capitol.

This pushes the Capitol beyond identifying themselves as a separate class and

declaring their dominance. Thus, this type of fashion is only represented and veiled in the

Capitol, which is rendered inaccessible to the masses in the districts. Thus, it is not merely

economic capital, but the performance of cultural and social capital that reflects a kind of

power embedded in it. This serves to highlight the class divisions and render them visibly

prominent.

Class is completely on display in The Hunger Games, in a manner that it is not

necessarily in our society. In our society, media as part of the Ideological State Apparatus

tends to conceal inequality. Media’s function in the Ideological State Apparatus is no secret

in The Hunger Games, from broadcasting The Games. The strongest use of media is in the

repressive ‘star-crossed lovers’ trope it creates between Katniss and Peeta. This is essentially

imposed upon the couple, although Peeta is significantly more willing than Katniss. This is a

Capitol media reinforcement of the patriarchal male gaze, the power of Katniss as a Tribute,

and the courage of her volunteering brushed aside in favour of speculation about her love life

and sexuality.
 31

Interpellation is how people learn social norms and how the ruling class governs their

subjects in Althusser’s theory. State control is done through Ideological State Apparatuses

(ISAs) and Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs). In the book, the uprising is led by the 13

districts and burned for it. As punishment for the uprising, the remaining 12 districts must

endure the gory Hunger Games by means of a public reaping.

Althusser explains how ISAs are capable of serving a strong role in spreading an

ideology. A case in point is The Hunger Games legitimation. When, at the time of the reaping

ceremony or occasion, they explain the significance of the Games, one can see the

transformative potential of ideological memory (the rebellion) and how it turns a punishment

into a tradition. It later on morphs into healing, apparently sewing them together. Games are

broadcast live through all the districts in order to internalize it as tradition rather than terror.

The government of the Nation of Panem is therefore RSA, and the peacemakers and

the military. RSA examples include the manner in which Katniss and Gale speak of removing

their tongues and never wanting to have children, demonstrating that they are not free and

subjects of the government. ISAs appear when the coerced celebrations are not being enjoyed

by the citizens following Katniss volunteering, effectively giving her life in place of her

sister. This indicates that the ideologies developed over such a long time had broken.

Televised interviews by Caesar Flickerman romanticize the tributes, diverting

attention from the terror of their existence. The districts are educated in a skewed history in

which the Capitol’s domination is required to keep society in order, and the notion that

rebellion brings about devastation is promoted. The celebration of the Games with

extravagant opening ceremonies, aestheticized tributes, and sentimentalized storytelling

makes actual suffering a reality television show. All these ideas assist in the Ideological State
 32

Apparatuses theory of how to form individuals’ beliefs and keep power by presenting the

governing system as natural and irrefutable.

ISAs and RSAs are visible in The Hunger Games. The districts undergo RSA in terms

of physical coercion, but their ideology is managed by Panem through ISA. The book is a

great illustration of Marxist criticism, keeping Althusser’s theory of ideology and apparatuses

of ideology in mind.

All societies exist under ideals to better the living of their people. In a capitalistic

society, though, false consciousness exists. False consciousness is when

“ideal functions to mask its own failure and promote the interests of those in power”

(Tyson 58).

While the inhabitants of the Capitol celebrate the tributes of The Hunger Games, they

fail to notice that they are covering up the fact that the Treaty of Treason is failing to uphold

its promise of peace and prosperity for the districts. People living in the districts actually live

below the poverty level and labour longer than people of the Capitol. Thus, though the

bourgeoisie’s vision of peace has been attained, as evident in the 74 years of no rebellion, the

treaty is concealing the sad realities that the workers must suffer.

In the novel, the Capitol bourgeoisie are victims of ideological false consciousness

from the ideology of the dream of peace. As Butler stated, “the bourgeois consciousness is in

fact a false consciousness, whose inherent self-contradictions, particularly concerning liberty,

become more and more apparent as the bourgeoisie in power fails to live up to those

enlightenment ideas which gave it birth” (111).

