The first way in which Katniss's embodiment of nature is used (and the other tributes embodiment of society) is to show her natural strength vs the Career packs weakness when surrounded by nature. Similar to Rouesseau's belief that a man from nature can defeat a man from society because the man from society has become reliant upon his tools and can't fend for himself without them. Katniss's victory in the Hunger Games demonstrates that and shows the weakening effects of society.
The Hunger Games also demonstrates how society especially one base on classes can be unfair to those who do the most to support it. The districts are the main example of this. The injustices done to the district such as mass poverty and under compensation for their hard labor effectively represent the injustice of the class system in America, where those who are on top rely on the lower classes but do not fairly compensate them for their work. Vital jobs in America can often be the least rewarding such as farming. “the net earnings from farming activities on 90.5 percent of all farms in America (with sales less than $249,000) was on average $2,615.” Trying to sell crops without a major retailer can also leave farmers wallets empty because “In 2005 only 6.5 percent of all farmers markets (not individual farmers or vendors, but the entire market) have annual total sales greater than $25,000. 71.4 percent of farmers markets produce less than $5000 in annual sales.” (http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/07/27/who-are-you-calling-rich-a-small-farmer-shares-some-hard-data/)
(Spoilers)
Even though the districts are so vital to the capital, the capital still treats them unfairly. But what if the capital couldn't rely on the districts? They would fall apart without means to fend for themselves which is just another way in which the weakness of society is displayed in books 2 and 3 of the series as the capitol come crumbling down during the districts rebellion. Not unlike the capitol The United States of America is also heavily dependent on foreign resources. “In 2012, about 40% of the petroleum consumed by the United States was imported from foreign countries.1 This was the lowest level since 1991” and “In 2012, about 57% of the crude oil processed in U.S. refineries was imported” (http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=32&t=6). Making us almost as vulnerable and dependent as the capitol.
The idea of society crippling us is one of Rousseau's arguments which is why it is helpful that this book takes a Rousseauian point of view that man is good by countering Hobb's negative views about the basis of man.
Hobbs states that man is greedy, divided and competitive but Katniss's action as a natural human state that it is actually society which give men these conditions and if man becomes independent of society then we can also become free of these conditions. Katniss is positioned against the capital and the capital is greed. They horde all of their resources and don't even give the districts enough to survive. Katniss's victory over the other tributes who are reliant on society can be seen as the selflessness of nature winning over societies greed. Katniss also overcome the divided districts by aligning herself with Rue and forming an actual bond unlike the Career Pack whose alliance is only formed out of need. Katniss's final victory over Kato can be seen as her and Peeta's survival winning over Kato's competitive nature because while Peeta and Katniss didn't want to be in the Hunger Games, Kato volunteered "for the glory of his district" and even threatens to kill Peeta even though he knows he can't survive the rest of the games.
Katniss vs the capital is a representation of nature vs society. Katniss's victory both in the hunger games and on a moral level support the Rousseau argument that nature keeps men strong while becoming reliant on society can weaken us. Through this the hunger games makes an argument that we are becoming too dependent on our society and our government to take care of ourselves. Our dependence on society strips us of our freedom and independence and thereby weakens the ideals our country was founded on.
The idea of society crippling us is one of Rousseau's arguments which is why it is helpful that this book takes a Rousseauian point of view that man is good by countering Hobb's negative views about the basis of man.
Hobbs states that man is greedy, divided and competitive but Katniss's action as a natural human state that it is actually society which give men these conditions and if man becomes independent of society then we can also become free of these conditions. Katniss is positioned against the capital and the capital is greed. They horde all of their resources and don't even give the districts enough to survive. Katniss's victory over the other tributes who are reliant on society can be seen as the selflessness of nature winning over societies greed. Katniss also overcome the divided districts by aligning herself with Rue and forming an actual bond unlike the Career Pack whose alliance is only formed out of need. Katniss's final victory over Kato can be seen as her and Peeta's survival winning over Kato's competitive nature because while Peeta and Katniss didn't want to be in the Hunger Games, Kato volunteered "for the glory of his district" and even threatens to kill Peeta even though he knows he can't survive the rest of the games.
