Theseus and the Minotaur and the Hunger Games

Throughout countless novels society remains a common theme. Societal structure greatly reflects upon the composure of the plot, as well as the characters. In the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Collins creates an alternate society which is completely controlled by their government, the Capitol. The Hunger Games is reminiscent of the Greek myth, Theseus and the Minotaur. They both share the idea of a society supervised thoroughly by the government, and the idea of a method of rebelling against higher powers. Collins uses the literary device of allusion to reference her literary work of The Hunger Games to characters and themes found in Theseus and the Minotaur. The Hunger Games and Theseus and the Minotaur both express the themes of sacrifice, oppression, government control, and survival through characterization and allegory. The characters of Katniss Everdeen and Prince Theseus of Athens both illustrate what it takes to sacrifice one’s self for others. They both have incredible incentives towards their decision of “volunteering as tribute,” yet they have different motives regarding who or what they made their choices for. From the beginning of The Hunger Games, it’s clear Katniss has a true connection to her younger sister, Prim, and genuinely cares for her. “How could I leave Prim, who is the only person in the world I’m certain I love?” (Collins, 10) Katniss implies that in all matters, she’ll always be there for Prim, who is eventually her motivation for volunteering as tribute for her. In Theseus and the Minotaur, Theseus volunteers to end King Minos’s viscous and never ending cycle of tributes sent to fight the minotaur, but are defeated and killed. What Katniss and Theseus have in the common is that they’re both volunteering so others don’t have to suffer. Katniss is sacrificing herself for her family, and Theseus for his country’s bravery. They both have strong motives and something they believe in which is what it takes for someone to