Dignity In The Hunger Games, By Suzanne Collins

Hunger Games theme

What would we do if we were chosen at random to fight for our life? Would we just let it happen? Would we fight back and try our best to keep out dignity? Or would we do whatever it takes just to stay alive, even if it means losing site of who we really are? These are all decisions that Peeta and Katniss, two kids from a city called Panem had to make all by themselves.
The novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has many themes, but the most important overall, is the importance of keeping dignity and humanity while fighting for our life. In the Hunger Games, a sixteen year old girl named Katniss and a sixteen year old boy named Peeta are chosen to go into the Hunger Games, where they will fight for their lives. During past years, competitors in the Hunger Games would do a number of unspeakable things in order to survive. Peeta however is the complete opposite. He wants to die with dignity.
First off, in the novel The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, many things go wrong in Panem, the society that the main characters Katniss and Peeta live in.
For example, their society is filled with many things such as war, starvation, poverty, and violence. Peeta and Katnis have been taught since they were little that no matter what you are doing you have to keep your dignity while doing it. Even if it is fighting to the death. The way that both Peeta and Katniss have grown up comes in really handy during the Hunger Games. It makes it extremely easier for them to keep their dignity during the games. However, many competitors will do anything in order to survive, wouldn’t
you?
Peeta however, is very different; he believes that if he is going to die, he should at least go with his dignity. This means that while everyone else loses their minds, he will still think straight and won’t do anything outrageous in order to survive. For example, a girl from district 9 said “here’s some advice, just stay alive” (127). This quote shows that she believes the only thing that matters is staying alive. She will risk anything to live, even her humanity and dignity. Peeta however, would basically rather die with his dignity than live knowing he completely lost his dignity and humanity during the Hunger Games. To Peeta, his dignity is just as important as his own life.
The competitors in the Hunger Games family and friends are also loosing spite of their humanity and dignity even though it may not seem like it to them. The family members show their loss of dignity when all of them just sit back and watch as their loved ones battle for their lives. It is just one big game to them. Celebrations are thrown if their loved one kills another person’s loved one. They don’t even comfort the other family at all. Everyone just parties while one family is having one of the worst possible days of their lives. Watching as somebody’s child is being killed isn’t right. Imagine if our society was like this. We wouldn’t just sit back and watch as our family and friends die before our eyes, would we?
The novel The Hunger Games is similar to the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding in a few ways. The most important however is the characters loss of humanity and dignity, which occurs in both novels. In Lord of the Flies, the large groups of boys that are stranded on the island lose sight of what is really important to them. They get caught up in trying to stay alive and doing whatever it takes to stay alive. Jack, from Lord of the Flies, ran around chanting “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” (69). This quote shows us that the boys are starting to lose their dignity. This is exactly what happens in Suzanne Collins, Hunger Games. All of the competitors chosen to compete in the annual Hunger Games get caught up in killing people to stay alive that they forget who they really are inside. Ralph, the boy from the novel Lord of the Flies is very similar to Peeta, the boy from the novel Hunger Games in many ways. For example, both Ralph and Peeta are one of the only people to keep their humanity and dignity while they are stranded on an island or in this case fighting to the death in a huge arena.
All of the boys in the novel Lord of the Flies lose their dignity and humanity except for Ralph and piggy who stay sane. This is very similar to the Hunger Games. Everyone in districts one through eleven go crazy and forget who they are except for two people. Only Peeta and katniss who are from District 12 keep their dignity while struggling to stay alive. Peeta says “at least let me die with my dignity” (167). This quote shows us that Peeta won’t lose his humanity and dignity no matter what.
In conclusion, the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins shows us how society could end up if we lose sight of our dignity. She shows us that just because something bad could happen doesn’t mean that we have to forget what really matters to us, or even forget who we truly are behind all of the violent, or just plain old fake acts that we would have to put on just to live through the Hunger Games. She shows us through the eyes of Peeta that even when something gets tough, we just have to work through it and keep our head held high.