Depiction of Totalitarian Regime in Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games"

Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, is a political novel which draws attention to the consequences of a totalitarian regime. It depicts the struggles of young adult, Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a disadvantaged province, or 'District', and her journey as an advocate of freedom and equality, as a series of unfortunate conditions force her to play in the Hunger Games, a contest where children between the ages of 12 and 18 are forced to fight to the death. This tournament, which was set up by a totalitarian government, has so far been sustained via the forced legislation on the disobedient Districts. The novel has a variety of messages, most especially relating to power and politics. The Hunger Games provides readers with a realistic look into the consequences of power and political control on the social condition of people, and the extent to which conditioning and fear can drive people to live unethical lives.

The Games came to existence when the country of Panem was shaken by a civil war. Twelve abused Districts ascended against a severe Capitol, bringing about Capitol triumph. Because of the defiance of its external territories, the administration of Panem declared the making of the Hunger Games, in which each District would send one young man and one young woman between the ages of twelve and eighteen to battle in a fight until the very end, until the point when just a single victor emerged. At that point, this victor would, 'be showered with glory', by the Capitol, keeping in mind the end goal to show the leniency and benevolence of their government, despite their truly monstrous natures. The thought behind the Games, and the general discipline of the Districts by means of the Games, is clarified great by President Snow, the pioneer of Panem and fundamental antagonist of the novel.

“Seneca, why do you think we have a winner? I mean, if we just wanted to intimidate the Districts, why not just round up twenty-four of their citizens at random and execute them all at once? The reason why is hope. Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective...a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, so long as it is contained”.

With this announcement, President Snow uncovers the general plan of the legislature, by the way they utilize the Hunger Games to keep the Districts in line. They utilize the Games to rebuff the Districts, and influence them to fall into line, however in the meantime, they utilize the Games to give the general population in the Districts a misguided feeling of hope. Since the Games have a champion, each District has the swoon trust that somebody they send may win, consequently investing into them amid the Games, and giving them motivation to think about who wins and who loses. On the off chance that a District has a victor, that champion and the District are given the possibility for some prizes and open door for progressions and changes. The victor of the Hunger Games will turn into an overnight celebrity, and would have the capacity to utilize his or her energy to help enhance the states of their District, in the event that they so picked. So with the Games giving the Districts this expectation, an expectation of a reward or a superior possibility, the legislature of Panem can keep the insubordinate Districts in line, with low struggle; An impeccable, if underhanded, blend of discipline and reward.

In any case, the Capitol hasn't ceased there in its intends to oppress the Districts with the Games. As per Haymitch, the Districts 1 and 2 of Panem are so invested in the Games that they exclusively prepare children and adolescents to contend in the Hunger Games; these individuals are regularly called 'Careerists'. In Districts 1 and 2, the Capitol has mentally conditioned and adapted these occupants to acknowledge the Hunger Games. Truth be told, they've gone so far as to have the Games vigorously engrained in the mentalities of these residents, and have set up a whole institute to prepare youngsters, giving them an edge for triumph while withholding an ideal perspective of the Games. From the characters we see from these Districts, particularly Cato, that molding and mentally conditioning individuals in Districts 1 and 2 has prevailing point of fact. The occupants from these Districts are severe and scheming, with the Games as being engrained in their social perspective of the world. This is exhibited when the specific occupants of these Districts are appeared to fiercely kill a young lady, with no regret.

Effective use of forced obedience and propaganda over the decades has led to the Capitol being the epitome of extreme wealth and desensitization to human suffering. Readers are shown countless times that the citizens of the Capitol are highly supportive of the Games, treating it as if it were a legitimate sport. Virtually, all Capitol citizens are supportive of the Games, as seen by the crowds that came to greet the characters Peeta and Katniss when they arrived in the Capitol. Every year that the Hunger Games are held, the Capitol citizens go into a frenzy, making bets on certain contestants, watching social media, such as the Caesar Flickerman Talkshow, that expounds about that year's Game. Some Capitol citizens even become Sponsors, using their wealth to give contestants in the Hunger Games certain gifts, like medicine, food, and utilities to help them survive the Games.

This last touch to their general arrangement with the Hunger Games has in this manner secured the legislature of Panem extreme control over its citizenry. Regardless of whether the Districts disdain the Hunger Games, the general population in the Capitol, or the base of the Panem government, are blissful about it, tuning in to watch it with extraordinary excitement consistently. With such solid supporters who watch the Games realized as discipline for the insubordinate Districts, the Panem government has possessed the capacity to keep the Games continuing for quite a long time, the distance to the 74th Annual Hunger Games that this present novel is set in.