Rousseau's Discourse On The Origin Of Inequality

In Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Rousseau critiques Hobbes’ natural man in Leviathan. Rousseau states that Hobbes does not go far back enough to fully talk about a man in the state of nature. Rousseau disagrees with Hobbes’ definition of a natural man, saying Hobbes took a man, who has already been shaped by society and put him into a state of nature, and Hobbes fails to understand the effect of pity and that government only increases the problems of man. Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games series appears to agree with Hobbes’ definition of the state of nature but in the end follows the evaluation Rousseau has of Hobbes.
In Hobbes’ Leviathan, Hobbes states that the right of nature “is the liberty each man hath to use his own power
as he will himself for the preservation of his own nature”(I.XIV.1), in other words, one has the right to do what he or she must to protect oneself to survive. Hobbes also states that the law of nature is when “a man is forbidden to do that which is destructive of his life, or taketh away the means of preserving the same, and to omit that by which he thinketh it may be best preserved” (I.XIV.3). According to Hobbes, “Nature hath made men so equal in the faculties of body and mind” (I.XIII.1), or put another way, all men are equal all in death and arrogance. Due to this vulnerability and vanity, man must pursue power, defined as “his present means to obtain a future apparent good”(I.X.1). Unfortunately, if two men want the same thing “which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and in the way to their end ... endeavor to destroy or subdue one another” (I.XIII.3). This leads to conflict because “there is no way for any man to secure himself so reasonable as [by] anticipation” (I.XIII.4). In other words, there is never enough power to erase man’s vulnerability. Moreover, man cannot work together to persevere his life because “where there is no coercive power erected, that is, where there is no commonwealth, there is no propriety, all men having right to all things” (I.XV.3). Without a coercive power, there can be no trust between men. In Hobbes’ state of nature the equality of vulnerability and vanity along with the lack of trust leads to the want of power to protect oneself from the fear of death. In the state of nature, one will to do anything to stay alive.
At the beginning everyone is equal distance from the Cornucopia where all the supplies and weapons are, and “From this equality of ability ariseth equality of hope in the attaining of our ends”(I.XIII.3). Although Haymitch had told both Katniss and Peeta to “get the hell out of there”(HG138) when the gong sounds, Katniss is not so sure if that is the best option for her(HG149).She knows that she could protect herself with the bow and arrow she saw in the Cornucopia but cannot decide if it is worth it to go in (HG149).Katniss knows that she would not be able to win hand to hand combat so for her running towards the Cornucopia to grab the backpack to at least have something to help her through the Games, but not go all the way to the Cornucopia was the right move. While others, did run in the complete opposite direction of the Cornucopia, because they knew that decision was best for them (HG151). In the arena all the tributes are dressed the same in “simple tawny pants, light green blouse, sturdy brown belt, and thin hooded black jacket” (HG 145), the tributes are not allowed to bring anything with them into the arena besides a token from their district. This keeps them equal and keeps them enemies because then everyone in the arena is fighting for the items in the
Cornucopia.
During the games everyone wants to survive and what is needed to survive is power, defined as the “present means to obtain some future apparent good”(I.X.1).To stay alive all the tributes use their abilities to try and stay ahead of the others. When the scores of the tributes were announced the eleven gave Katniss an upper hand because “Reputation of power is power, because it draweth with it the adherence of those that need protection”(I.X.5). The fact that everyone knows Katniss received a great score gives her power and with this power fear from other tributes and curiosity from sponsors to help her stay alive. When the Careers take the food and weapons from the Cornucopia and build a mine around it they do this not only to survive but to keep power (HG 215), as Hobbes says “there is no way for any man to secure himself, so reasonable, as anticipation; that is, by force, or wiles, to master the persons of all men he can… till he see no other power great enough to endanger him”(I.XIII.4). With the careers taking all the food they are keeping it from the other tributes and thus keeping the power. The more powerful one feels the less one worries of what others can do to him, because with that power one feels that others have less of a chance to hurt him.
Katniss has found that most people “use words metaphorically … and thereby deceive others”(I.IV.4), so she tends to not believe a lot of what others say. Before the Games Peeta says he is in love with Katniss, but Katniss took this as a lie to hurt her, when in reality he was trying to help her (HG135). Katniss herself lies to everyone in the Games when she tells Peeta she is in love with him. She knows that playing the star crossed lovers of District 12 is helping her and Peeta stay alive, but she believes they are both lying to the capitol.At this point Katniss is with Hobbes, registering her “thoughts wrong by the inconstancy of the signification of [her] words”(I.IV.4), agreeing to do anything to stay alive. Because there is not an enforcer to make everyone tell the truth no one finds the need to. At the end when two tributes from the same District can make it to the end of the Games, they would both be able to go home. Katniss screams for Peeta excited about this (HG244). Throughout the rest of the book Peeta and Katniss take care of each other, knowing that they can trust each other because they can both survive. When Katniss and Peeta are the only ones left they are both overjoyed to be alive and know they are both going home, until they hear Claudius Templesmith (HG342). Once the change is announced Katniss sees Peeta move and “before [she is] even aware of [her] actions, [her] bow is laded and the arrow [is] pointed straight at his heart”(HG343). When there is a governing power Katniss was able to work with Peeta and not think about his every move and what he could do to hurt her, once the governing power left and Katniss was on her own, just as Hobbes says you should do everything to stay alive Katniss went straight for her bow because she could not know Peeta’s next actions.
