Analysis Of 'The Hunger Games' By Suzanne Collins

Every great author has a source of inspiration. Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, was heavily inspired by ancient Greek and Roman culture. Her characters, setting, and even parts of her storyline all have similar aspects to the Greek and Romans. Roman history and Greek stories helped shaped The Hunger Games into what it is today. Suzanne was heavily inspired by the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur as well as the famous Roman Gladiator Games. Elements from both can be seen throughout the story. In an interview with School Library Journal, Suzanne says she was "lying in bed, and I was channel surfing between reality TV programs and actual war coverage. On one channel, there's a group of young people competing for I don't
The main protagonist of the story, Katniss Everdeen, displays many similarities to the Greek hero Theseus. For instance, in a web article posted by Wall Street Journal, it states, "Katniss, played by Ms. Lawrence, is "an updated Theseus," according to the books' author, Suzanne Collins. In Greek myth, Theseus and other young people from Athens were sent as a tribute—human sacrificial offerings—to King Minos in Crete. The king turned them over to the Minotaur, a murderous beast who was half-man and half-bull and lived in a maze or labyrinth. The intrepid Theseus killed the Minotaur and saved his countrymen." (Strauss, 2014). In the same fashion, Katniss volunteers for the games and wins saving her sister in the process. And while she doesn't save an entire country, the idea is still similar. Additionally, one could say that King Minos and the Capitol are similar. Both are the reason for the protagonist's suffering, and both initiate and compel the anguish and trials of the stories. In the same fashion, Wall Street Journal also states, "The people of the Capitol radiate a baroque and overripe luxuriousness, like the lords and ladies of imperial Rome, while the provincials are poor and virtuous." (Strauss, 2014). Many of The Hunger Games' characters are inspired by Greek and Roman Cultures. Suzanne used these cultures to create her setting and other elements of the
The Hunger Games takes place in a society that is strictly controlled by its government leaders, much like Imperial Rome. "Romans regularly organized fights to the death between hundreds of gladiators, the mass execution of unarmed criminals, and the indiscriminate slaughter of domestic and wild animals." (Hopkins,1983). Romans were often brutal and held battles for their own entertainment. Likewise, the Capitol is similar to Imperial Rome, both are large cities that function similarly with brutality and the killing of innocents for entertainment Like the Capitol, Roman leaders often used the gladiatorial games as political opportunities. An article by The Wall Street Journal explains another way Suzanne tied in Roman history to her story. "In "The Hunger Games," the people are kept in line by hunger and entertainment. The privileged folks in the Capitol get both "bread and circuses"—the phrase comes from the Roman satirist Juvenal. The Latin is "Panem et circenses," and Panem is the name that Ms. Collins purposefully gives the country where her story is set." (Strauss, 2014). Not only did the Capitol use hunger and entertainment to manipulate the people of the other districts, they also used the Hunger Games to control the citizens of Panem. The Hunger Games themselves are also similar to Rome's gladiatorial games, as well as the sacrifices that were selected in Theseus and the Minotaur. King