Life changing Lessons from the Hunger Games
The Hunger Games was one of the most popular YA series of it's time, loved by both adults and children as it showed the cruelty of our world in a fictional dystopian setting. Though the books are set in a futuristic America, they openly reflect today's world, amplifying it's flaws so we can check them before it gets too late.
Here are some of the lessons the books taught us:
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Governments can justify any violence
From the annual sacrifice of children to the harsh punishments carried out on those who broke the law, all inhuman actions were justified by the government and considered a norm by the downtrodden.
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Capitalism is built on modern slavery
The way all the districts labour to gather resources and manufacture luxury goods to enable those in the Capitol to live their consumer driven life is reflective of how our world is right now and we should contemplate how to remedy that. The name Capitol seems reflective of that.
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An entertained population is easy to manipulate
The country is named Panem based on the Latin saying panem et circenses, which means bread and circuses. As long as the population in power was well fed and entertained, they would never care about those who weren't. It was true for Ancient Rome, it was true for Panem and isn't that true of our world today?
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War and violence leave heavy mental scars
There is a lot of battle, bloodshed and other war crimes in the books and the author does not shy away from detailing the many ways it affects one's psyche. From nightmares to breakdowns, through different characters she details how trauma can take over your life but also shows that one can overcome it.
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Psychoactive substances aren't always abused for entertainment
Similar to the last point, she shows how those who abuse certain substances do so not for pleasure or entertainment but to fill gaps in their life. To fight inner demons of guilt and shame, to compensate for the loss of a loved one or to dull oppressive memories and so on. Those who abuse these substances aren't always weak or hedonistic, they simply need help.
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A place of plenty with no moral education will create a terrible culture
The wasteful shallow society of the Capitol was a product of the government's brainwashing so as to stay in power. However that can only be possible if the people willingly stop questioning and attempting to grow beyond a culture of hedonism.
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Love is the most healing thing
Despite all the harshness of the books, Collins was clear that love was the cure. For a broken culture, for a torn mind, for the ingrained fear for the governmet-love was the only solution, the only respite.
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