The Capitol has promised peace to Panem if individuals in every one of the districts

offer up two children a year for The Hunger Games. This used to be their self-aware desire;

however, in practice, many years after having taken their oath, citizens living in the districts
 33

exist in impoverishment and destitution-like states. The Treaty of Treason has fulfilled the

peace promised as the desire for all citizens living within the Capitol but alas not within the

districts.

Their ideology becomes untrue because it fails when tried on reality since only one

class keeps on increasing, and the other does not enjoy the same benefit of this fantasy. Tyson

equates false consciousness with the concept of the ‘American dream’ that turned out to be a

false Ideal since each day individuals labour hard to attain success in this dream but fail to do

so. Only the rich people get to enjoy this American dream. Since the workers work every day

to realize their dream, they do not know that it is hard to realize their dream, just like the

workers in Panem’s realization of the dream presented by the Capitol leaders long ago.

Moreover, the Games itself is a symbol of false consciousness.

Citizens in the districts and tributes struggling for survival are under the illusion that

the Games were created in return for a chance at food for the victor tribute. The officials,

however, will continue to earn profit from the Games, far past the event once a year. A place

that was the site of innocent children’s murders becomes a source where the officials are able

to profit. Vacations that visitors who can pay are individuals within the Capitol.

Vacations are normally visited by individuals who desire to spend their holiday in a

meaningful destination. Through the imposition of a positive implication on The Hunger

Games, the authorities are leaving behind the negative perceptions of children starving in

miserable conditions among other starving kids. A destination that they have repeated as a

holiday destination is a contradiction to the actions that lead to it.

These government officials and vacationers who go there are victims of false

consciousness since what they think vacation is supposed to be good is actually an irony, for

kids died where they now reap profit. For decades, the officials have utilized the sites as a
 34

source of profit and to entice the wealthy Capitol citizens to what previously was a fatal

battlefield. By so doing, the atrocious Games always go past annually as entertainment and an

ordinary annual event.

The Hunger Games, the first book in the trilogy, is the foundation for the larger

rebellion that will unravel in the later books of the trilogy. The first novel in the trilogy does

not show any revolution taking place and is not that open about it; it does have shades of

rebellion covertly in numerous ways through symbolism, individual insubordination, and the

growing agitation in the districts.

Katniss goes out to hunt in the woods that is outside their border or fence, which is

not legal under the Capitol’s rules and is a punishable offense, but Katniss does this so that

she can feed her family, exhibiting her reluctance to comply with the Capitol’s control over

provisions and resources. Katniss and Gale are hunting partners; they regularly trade meat

and goods in an illegal black market, which is another act of rebellion against the Capitol’s

restrictive economic policies. All these actions of Katniss establish her as someone who

resists Capitol’s domination, more on a personal level and on a small scale.

Katniss volunteering in place of her younger sister was like she was defying the

regime, since the Capitol is trying its best to demonstrate to the people its superiority and that

they can take the children and their families cannot do anything. Once Katniss volunteers, the

people of District 12 quietly raise their three fingers in respect and solidarity. This is an

intense moment of quiet defiance, as it illustrates solidarity against the injustice of the

Capitol.

When the tributes were being brought to be trained and conditioned for the games,

while the Gamemakers were busy neglecting her presence, Katniss did her best to get their

attention when she shot an arrow directly where they were seated. This defiant act, in fact,
 35

where she took the attention from the Gamemakers. Katniss’s friendship with Rue, she cared

for her despite both of them knowing that to the Capitol, they are adversaries and that they

are completely not supposed to be on each other’s side since the rules of the games are

enforced. Furthermore, Rue’s death impacted Katniss’ mind, and her resentment towards the

Capitol increased.

Katniss’s behaviour, such as singing and keeping Rue’s corpse in good condition and

being affectionate and caring towards the other tributes, completely goes against the rules and

ethics of the games, which enraged the Capitol. While each of the tributes stood individually,

all the tributes did; Katniss and Peeta stood together like they could never be parted from

each other, holding hands. The holding hand stance was subsequently known as the which is

known as in the book, by this quote, “Just the perfect touch of rebellion” (Collins 79).

