What follows is a review of The Hunger Games (the book series, more so than the movies) written in 2010 by the first guest blogger on Learning to Listen..., Fr. John-Mary Bowlin.
Father John-Mary Bowlin is a priest of the holy and venerable Diocese of Tyler in Texas. He is currently pastor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Buffalo. When he isn't saving souls, he enjoys SciFi, Fantasy, Superheroes and LEGO. While in seminary, he was one of the founders of the pop culture symposium.
While dedicating myself to seminary formation, I must read
recreationally far less than I would normally like. However, I had the great joy of reading
Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games (HG) this past summer and Catching Fire (CF) and Mockingjay (M) during my recent mid-term
break. Although I do not have the luxury
of time to delve into a deep, substantial review, I can share some thoughts on
the trilogy. Caveat: I have not done any research regarding
the author, her religious beliefs (if any) or philosophy. My reactions are based completely on what
could possibly be read within the pages and the effects that may have on the
audience.
As a spiritual
father, I understand that it is never “just a story”. Never.
Every person in the world has a philosophy, whether one knows it or
not. And that philosophy appears in what
they write. What a reader reads may be a
misinterpretation of what the author intended, and so it is not wise, without
receiving confirmation directly from the author, to attribute an absolute
position to an author based solely on their writing. The fact remains, however, that an author may
have a philosophy which is not correct or the reader may interpret an incorrect
philosophy which they may then assimilate.
It is the duty of parents (biological as well as spiritual) to read with
their wards as much as possible, as they are responsible for their
upbringing. While The Hunger Games may have a particular intended audience, let’s
face it, target audiences don’t mean much any more, especially if one looks at
phenomena like Harry Potter, which is read by those far younger than JK Rowling
probably intended and far older than Scholastic was marketing to.
For those who do not
know The Hunger Games, the premise is
as follows:
It’s the same story
every year. He [the Major of District
12] tells of the history of Panem, a country that rose up out of the ashes of a
place that was once called North America . He lists the disasters, the droughts, the
storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land,
the brutal war for what little sustenance remained. The result was Panem, a shining Capitol
ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its
citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the
uprising of the districts against the Capitol.
Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to
guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be
repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.
The rules of the Hunger Games are
simple. In punishment for the uprising,
each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called
tributes, to participate. The
twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold
anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the
competitors must fight to the death. The
last tribute standing wins. (HG18)
The novels follow the
story of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark from District 12.
Political / Social Commentary
The Hunger Games is, in
addition to being a well-written story, a social and political commentary of
the Western World and, specifically, America . It is clear even before the second book, that
what Collins is using as a basis for her critique is how much our contemporary
society reflects the ancient Roman situation of Panem et Circenses. It is
alluded to in passing in Catching Fire,
after Katniss and Peeta are introduced to the Capitol’s practice of vomiting
repeatedly at parties: “‘Peeta, they bring us here to fight to the death for
their entertainment,’ I say. ‘Really,
this is nothing by comparison.’”(CF80)
The blatant comparison is made in Mockingjay by Plutarch Heavensbee:
“But the significant
difference between [District] Thirteen and the Capitol are the expectations of
the populace. Thirteen was used to
hardship, whereas in the Capitol, all they’ve known is Panem et Circenses. […] It’s a saying from thousands of years ago,
written in a language called Latin about a place called Rome,” he explains […]
“The writer was saying that in return for full bellies and entertainment, his
people had given up their political responsibilities and therefore their
power.” (M223)
Collins does not do
much, even before this revelation, of hiding the fact that she is comparing her
“fictional” reality to the decadence of ancient Rome .
Most of the Capitol names are Latin and the name of the President is
Coriolanus Snow[1] (M171). A description by one of the characters about
Capitol citizens includes “tales of strange sexual appetites, betrayals of the
heart, bottomless greed and bloody power plays.” (M126)
The Hunger Games
A boy and girl tribute from each of the Capital of Panem’s 12
out-lying districts are exacted every year in order to fight to the death in a
massive outdoor arena. Not only are they
pitted against each other, but the arena itself is rigged in order to torture
the players, often with ghastly traps.
The victor never escapes unscathed, physically or psychologically. The rest of their lives is spent being
manipulated by the Capitol. While never
wanting in food or physical comfort, they waste away psychologically, awaiting
death. It is horrible. Many characters lament how pitiable it is
that the children of the country are treated this way.
And then we look at
our own country. We tolerate (or, God
have mercy, agitate for) laws which allow millions of babies a year to be killed
in their mother’s wombs. They are torn
apart or poisoned and disposed of. It is
horrible. Isn’t it?
