Interpretation and Representation of Violence and Power in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games

Every culture will find ways of managing its own relation to violence. In today’s world, we can look to both the big and small screen, newscasts, and modern literature to examine the different ways our culture has established norms to manage its own relation to violence. Suzanne Collins’ young adult novel The Hunger Games is notable in this regard. The story of violence and hardship that its young female character faces has attracted a massive fan base and multi-movie franchise. Collins explores violence across three distinct levels: the violence that the protagonist faces and takes part in, the representation of violence within the world of the Games, and the reader’s response in the real world to the violence represented in the novel. This thesis will investigate the limitations and justifications of violence in this novel and will consider likewise how the audience views this almost ceremonial role for culturally managing violence – something especially curious in the context of a novel written for twelve to seventeen year olds. Research questions will include why people are attracted to violence of this sort and in what ways, how violence and death find a place as ceremonial roles, how violence might have an impact on young readers, and how death works as taboo even in a novel where death and violence constitute a central theme.No embargoAcademic Major: Englis