Symbolism in The Hunger Games In many works of literature, there are certain people, places, and objects that represent a certain concept or anything that’s abstract. For example, a bird can symbolize something such as freedom. In the movie, The Hunger Games, there are many instances of symbolism. Three examples of symbols that are shown in The Hunger Games include the thirteen districts, Katniss’ dresses, and the mockingjay. The first example of symbolism in The Hunger Games is the fact that Panem consists of thirteen districts. The country of Panem is located in what was once North America, and these districts symbolize the thirteen colonies that were created when people began to come to America from Great Britain and the struggles they endured. Just as in early history, the thirteen districts are ruled by a harsh and distant power. The Capitol, as the British monarchy did, placed sanctions, punishments, and unfair restrictions on the people of Panem. These strict rules fuel the rebellion that occurs later on within the districts. The next instance of symbolism occurs in Katniss’ dresses that her designer, Cinna, makes for her. The first dress that Cinna designs represents District 12, the coal-mining district. He has the dress light up in synthetic flames giving Katniss the name, “the girl on fire.” As the series progresses, the flames start to not only represent her image but also her spirit. Throughout The Hunger Games series, it is evident that Katniss has an inner fire and desire. For example, after Katniss received high scores in training, Haymitch comments that the judges must have liked her temper and the fire and determination she has inside of her. Katniss realizes that her fight is with the Capitol and channels her inner fire towards them. Cinna’s dresses are very outward representations of the fire within Katniss. The last example of symbolism is the mockingjay. Although the bird is seemingly small, it represents something monumental: defiance to the Capitol. The mockingjay was a Capitol experiment gone wrong. It was supposed to be used to spy on the people of Panem, but they found out and started to fed the birds false information. Now, they just repeat songs and melodies. Katniss refers to mockingjays as “something of a slap in the face to the Capitol” (Collins 42). She says this comment because the Capitol failed at attempting to control every living thing in Panem. The defiance the mockingjay embodies evolves after Rue’s death. Because Rue and Katniss used the mockingjays to communicate, she always thinks of Rue’s death at the sight of a mockingjay. This memory stirs up Katniss’ hatred for the Capitol and her need to rebel against it for Rue, her family, and eventually, all of the people of Panem. Symbols are extremely important in literature and they are always found in the most unexpected things. The Hunger Games has many symbols throughout the story. A few of them are the thirteen districts, Katniss’ dresses throughout the series, and the mockingjay. These three things are constant symbols in the books and the movies because they help define Katniss as a person.
Work Cited
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print.