“May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor” Dystopian Reality in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games Trilogy

• Authors: Julia Kula
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The research paper focuses on the dystopian reality depicted in Suzanne Collins’s the Hunger Games trilogy. I shall primarily discuss the social and political relations established in the post-apocalyptic country – Panem, and how they affect the quotidian life. Crucial here is the clash between two realms comprising the world represented in the novels – dystopian districts and the seemingly utopian Capitol. The juxtaposition of two completely different ‘constituents’ of the country shapes the mutual relations between the Panem inhabitants – these within the districts, amongst them and between the center and the peripheries. The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010) consecutively portray the history of dystopian civilization from the entropic reality succeeding after the Dark Days, through a coincidental chain of events initiated during the 74th Hunger Games, to the ultimate armed conflict bringing hope and the promise of a new beginning. Pivotal in the oppressive world is the concept of the savior in the person of Katniss Everdeen who, initially unconsciously and unintentionally, contributes to igniting the final revolt against the dictatorial regime of President Snow. The aim of the paper is to analyze how the author represents the realm of Panem with regard to the complex relations between the center and the periphery. 

Keywords

EN

The Hunger Games, dystopia, center, periphery, utopia

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej
• Journal: New Horizons in English Studies
• Year: 2017
• Issue: 2

Dates

published

2017

online

2017-08-17

Contributors

author

Julia Kula

• Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin

editor

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

editor

Adam Głaz

editor

Lidia Kniaź-Hunek

editor

Anna Bendrat

editor

Ewelina Prażmo

editor

Przemysław Terejko

editor

Piotr Szczypa

editor

Grzegorz Czemiel

editor

Ewa Antoszek

editor

Justyna Galant

editor

Marta Komsta

editor

Edyta Frelik

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

editor

Anna Oleszczuk

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

other

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

References

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• Collins, Suzanne. 2014. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic Inc.
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Identifiers

DOI

10.17951/nh.2017.2.49