At some point,
Collins has Katniss say: “They can design dream weapons that come to life in my
hands, but they will never again brainwash me into the necessity of using
them. I no longer feel any allegiance to
these monsters called human beings, despite being one myself. […] Because
something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children
to settle its differences.” (M377) While
Katniss is speaking about war, this statement could very easily be extended to
say “something significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children
so they can have the careers and lifestyle that they want.”
Food
The most dramatic element of social commentary however, is regarding
food and how we take it for granted. My
parents always insisted that I clean my plate so as not to waste food. I appreciate being raised that way. It makes me angry whenever I see food thrown
away – not because there is any way to send that (sometimes) small portion of
food to the poor child in Africa who is
actually starving to death, but because if one only takes what one is going to
eat, less is prepared. If less is
prepared, then more is available for distribution. Then the only thing we have to worry about is
the warlords and local gang leaders (not to mention government red tape) which
prevent the food from being distributed to those in need.
For so many
Westerners, especially Americans, who take their blessings for granted, these
books should be a wake-up call. Whether
one sees in the well-fed Capitol citizens of Panem America itself (against third world
countries) or merely the upper and middle classes of American (against the
lower class), the point remains: we waste food.
We take food for granted. We live
comfortably, while many cannot live.
This tendency to
waste is possibly the most disturbing to me because even the abomination that
is legalized abortion, while being absolutely evil, stems from our society’s
self-centeredness, the wasting of food being merely one of the most predominant
symptoms.
What must it be
like, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance
if it were so easy to come by? What do
they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies
and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to roll in and die for their
entertainment? (HG65)
“You mean, this will make me puke?”
[…]
“Of course, so you can keep
eating…Everybody does it, or how else would you have any fun at a feast?”
I’m speechless, staring at the
pretty little glasses and all they imply. (CF79)
They are not used to
want, so any little disruption in supply makes an impact on them. (CF165)
Political Action
Every nation has the government it deserves.
-Joseph de Maistre (Letters to X, 1811)
The Hunger Games is definitely a political critique, although not
necessarily of a particular administration or political party. Again, Collins is quite clear:
Frankly, our
ancestors don’t seem much to brag about.
I mean, look at the state they left us in, with the wars and the broken
planet. Clearly, they didn’t care about
what would happen to the people who came after them. But this republic idea sounds like an
improvement over our current government. (M84)
Even from the
beginnings of the trilogy, political action is advocated. Katniss, reacting to her friend Gale, thinks
“what good is yelling at the Capitol in the middle of the woods?” (HG14) This is set against the strict policies of
the Capitol, which punishes contrary opinions harshly. Traitors who are not tortured to death are
turned into “Avoxes”, having their tongues cut so that they many not
speak. This false patriotism is
reinforced in that all broadcasts from the Capitol and all events surrounding
the Hunger Games are accompanied by the playing of the national anthem.
The political state
of affairs in Panem is the result of complacency. Gale tells Katniss at one point that
“Actually, the whole country just sat by and watched.” to which Katniss
replies, “Well, that’s what they do best.” (M222) The same can be seen today, lamentably.[2] How often does the vote of a particular
representative of the people not actually represent what the people want? So often, the full belly and continual
entertainment placates the populace. It
is not, however, usually out of malice.
Katniss, commenting on a physical punishment inflicted on the team that
prepares her for her public appearances at the Games, that “It’s more
complicated than that. I know them. They’re not evil or cruel. They’re not even smart. Hurting them, it’s like hurting
children. They don’t see…I mean, they
don’t know…” (M53) If there is moral
culpability for any of us, it is not for malice, most likely, but for not
knowing (or worse, not caring[3])
that lack of political action allows those who should not be in power be in
power.
As Christians, we
have an obligation to participate in the political process. Some good reading from the Church on the
subject:
·
Sapientiae Christinae (On
Christians as Citizens) Encyclical of
Pope Leo XIII (10 January AD1890)
·
Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding
the Participation of Catholics in Political Life from the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith (22 November AD2002)
·
Forming
Consciences for Faithful Citizenship by the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (14 November AD2007)
Morality
As I expressed early on, my concern as a spiritual father is that
those in my care are not imbibing bad philosophy or theology from the fiction
they read. Audiences, especially younger
but also older, can be susceptible to what they read; to use Collins’ own
phrase, “words unnoticed, unchecked” (CF144) can start revolutions, either in
Panem or in the minds of readers.
