Bread and Circuses
The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins are dystopian YA novels
set in a post-nuclear North America. Part of the land has been submerged by
rising sea levels and what is left is called Panem. There is a large
metropolis, the Capitol, and thirteen districts. Each district has a specific
industry to supply the Capitol with resources.
The society is very much modelled on Ancient Rome and was a totalitarian dictatorship. This means that the citizens are expected to be completely subservient to the state and the government has complete control over their lives. I thought this topic would be especially relevant now, because the new book Sunrise on the Reaping came out recently, and for no other reason. Of course. Ahem.
There is massive inequality within Panem, where people in
the poorest districts are left to starve to death and struggle to survive while
the Capitol indulge in gourmet foods and ostentatious fashions. Eventually
civil war broke out, spearheaded by District 13, who were the main military
industrial complex at the time.
The conflict lasted three years before it was ended when the
Capitol bombed 13. A secret peace agreement with 13 was made, due to the
district acquiring some of the Capitol’s nuclear arsenal, and they disappeared,
pretending they didn’t exist and were allowed to remain independent.
The remaining 12 districts were subdued by the Treaty of
Treason. The names of these things are very deliberate. This treaty established
the Hunger Games, an annual event to remind the citizens of their failed
rebellion and continually punish the Districts for their insurrection.
“Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.” – Chapter 1 of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
The above quote is Katniss’ interpretation of the history
explained at every Reaping, when the children are chosen for the Hunger Games.
Aggressive law enforcement with executions and public floggings were common
place. Civil rights were restricted and travel or communication between the
districts was banned.
Panem et Circenses
This literally means ‘bread and circuses’ in Latin and is where the name came from. The phrase means using entertainment and food to
distract people from other, more important matters or to cover up what the
government is really doing.
Each of the twelve districts had to send one boy and one
girl aged 12-18 to go into an arena and fight to the death. The Games only end
when there is a single survivor, the Victor. The Victor would be showered with
money, food, a luxury house and gifts, and their district would get extra food
for a year.
The Bread
This does literally mean food in this case. The Reaping was
a lottery where each eligible child’s name would be placed on a slip of paper
and one chosen at random by hand. Each child’s name went in once for every year
they are eligible – so at 12 it would be once, 13 it would be twice, 14 it
would be three times and so on. So they’re more likely to be picked as they get
older.
Given the poverty that is so prevalent in the districts,
especially the ones further away from the Capitol like 11 and 12, it was
possible to claim extra food. Children could claim ‘tesserae’ for each member
of their family: a years supply of grain and oil. Each tesserae claimed would
add their name into the Reaping pool again.
These extra entries are cumulative over the years until the
child is reaped and either dies or becomes a victor, or until they reach 18 and
are no longer eligible for the games. So by the 74th Games, Katniss
has her name in there 20 times, while Gale, who has more siblings, has his name
in there 42 times!
So it means that kids are putting themselves at greater risk
just for the sake of keeping their families safe and fed for the year. So the
poorest families have the higher chances of losing a child to the games since
the odds are not in their favour. It is preying on their desperation because
the slim hope that their child might win, thus netting them the benefits of
being a Victor, is enough to be worth the risk.
I hope we all understand how horrific this is. For people who’ve
seen the movies but not read the books, this isn’t well explained. Eligible
children can volunteer in someone else's place but this is rare outside the ‘career
districts.’ Districts 1, 2 and 4 are more affluent and shown preferential
treatment by the Capitol and see participation in the games as an honour. While
training for the Games isn’t technically allowed, these districts do it and are
allowed to do it, so they do tend to produce more Victors than the poorer
districts like 11 and 12. Of course being better fed and generally healthier would
also aid their survivability.
The Circus
The Hunger Games is a huge national event with a lot of pomp
and circumstance. The Tributes are fed well on the train, with rich and fancy
foods they aren’t used to. Katniss finds her stomach unsettled because of the
rich food.