Katniss and Peeta’s biggest act of defiance, their refusal to allow the Capitol to

determine one winner by allowing them to commit mass suicide using the poisoned berries, is

a defiant act that no one dared to perform or even consider in the past Hunger Games, and

this was one of the most dangerous acts against the government. The Games are designed to

demonstrate the power of the Capitol, but by not playing according to its rules, Katniss

corners the Capitol, showing that it does not control everything.

Katniss is interviewed for their victory interview by the host, Caesar Flickerman. She

meets President Snow in this interview, which happens sometime after the games. Katherine

can sense the anger emanating from President Snow, even though he acts and smiles for the

cameras like he is pleased to meet them. It’s because Katniss has triggered a rebellious action

against the Capitol, against his reign. The only way she can escape her rebellious behaviour is

by still showing to be so in love with Peeta, although she does care for him; she is not quite

sure about her feelings for him, but she goes on anyway.
 36

The Hunger Games not only justifies but also strongly examines and deconstructs

Marxist principles using its plot. In presenting the apparatus of oppression and the resultant

resistance against them, the novel upholds Marxist critiques of capitalist structures of power.

In showing economic exploitation, ideological domination, and subtle revolution. Collins’s

novel is a dystopian echo of actual class struggles, insisting on the necessity of rebellion as

oppression peaks.
 37

Conclusion

Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games (2008) is a rich allegory for capitalist repression,

class conflict, and the machinery of domination deployed by the dominant class to exercise

control. By Marxist critique, the novel unearths the exploitative aspects of the Capitol’s

dominance and how economic inequality, ideological control, and compulsion underpin a

starkly unequal society.

The Capitol dominates the lower districts by controlling their resources, key incomes,

and means of production of goods. Through these methods, they try to suppress the rebellion

that might erupt, making the district people believe that they are left with no hope of

betterment in their lives, that they will be forever caught in this cycle of poverty.

This critique has employed a Marxist ideological perspective to analyse The Hunger

Games (2008). The characters, settings, and districts of Panem provides matter to discuss

various levels of oppression, with some of the districts being treated with leniency while

others were punished with extreme cruelty in the form of near starvation. The Capitol’s

favoured districts get to indulge in luxuries such as specialized training academies that yield

more victors at the annual Hunger Games competition than other starving districts.

Though they coexist in the same space and time, the proletariat continue to grapple

with class stratification and with their status that decides their social membership. Another

issue arises in the exploitation and exclusion of the lower class by the Marxist regime. It

completely rules the power hierarchy and excludes the poor masses from all its matters,

whether social, geographic, or political.

The conflict is increasing between people of the districts of Panem and the governing

class of the Capitol, also referred to as being immensely strong governors. An example that
 38

shows their dominance over the poor is that the twelve districts of Panem are supplying

things to the Capitol, and the latter has authority over all of the manufactured products.

The Capitol is the main reason for all these rebellious activities and revolutions that

evolve more in the upcoming books in the trilogy, but the subtle rebellious actions in the first

book are mainly because of the tension that was always present in the districts because of the

Capitol’s oppression for a long time. The book The Communist Manifesto states that “The

bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionizing the instruments of production,

and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of society.” [ Marx

and Engels 8].

Louis Althusser states, “What distinguishes the ISAs from the (Repressive) State

Apparatus is the following basic difference: the Repressive State Apparatus functions ‘by

violence,’ whereas the Ideological State Apparatuses function ‘by ideology’” (Althusser 80).

The Capitol utilizes Repressive State Apparatus (RSA) and Ideological State

Apparatus (ISA) to enforce its dominance, as postulated by Louis Althusser. The RSA is

manifested through the Peacekeepers, public executions, and the Games themselves, all of

which act as violent reminders of the Capitol’s authority. Any rebellion is suppressed

brutally, keeping the populace in line with fear.

The ISA, for its part, works through the media, propaganda, and education. The

Hunger Games are, in addition to being an instrument of punishment, a spectacle which

serves to keep the masses diverted and under Capitol control. With the conversion of violence

into an entertainment, Capitol makes sure the districts see their pain as part of inevitability

and not as an injustice that can be fought against.

One significant Marxist concept used in the novel is false consciousness, which states

that the oppressed are deceived into believing they will accept their subordination. The
 39

districts, being conditioned for years by propaganda, mostly feel that uprising is out of the

question. The games reinforce this false consciousness by convincing oppression to become a

part of life.

