Comparison Between 'The Hunger Games And 1984'

Kristen Smith
ENC 1102
19 September 2013
Mini-Essay 1
The Thin Line Between Hope and Hopelessness
Suzanne Collins ' novel, The Hunger Games and George Orwell 's 1984 both illustrate the theme that hope can remain alive even amid the most hopeless of circumstances. The main characters of these stories, Hunger Games ' Katniss Everdeen and 1984 's Winston Smith live in similar totalitarian societies where every move they make or thought they have is controlled by an all-powerful government. Although they are very different types of people, they have in common a streak of rebelliousness toward the societies they live in. Both harbor hopes of rising up against it in some way. While Katniss ' hopes center around her desire to provide a better life for her family, Winston has dreams of being able to revolt against his oppressors and lead a life of freedom. Given the worlds they live in, it is remarkable that either of them is able to achieve even a glimmer of hope, much less sustain it.
For both of these characters, appearances are crucial to maintaining the illusion that they are the obedient citizens their respective societies demand.
In The Hunger Games, Katniss is always careful to never show signs of weakness because she is the main caretaker for her family. She is conscious of the fact that she must never surrender to her fears, as this could bring more hardship on her family. This serves her well in the games, where any show of vulnerability could get her killed. The interesting thing about her keeping up this appearance of strength is that it seems to fuel her natural instincts and actually helps to make her tougher. The tougher the obstacles that she faces, the more hopeful and purposeful she becomes. This aura of hopefulness is obviously sensed by others around her, as when the character of Cinna says to her, "I want the audience to recognize you when you 're in the arena." "Katniss, the girl who was on fire" (Hunger
Games).
Appearances are of utmost importance in the novel, 1984. The main character, Winston Smith, knows that the slightest hint of a scowl or grimace on your face will lead to severe punishment for "face crime" in the world of Big Brother. Winston 's neutral, blank look belies the rebellious thoughts and hopes that he knows he must keep hidden at all costs. Despite living in a society where his every move and thought are monitored, Winston maintains hope that he can find his true identity and keep his sparse memories of a world before "Big Brother". Although he secretly breaks the laws of his government, he is constantly paranoid that he will be found out and his worst fears of physical pain will be realized. Winston 's hopes are fanned even further when he meets and finds love with Julia, a woman from his office. Although they have in common hatred for the Party, they are quite different. Winston is restless, quite fatalistic and just more concerned with the bigger spectrum of it all. Julia on the other hand, tends to live her life in the moment and make the best of it. Her main concern is rebelling to fulfill her own personal pleasures and avoiding getting caught.
“She did not understand that there was no such thing as happiness, that the only victory lay in the far future, long after you were dead, that from the moment of declaring war on the Party it was better to think of yourself as a corpse.” (Orwell 135). This quote is essential to the novel because Winston and Julia come to the realization that not only would overturning the party come at a high cost, but it would be not be anytime in the near future.
In the beginning when Katniss is doing everything in her power to try and feed her family and her hope seems to be lost a small act of kindness sparked some hope back in her and turned into a blaze “girl on fire.” “The boy took one look back to the bakery as if checking that the coast was clear, then, his attention back on the pig, he threw a loaf of bread in my direction. The second quickly followed, and he sloshed back to the bakery, closing the kitchen door tightly behind him.” (Collins 31). This is Katniss’ and Peetas’ first encounter. He saved her and her family’s life by giving them their first meal in a long time and this is when she realized if she wanted her and her family to eat she would have to hunt for it. Katniss volunteering for the Hunger Games is for her own personal freedom, to protect her family and make sure they never starve again. She fights until the end to defeat her opponents because for her there is no greater achievement than freedom. Winston’s main attributes are his rebelliousness and his fatalism. He wants more than anything to be free to express himself, have a relationship and to enjoy life. His rebelliousness is a result of him trying to gain his personal freedom. “War is Peace,
Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.” (Orwell 6). These words are the official slogans of the Party. By “Freedom is Slavery” Orwell means the man who is independent is doomed to fail against the Party. Although Winston is hopeful of gaining freedom in the beginning, through every circumstance he endures he becomes weaker and surrenders. The Party is too powerful for him to overturn and he gradually just unfolds. In a hopeless situation the main characters of these novels find little ways of having hope in their life to keep them going and surviving. The difference between the two is that Katniss draws strength from her circumstances, where Winston just crumbles when the tough gets going. Katniss gains hope through each obstacle she’s faced with, Winston doesn’t have her strength; he just succumbs to his enemy.

Works Cited
Hunger Games. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Lenny Kravitz. 2011. DVD. Lionsgate Entertainment, Color Force, 2012.
Orwell, George. 1984. London: Secker & Warburg, 1949. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.
Orwell, George. 1984. London: Secker & Warburg, 1949. Print.