Catching Fire is a sequal to a story first presented in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is a story that follows a heroic girl names Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a country called Panem, and her battle against all things that could go wrong in a society. By all things that could go wrong I mean a country set up by a horrible President who forces his people to fight to the death every year for entertainment. The president, Snow, also thinks that this will put the people in order and help them fear the Capitol so they never revolt but boy was he in for a surprise. Katniss showed the Captitol who is boss by not only winning the 74th Hunger Games but by letting there be two victors instead of the traditional one. She showed that the people are the ones in charge and that the Capitol cannot stay ruining lives forever. As Collins tells this great story she also incorporates many hidden meanings and lessong that she would like her readers to take with them.
What is the hidden meaning in Catching Fire? The allegory? Is it a moral one or political one? It's obvious that the allegory in Catching Fire pertains to a political message but we can also find many moral messages within. The political side of it is that the world of Panem represents everything wrong with society, it is the exact opposite of how a country/nation should be set up. Suzanne Colllins does a good job of bringing up comparisons between what is right and wrong in a country then applying it in the novel to Katniss's world. The only good outcome of nations that are set up like this is that the people come to realize for themselves what the right things to do is and they stand together to eliminate it. These nations are weak and we see that in the Hunger Games. President Snow could not fool the world into thinking he is doing a great job. Katniss proves that structures like these do not hold up and that if the people are given a droplet of hope of getting out of their current conditions they will take it and make it into an enormous tidal wave. These quotes from the book perfectly describe what I am talking about. The weakness of the Capitols structure when Katniss says "It must be very fragile if a handful of berries can bring it down." Also the unity that forms between the citizens of Panem and the feeling of hope that cannot be erased by fences and peacekeepers.
What is the hidden meaning in Catching Fire? The allegory? Is it a moral one or political one? It's obvious that the allegory in Catching Fire pertains to a political message but we can also find many moral messages within. The political side of it is that the world of Panem represents everything wrong with society, it is the exact opposite of how a country/nation should be set up. Suzanne Colllins does a good job of bringing up comparisons between what is right and wrong in a country then applying it in the novel to Katniss's world. The only good outcome of nations that are set up like this is that the people come to realize for themselves what the right things to do is and they stand together to eliminate it. These nations are weak and we see that in the Hunger Games. President Snow could not fool the world into thinking he is doing a great job. Katniss proves that structures like these do not hold up and that if the people are given a droplet of hope of getting out of their current conditions they will take it and make it into an enormous tidal wave. These quotes from the book perfectly describe what I am talking about. The weakness of the Capitols structure when Katniss says "It must be very fragile if a handful of berries can bring it down." Also the unity that forms between the citizens of Panem and the feeling of hope that cannot be erased by fences and peacekeepers.
Reading Catching Fire
helps people to better analyze the quality of living that they are currently
in. Is this the kind of environment I want to live in? Is our leader doing
their best, truly, to help the place they swore to protect? It advances their morals and sense of what is
right and wrong. Isn't it wrong to let there be a lower class system? Isn’t it
wrong to lets our neighbors starve while we enjoy glamourous meals and lavish lifestyle?
Isn’t it the right think to do to give charity and be nice to one another? The
people of Panem realize this when they are fighting the Capitol.
Catching Fire also
includes a lot of celebrity culture in it, although that may not be the best
terminology for this topic because it applies to anyone who can fit in. What I mean is that in Panem there are the
districts closest to the Capitol and those districts are usually the wealthiest.
They are the farthest from depression, economic inequality and violence yet they
are the ones helping to cause it. A part of celebrity culture is ignoring
people's strife because they are not in their position. And they love for
things to stay the way they are because they are the ones on top. It's kind of
like the concept of white privilege. Because those who are not a bad situation
never really understand the pain of those in the situations so they never
really want things to change.
This all adds to the
political and moral allegory in Catching Fire. The world of Panem represents
ignorance and privilege but it also presents lessons that can be applied to everyday
life.
Kamelia A. Prompt 5.
Work Cited
Collins, Suzanne.
Catching Fire. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc, 2009. Print.
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