Katniss vs the capital is a representation of nature vs society. Katniss's victory both in the hunger games and on a moral level support the Rousseau argument that nature keeps men strong while becoming reliant on society can weaken us. Through this the hunger games makes an argument that we are becoming too dependent on our society and our government to take care of ourselves. Our dependence on society strips us of our freedom and independence and thereby weakens the ideals our country was founded on.
First off, I love the comparison of the images you used for Katniss holding the bow and arrow in comparison to the Native American. It’s clear to say that bows and arrows have been signified a meaning in our habitus as the weapons of the Native Americans; since childhood when we role played “Cowboys and Indians”, cowboys grabbed guns and the Indians grabbed the bows and arrows. I agree that the idea of comfort and accessibility has become more of a crutch than an aid in modern society, and in the Hunger Games, it has become more of a handicap if anything. We see that the Capitol inhabitants have become also this subhuman species that no longer resembles what we are familiar with. This projection and foreshadowing of the Capitol’s dependence on goods, wealth, and materialistic behavior positions the reader into questioning the sanity of our own perceived world. It great how highlighted the connection of romanticism in play for this book, and how the characters again are at the mercy of Mother Nature. Katniss thrives in this condition because it is her habitus of living with nothing but what her hands can do for her and what supplies nature can provide. Each of these tributes all probably come from similar backgrounds of poverty, but none really are in touch with nature as much as Katniss is as you have described that closely matches her already define habitus back in District 12 has a woodland junkie—hunting, foraging, and exploring the woods already on a daily basis. I think it’s important to note that both environments; the picture perfect, artificial Capitol, versus the natural and impoverished Districts/forests both culture types of people that would be unfit to survive in the opposite place. Effie, stands out like a sore thumb in the district and probably would die of shock and starvation in the district, while Katniss would probably lose her sanity if she stayed in the Capitol for too long. Terrific comparison of the Districts coal miners as a vital working class that isn’t compensated nearly as well as they are needed and as hard as they work to the modern issue of farmers in the United States. Lovely end picture of nature eating a civilized man; even in the end, bears don't care and recognize the signified Armani suit meaning of wealth and power.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about your comparisons with the Hunger Games and the classes in America. I watched that video a few weeks ago, and found it very thought provoking. Although America is known to many as a country of equality, this clip proves one thing to be very true: America lacks wealth equality. This becomes very evident when looking at the bar graph of the distribution of wealth. The mass majority of the people are hardly anything on the scale, but are considered the ‘middle’ or even ‘rich’ class. The ‘wealthy’ have so much money that it can’t be represented with the scale of the graph. The wealthy have more money that the poor, middle, and rich classes have, combined. The wealthy have so much that any normal person cannot wrap their head around what it is that they have. Although many of the wealthy may work hard at what they do, maybe harder than some others, do they work so much harder that they deserve that much more money? This brings up an interesting theme in The Hunger Games. District 12 is so much poorer than the richest districts; they are forced to go through extreme measures simply for survival. Katniss is forced to thrive in nature, because that is all she has. If she didn’t thrive in nature, she would be forced to find another way of survival, which district 12 lacks. Katniss does not get a job because she would not be benefitting much more than spending her time hunting instead. This is evident through Peeta. He has a job, yet his family is still desperate for money, and fails to thrive in life, because they don’t have anything to thrive with. I really like how you said that Katniss embodies nature, because it is exactly what she does. She uses her embodiment of nature to win the hunger games. Competitors from some of the other districts devote their lives to winning the games. Katniss volunteers only because she knows her sister won’t survive, yet she wins because she knows how to survive, because that is what she has been doing the entirety of her life. Katniss’s winning showcases Rousseau’s belief in that nature will beat society. Katniss has never had a civilized society to live in, and her fighting for herself has led her to become one of the two best competitors the games. It is almost ironic that the two competitors with the least amount of training, guidance, or anything to be frank, yet they persevered and won the games. I really enjoyed your comparisons between nature and society and the games. You are exactly right when you say that our dependence on society strips us of our freedom and independence. Freedom is extremely limited when dependent on something else besides us.
