CONCLUSION

The purpose of this blog was to summarize the novel, The Hunger Games and determine a sub-genre of best fit. Throughout the novel we discovered elements that could suit many different sub-genres but there is one of best fit.

Early on in the first chapter of the novel it was decided to be of a dystopian theme. The community of District 12 is controlled by a very over powering government on charge of their food and resources. Further on in the novel are elements of fantasy, romance, action and even things we can describe as cyberpunk.

Fantasy deals with unreal or magical things, or things not possible in the real world, and may contain alternate worlds and/or mythical creatures and/or made up people. In the novel, The Hunger Games, Katniss experiences things she never would have back home in District 12. In the Capitol she is put through beautifying procedures completely new to her and to her surprise they do make her look stunning. Another thing is the style of living in the Capitol. As a tribute Katniss was given a room, bigger then her house back home. It has a programmable closet as well as shower and an extravagant bed. The food in the Capitol was also unbelievable to Katniss. Every meal there was an abundance of choices all steaming hot and fresh. Even though Katniss was there for the wrong reasons, the Capitol was a new world for with magical things. These were the elements of fantasy.

 Action came into the novel once the Games started. Most action occurred once the gong sounded to signify that the Games have officially begun. Tributes were around the Cornucopia fighting for supplies and fighting each other. More action came when the Gamemakers set the wall of fire in the arena forcing the tributes together. And the final action was when there were only three tributes left and they were being attacked by mutations. There isn’t much action in the novel but enough for the sub-genre to be considered.

Cyberpunk is usually near future and dystopian novels, themes can include advances in technology and artificial intelligence. Again the proof of cyberpunk is small but it is there. The novel is set in the future and is dystopian. There is also a lot of advanced technology. The arena is a landscape scientifically created by the Capitol to hold the games. It isn’t even real! Also, there are dangerous animals that are spawned in a lab in the arena. Another thing that shows proof of advanced technology is the medicine the Katniss has sent to her. It instantly cures her wounds.

Romance is a story that principally focus’s on love and relationships, and may take as a subject of a single love relationship or an individual looking for love. There is a lot of romance in this novel. The relationship between Katniss and Peeta causes the drama in the novel. Peeta announces he is in love with Katniss just before they are about to enter the arena and fight to the death. The pair is seen as innocent star-crossed lovers and the Capitol loves them. Romance increases with they find out about the rule change in the games; two tributes can win. Katniss goes out of her way to save Peeta and risks her life for him. The two spend a lot of time together nursing each other back to life before it comes time for the final showdown. They make it as final two only to find out there has been another rule change and only one can win. They can’t imagine life without one another so they plan to commit a double suicide. This Gamesmakers have to have a winter so they intervene before they kill themselves and announce they both have one. The love relationship is a big part of the novel, but it isn’t the main focus.

Finally, these genres all do appear in the novel, The Hunger Games, but they are not the most suitable one. In my opinion the sub-genre most appropriate for this novel is dystopian. Dystopia is defined as a futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. In the novel the districts are controlled by a government and their freedom as people is limited. There are 12 Districts that the government of Panem controls. In each District the people are responsible for producing different things. For example, is District 12 they mine coal and in District 11 they harvest their agriculture. All the work goes straight to the Capitol and they get nothing in return.

There is more that this awful government puts their citizens through. Every year as a form of punishment for the former District 13’s rebellion, 2 teenagers, one boy and one girl, between the ages of twelve and eighteen are chosen by lottery to compete in the Hunger Games. Out of 24 innocent teens only one can win the games, how do they win? They kill everyone else. The nature of the games is awful; the 24 tributes are put into a scientifically created arena to try to survive on their own and not get killed. The Games have their own sort of government, the Gamemakers.

The Gamemakers make the rules for the games and are responsible for keeping them entertaining for the audience in the Capitol. They decided the rule change stating two people could win if they were from the same district. They knew this would bring Katniss and Peeta together, and knew they would put on a good show for their audience. It was again the Gamemakers that changed the rules again to one person able to win when it was only Katniss and Peeta, another audience pleaser.

To conclude, this novel is dystopian because of the control the government has over Panem and the control the Gamemakers have over the Hunger Games. The characters in the novel wish they could do something to fight against the rules but know that the penalties would be harsh. The government has them under total control and gives them no freedom.