The Capitol’s dominance of the media guarantees that the districts will be kept

fragmented, unrecognizing their shared struggle. Rather than against their oppressors, they

must fight against one another in the arena. Thus, The Hunger Games serve as a potent

ideological force, persuading the districts that their only avenue to a life of improvement is

through individual survival, not resistance.

The government's tyrannical and savage rule against the districts, by treating the

people of the districts as mere commodities and their victimized state, leads to the rebellion.

In addition, this oppressed group needed a change in society after understanding that the

extreme social inequality caused by the government could only be destroyed through action.

Another explanation is the violent level of oppression carried out against the oppressed

people, forcing them towards what is referred to as pressure generates explosion.

Katniss, a member of the downtrodden, is the central character of the book as much as

she is the revolution. She had high ambitions in becoming free from tyranny and was able to

cut through to undermine the strong. Despite the Capitol’s complete authority, she was able

to do many things that undermined the regime by yearning for equality, freedom, and lack of

classes.

Although The Hunger Games (2008) has been extensively studied through a range of

theoretical lenses, the following research gaps exist when using alternative literary and social

theories. These gaps present the potential to explore fresh insights into power, identity, and

resistance in the novel.

 40

A major gap is the use of postcolonial theory, which has been neglected in debates

regarding The Hunger Games. Many scholars have situated the Capitol's oppression as a class

struggle, there are fewer works that approach it as an exercise in colonial exploitation and

erasure of culture. A postcolonial reading would consider how Panem's districts are operating

like colonies under oppression.

A second, less-approached theoretical approach to the study of the book is eco-

criticism, though The Hunger Games depicts a dystopian society constrained by scarcity and

environmental degradation, analysing the novel through the lens of eco-critical theory might

help reveal how oppression and environmental exploitation, as well as climate catastrophe,

reinforce socioeconomic inequality, and environmental injustices.

Feminist theory, when it is applied to the novel The Hunger Games, there remains a

gap in analysing and examining the novel’s portrayal of intersectional feminism. Katniss

Everdeen, keeps challenging the gender roles and norms that can only be done by women

who can’t hunt. All these gender roles and barriers are broken by Katniss's unintentional

feminist approach, the analysis will have questions like whether the novel really challenges

the patriarchal norms or reinforces them through its portrayal of relationships and power

structures.

Another hopeful theoretical frame is Psychoanalytic Theory, specifically when

analysing trauma, repression, and survival mechanisms. Freudian or Jungian analysis might

trace the ways Katniss behaves from unconscious desires and repressed wounds and how her

own identity shifts between a victim and the icon of uprising.

By exploring all these alternative theories that can be analysed and filled as a research

gap for the novel. This will enhance and diversify our understanding and knowledge towards

The Hunger Games novel. By applying theories like postcolonialism, eco-criticism,

 41

intersectional feminism, psychoanalysis, researchers can reveal new meanings and

perspectives that make it a classified debatable content of a novel that explores more in the

topics about power, oppression, and resistance.

There are a lot of pictures of the lower-class exploitation in this novel, and that's why

the analysis needs to be done using Marxism. The entire novel is evidence of how the lower

socioeconomic class was being exploited due to their position in society. But one should

analyse deeper into every character in the novel, particularly the female lead, Katniss. With a

feminist literary critique, one can observe how Katniss is treated and perceived throughout

the novel, particularly during her performance in the Games. She could have been regarded as

an underdog because of her gender. Her skills were belittled from the start, and her chances

were believed to be minimal.

In The Hunger Games, individuals in the districts labour to supply the Capitol with all

sorts of commodities. They do not own what they produce, which Marxism refers to as this

class of society as the proletariat. On the other hand, there is the Capitol, or rather the

bourgeoisie ruling the districts by means of economic decisions and the production of

commodities. The Capitol maintains the districts divided and suppresses them so that they do

not rebel. The paper has demonstrated that the book is critical of the Marxist elements and the

system of power capitalism enables and extends the interest in examining a society in a

critical manner.
 42

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