ReplyDeleteYour blog was really interesting and drew many relevant conclusions to real-life. In the beginning, you mention the presence of classes in our society. This is detrimental aspect of the novel and Collin's creates the class system as a basis for many issues in today's society. As you point out, it is based on wealth, which is based on money and with Katniss being unassociated with money, she is separate from society. Another issue with the class system, as Stuart Hall points out, is its combination with power. In the novel, the wealthier have power and as a result, have power over the Districts. It is parallel to the an unending cycle of oppression in our society. Hall points out this danger of power plus social class and it comes to life in The Hunger Games. I think your blog does an excellent job of outlining the issues that the class system can create, including dependence and oppression. I also like your point about the Rousseau and Hobbe view of nature. I think it's important to recognize if or if not a true state of nature really exists. On the surface, the setting of the games is set up as "natural" and when examining her actions, one may claim in the state of nature, humans are naturally bad. With this mindset, the Rousseauian view is easily rejected. But in actuality, during the games, Katniss is living a state under the society. The state she is in was created by civilization. As a result, Rousseau's argument is supported as it shows how Katniss's behavior has been corrupted under civilization. With that being said, understanding what the true state of nature is within the games when analyzing Katniss's behavior is detrimental. Also, I agree with your comparison of Katniss vs the Capitol equaling nature vs society. Ultimately, following the parallelism, Katniss's victory over the capital represents how nature triumphs over civilization. It is the underlying fact of how Katniss's disconnect with civilization has made her independent of it. With independence, she thrives in a setting where it is every man for themselves. In all, Katniss's character is a prime example of Rousseau's argument, as you suggest, and I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteI agree on many levels with you. I think in many ways, Katniss does represent nature, the Capitol, the Gamemakers, and Careers represent the Society. Just look at her! She has a wild, free spirit nature. This also makes me think about the meaning of freedom. In the beginning, she shows indifference attitude towards Capitol and Hunger Games. When Katniss and Peeta discussed how they are going to do in Hunger Games one day before it begins, Katniss said it out loud she will do anything to survive. She didn’t really care who she is going to be in the game, unlike Peeta who reluctant to be turned as an object through Hunger Games (pg. 142). I personally think that her indifference makes her free. At least in her mind, she detaches herself from the game of power. She doesn’t seek attention and compliments from the Gamemakers. She assuredly hit the arrow to the Gamemakers during the training to show her anger. She’s just being herself. Her goal is simple: survive the Hunger Games, ‘die in District 12’, and protect her family. Once she’s done with Hunger Games, her business with Capitol is over. I think her strong character makes her a free being. In the scenario of rebellion, would you say that rebellion is a different form of reliance towards the Society? Through rebellious acts, we expect the government to change and to provide us with something we truly deserve. This is already a form of relationship. Through rebellious acts, we also imply for the government to remain as our ruler—to put control and to impose regulations—but just in a more positive way. So perhaps there is a ‘reliant’ factor in rebellion, which is a big theme in Hunger Games. Of course, in the case of Panem and its extreme hierarchical nature, rebellion is necessary as their life condition is threatening. But what about in our capitalist society? Does oppression exist in our society? The 99% vs. 1% ‘campaign’ was trying to raise awareness that there is an extreme unequal distribution of wealth in our society, which is maximized through ‘oppression’ at work. Good paying jobs are rare and the unemployment rate is also high. I remember my sociology professor told me that the Occupy movement really moved many people to speak up, but then it was gone just like that without having any significant laws or regulations changed. What went wrong? Stuart Hall mentioned that hierarchy and class distinction will exist nevertheless, but excess of power on one side is dangerous. It seems that we had legit reason for a movement with significant impacts and many people were also involved, but our ‘rebellious act’ seems to be just a ‘performance’ for the Capital. Following Hall’s argument, does that indicate that oppression actually doesn’t really exist in our society? And the hierarchy we see is actually normal? Naturally, hierarchy exists in capitalistic society. And going back to your free vs. reliance topic, how can we be free in this capitalistic society where everything goes in circle—we need the bourgeoisie (middle-upper class people who provide us jobs) and they need the proletariats (labor who will for them)? If interdependence exists and necessary for the growth of both parties, then how does that shape the meaning of freedom?
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