They go through intense cosmetic preparation and are dressed
up in extravagant costumes and outfits for the Tribute parade. They even use
horse-drawn chariots to show them off and help attract sponsors. Highlighting
the connection with Ancient Rome.
The tributes get three days of training before an individual
assessment by the game makers to be rated for their skills. This impacts
sponsorship too, as well as the odds offered on each tribute’s chances of
winning. Because of course the Capitol residents can bet on the outcome of the
games. It’s only money, right?
So the tributes get a taste of the luxurious and extravagant
lifestyle enjoyed by the Capitol’s citizens. Their bizarre fashions set them so
far apart from the districts, to the point where from Katniss’ point of view,
they’re like aliens. A different species entirely.
The tributes are interviewed on TV and again there’s a lot
of ceremony around it all. They want to appeal to sponsors, because a rich
sponsor can send gifts to their chosen tribute in the arena. They could send
food, water, medicine or even a weapon, such as the burn ointment sent to
Katniss after the fireballs.
The game makers control the arena and can manipulate it in
basically any way they like. Such as the fireballs, adding creatures or setting
up a feast at the Cornucopia to force the tributes together to instigate a
fight. It’s all recorded and broadcast like reality TV and everyone is expected
to watch it. Every evening the death toll is broadcast, both on TV to the
citizens and within the arena for the Tributes.
It’s very much like the gladiatorial combat of Ancient Rome,
which was entertainment for people. Glorifying the violence and making it a big
deal so nobody stops to consider the ethics of forcing children to fight to the
death in punishment for what their ancestors did.
Every 25 years they have a Quarter Quell, which is a special
edition (like having celebrities on a reality show like Big Brother) and has
new, unique rules to set it apart. ‘Quell’ is a deliberate and specific word as
it means ending a rebellion by force.
What is this story warning us about?
This dystopia is highlighting the issues with such extreme
wealth disparity and keeping the poor under control by ensuring they can never
elevate their socioeconomic status. Unless they are prepared to risk their life
for it and kill for it. The Victor is showered in riches to remind the people
of the Capitol’s ‘generosity and forgiveness’ which is a bold lie.
Even then, Victors are set apart from their communities with
the Victor’s Village, much larger and nicer houses, extra money and food. So
they’re no longer struggling like the rest of their neighbours and friends.
There’s little care for any mental health issues suffered by the Victors. Most
of them show signs of PTSD, unsurprisingly. Katniss has nightmares and
flashbacks, Haymitch is an alcoholic (self medication) and there are other
addicts among the tributes from Catching Fire.
The Capitol citizens are living a luxury lifestyle where
they want for nothing. Peeta and Katniss see how far this goes at the feast at
Snow’s Mansion during their Victory Tour. They are offered a drink that induces
vomiting so that they can eat more and taste everything. While people in
District 12 are literally starving to death.
The people in the districts are supposed to accept what the
Capitol gives them and be thankful. They are supposed to be grateful for the
pittance they are afforded, and told it’s their own fault and it’s for their
own good. No complaints, no questions. Anything that seems rebellious is
squashed harshly by the Capitol.
The word choices are very deliberate and imply this too.
'Tribute’ means a gift to show gratitude, respect or admiration. Historically
it was also used to describe a levy, tax or tariff for protection. Two children
are sacrificed as gratitude for the Capitol allowing them to exist. That they
should be thankful for being allowed to live, continually punished for a
rebellion that most people alive did not have any part in. You’ll take what you
get and be happy about it.
This story, like many dystopian stories, is warning us of
what happens when people are pushed to their limits and become desperate.
Katniss wanted to save her sister, at the start. But she eventually realised
that she had to save more than just one person from this corrupt, unfair system.
That people who are desperate enough for survival will eventually be pushed to
revolt and change things. That they’ll be willing to risk their lives and
sacrifice everything to stop the abuse of power. Dictators and tyrants will
always end up falling to revolution, just like we’ve seen throughout history.
Some food for thought, no?
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Emi the Cat Lady 💜
