Hunger Games Symbols
In this article we will take a look at a number of symbols used in the book The Hunger Games and discuss their meanings.
The Hunger Games, like many good fiction stories that came before it, has something to say about our present day and age.
The Mockingjay: The mockingjay is a prominent and powerful symbol used in the book.
Each contestant in the game is allowed to take something that is a reminder of their district.
Katniss chooses to carry the mockingjay pin.
The mockingjay is a real bird in the book, and is a species that resulted from the interbreeding of jabberjays and mockingbirds.
Jabberjays were created by the Capitol by genetic engineering.
A jabberjay was a bird that had the purpose of spying on the rebellion and reporting back to the Capitol.
Once the rebels figured this out, they began to give the jabberjays false information and so the jabberjays became useless to the Capitol.
The jabberjay was also a way for the Capitol to prove that they could literally control every living thing under their dominion.
The mockingjay therefore becomes a symbol of something that the Capitol creates that escapes their control and ultimately becomes a free entity.
Panem: Panem is the name of the place that was once North America.
It has thirteen districts under the dominion of the Capitol.
This symbolism sets up an expectation of a revolution since America began as thirteen colonies ruled despotically by a ruler off in the distance; England.
The Tracker Jacker: Again, this is a genetically engineered creature, created by the Capitol.
This again demonstrates the power and will to control all living creatures and bend them to their purposes and will.
Reality T.
V.
: That the games are broadcast and cast as a sort of reality program brings up a number of other ideas.
Studies have shown that the average person is much more likely to cause suffering to another, when told to do so, if they can somehow keep an impersonal barrier up, such as if the victim is wearing a hood.
Even though it is called 'reality television,' the fact that people are in the media makes them less real to the viewers and so they don't mind seeing them suffer, unlike if they were personally involved with the people.
During the Viet Nam War, the news broadcast daily statistics about casualties but viewers just became numb to the fact that real people were dying because they were just numbers.
Dandelions: These flowers symbolize hope in the story because Katniss saw them right after Peeta showed compassion by giving her food one day.
The Hunger Games, like many good fiction stories that came before it, has something to say about our present day and age.
The Mockingjay: The mockingjay is a prominent and powerful symbol used in the book.
Each contestant in the game is allowed to take something that is a reminder of their district.
Katniss chooses to carry the mockingjay pin.
The mockingjay is a real bird in the book, and is a species that resulted from the interbreeding of jabberjays and mockingbirds.
Jabberjays were created by the Capitol by genetic engineering.
A jabberjay was a bird that had the purpose of spying on the rebellion and reporting back to the Capitol.
Once the rebels figured this out, they began to give the jabberjays false information and so the jabberjays became useless to the Capitol.
The jabberjay was also a way for the Capitol to prove that they could literally control every living thing under their dominion.
The mockingjay therefore becomes a symbol of something that the Capitol creates that escapes their control and ultimately becomes a free entity.
Panem: Panem is the name of the place that was once North America.
It has thirteen districts under the dominion of the Capitol.
This symbolism sets up an expectation of a revolution since America began as thirteen colonies ruled despotically by a ruler off in the distance; England.
The Tracker Jacker: Again, this is a genetically engineered creature, created by the Capitol.
This again demonstrates the power and will to control all living creatures and bend them to their purposes and will.
Reality T.
V.
: That the games are broadcast and cast as a sort of reality program brings up a number of other ideas.
Studies have shown that the average person is much more likely to cause suffering to another, when told to do so, if they can somehow keep an impersonal barrier up, such as if the victim is wearing a hood.
Even though it is called 'reality television,' the fact that people are in the media makes them less real to the viewers and so they don't mind seeing them suffer, unlike if they were personally involved with the people.
During the Viet Nam War, the news broadcast daily statistics about casualties but viewers just became numb to the fact that real people were dying because they were just numbers.
Dandelions: These flowers symbolize hope in the story because Katniss saw them right after Peeta showed compassion by giving her food one day.
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