TRANSITION
Rousseau disagrees with Hobbes’ definition of state of nature, claiming Hobbes put a man that has been changed by society into a state of nature.
This man “speak[s] continually of need, avarice, oppression, desires, and pride” ideas Rousseau argues “they acquire in society” (Rousseau 17). Because that man is not a savage, “Hobbes failed to notice… [man’s] innate repugnance to seeing his fellow man suffer,” a concept Rousseau refers to as pity (Rousseau 36). It is this natural pity that keeps people from hurting others for no reason. And since Hobbes does not see natural pity he does not understand that “as long as he does not resist the inner impulse of compassion, he will never harm another man … except … if his preservation were involved, he is obliged to give preference to himself” (Rousseau 14). But with natural pity the amount of vanity has for one’s self is lessened for “pity is what, in the state of nature, takes place of laws, mores, and virtue, with the advantage that no one is tempted to disobey its sweet voice” (Rousseau 38). Unfortunately, as savages learned to communicate with others and began to join and live with and see others everyday, “each one began to look at the others and to want to be looked at himself, and public esteem had a value” and once “the idea of esteem was formed in their minds, each one claimed to have a right to it and was no longer possible for anyone to be lacking it with impunity” (Rousseau 49). “Hence each man punished the contempt
shown in manner proportionate to the esteem in which he held himself; acts of revenge became terrible, and men became bloodthirsty and cruel” (Rousseau 49-50). Because one started to judge oneself against others and wanted to prove himself better pity lessened and cruelty developed. Because Hobbes did not go far back enough and understand natural pity he did not also see how civil society has killed natural pity.
In Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Rousseau explains that by Hobbes taking a civilized man and putting him into a natural state he did not go back far enough because a civilized man does not act like a savage. The Hunger Games themselves are a perfect example of this. While the arena may be a natural state the tributes have been changed by society. “From the cultivations of land, there necessarily followed the division of land; and property once recognized, the first rules of justice” (Rousseau 52), because a civilized man recognizes that land can be controlled and possessed the Careers took over the cornucopia and all the belongings, not just taking what they needed but everything they wanted (HG214). And since it was known that the Careers had taken it over and claiming it as theirs, others stayed away know they could not over throw the Careers, so saving themselves the trouble of fighting for the land. When Katniss first enters the arena and sees the bow and arrow at the Cornucopia, “That’s mine, [she] think[s]. It’s meant for me (HG 149) and again when she sees Glimmer with the bow and arrow, she thinks “ My bow! My arrow! Just the sight of them makes me so angry I want to scream at myself …” (HG 182). These two examples show Katniss’ avarice, desires, and pride which one does not have unless they lived in a civil society (Rousseau 17). This shows that someone from civil society cannot act as a savage and thus Hobbes does not go far back enough by using the state of mind of someone from a civil society.
While Katniss is in the Hunger Games she becomes less self-centered and learns to care for others around her. When Rue dies Katniss starts to think more about the other tributes. She decided that Rues death was a murder not only by the boy who killed her but by the Capital, “I want to do something right here, right now to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is a part of every tribute they can’t own” (HG 236). This is the beginning of Katniss fighting back against the Capital while it might not have started the war it was the start of Katniss realizing that the Capital was at fault and something needed to be done and how should could help start it by making the Capital feel guilt/pity. The government is damaging to people, because of government “ came the national wars, battles, murders, and reprisals that make nature tremble and offend reason, and all those horrible prejudices that rank the honor of shedding human blood among the virtues” (Rousseau 57). For the 75th Hunger Games Katniss decided to not focus on her own life but on Peeta’s, begging Haymitch to keep Peeta alive (CF 178). When at the end of Catching Fire Katniss is rescued and not Peeta all Katniss can do is worry about Peeta (CF 386). Throughout the Games Katniss learned to care more for others than herself. Rue showed her how the Capital is hurting everyone and made her realize that it must stop and Peeta showed Katniss that there are people who care and others are going through the same thing and so she not only wants Peeta to survive, but also on occasions puts him before herself.
During her time in District thirteen Katniss takes pity on others around her. When Katniss first finds her prep team (MJ 47) she takes pity on them for they were tortured and treated like animals. They might have as Gale said, “spent the last year pettying [Katniss] up for slaughter” (MJ 53), but Katniss does not see it that way. Katniss knows that what Gale said was true, but the people in the Capital don't see it that way, they do not know any better and so Katniss feels for her prep team and thinks no one should have to go through that. While in District two, Katniss has a hard time agreeing to the plans to attack the Nut (MJ 204). While some want to blow the whole Nut up Katniss can’t help but think about all those people who are in there “You don't know how thos District two people ended up in the Nut … They may have been coerced. They may be held against their will. Some are our own spies” (MJ 205). Katniss takes pity and does not want those who do not have to die to die, “men would never have been anything but monsters, if nature had not given them pity” (Rousseau 37). She cares more about others and with this is more Rousseauian than Hobbesian, because of her pity.