Because Collins is dealing with such important subjects, it is important
that she does so well.
Human Dignity
Collins understands
that humans have an inherent dignity. “A sense of the dignity of the
human person has been impressing itself more and more deeply on the
consciousness of contemporary man” begins the Declaration on Religious Freedom (Dignitatis Humanae) of the Second Vatican Council.[4] It is clear that one’s anthropology[5]
informs one’s ethics.[6] The proper treatment of humans (and even a
cat and goat) are treated extensively in the Hunger Games.
Katniss
muses “I guess there isn’t a rule book for what might be unacceptable to do to
another human being.” (M186) While I
hope that this is a sarcastic statement, it is important to understand that it
is not true that there is no book. While
there may not be a manual that covers every possible situation, the Church’s
moral theology provides very clear guidance on how God’s Love is emulated in
our dealings with our neighbor. What
follows are some observations on the morality of the books, especially as they
might be interpreted by younger readers.
Abortion
The murder of unborn children is evil.
And yet we live in a society which does so constantly. The value of having children seems to be
overridden by any number of malicious or fearful motivations. It is understandable, then, that I reacted to
Katniss saying, “I never want to have kids.” (HG9) very early in the first
book.
At first, I was
afraid that an impressionable reader, already inundated constantly by
contraceptive propaganda, might see this as reinforcing a culture that is in
many ways against having children. I
hope, then, that they did not miss the implications later in the second book,
when Peeta attempts to gain sympathy from the Capitol audience by telling them
that Katniss is pregnant and that he is the father. Katniss comments that “even the most
Capitol-loving, Games-hungry, bloodthirsty person out there can’t ignore, at
least for a moment, how horrific the whole thing is.” (CF256) Killing the unborn is horrific.
Tyrannicide
Recognizing the names of many of the characters of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, it should not be a
surprise that there is an act of tyrannicide at the end of Mockingjay. “The Council of
Constance (1415) condemned as contrary to
faith and morals the following
proposition: ‘Any vassal or subject can lawfully and meritoriously kill, and
ought to kill, any tyrant. He may even,
for this purpose, avail himself of ambushes, and wily expressions of affection
or of adulation, notwithstanding any oath or pact imposed upon him by the
tyrant, and without waiting for the sentence or order of any judge.’ (Session
XV)”[7] The basis of this decision is primarily on
the proposition that tyrannicide may not be conducted by a private citizen
independent of the lawfully appointed government. The Church does not condemn the lawful
execution of justice against an objective tyrant (whether by usurpation or by
oppression), but it does hold that it must be done in accordance with the
rightful law. The situation in the
Hunger Games is not one which St. Thomas Aquinas or any of the other
Scholastics would have necessarily dealt with.
The fact that at the moment of the tyrannicide there is not necessarily
a lawful government for Panem, means that Katniss cannot be considered purely
as a “private citizen”, at least in the context of “private citizen” as opposed
to “lawful government”. In effect, all
are private citizens and the self-appointed “President” of Panem has no more
legal right to rule than Katniss or any other citizen. As there is no government to carry out a
sentence, it might be possible to see Katniss’ action as morally
legitimate. The dilemma is twofold: 1)
the case is not clearly defined and 2) the ends do not justify the means. Direct killing is rarely legitimate. Because of these considerations, it would be
important to discuss the implications of this scenario with a young reader,
ensuring that they understand the latter point especially.
Moral Responsibility
Ends & Means
Just as she is used as a pawn in the power games of the Capitol,
Katniss becomes a pawn in the strategy of the leaders of the rebellion.[9] She says that “I’m sick of people lying to me
for my own good. Because really it’s
mostly for their own good.” (M118) Her
friend Gale tells her “I would sacrifice a few, yes, to take out the rest of
them.” (M205) Even Katniss says that “to
present Peeta as a liar now would not help his image. Or mine.
Or the cause.” (M90) She goes so
far as to commit euthanasia (see below).
This is using the principle of the
ends justifying the means, which is contrary to Catholic moral theology.[10] In an ironic twist, however, Collins then
turns around and argues against this principle:
“So,
by taking them out, we prevented further attacks.” [Gale says.]
“But that kind of thinking…you could
turn into an argument for killing anyone at any time. You could justify sending kids into the Huger
Games to prevent the Districts from getting out of line,” I say. (M222)
Euthanasia
According to Webster’s, euthanasia is “the act or practice of killing
or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as person or
domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy”. For example, as one of the competitors in
her first Hunger Games lies, being slowly gnawed at by mutations, Katniss
shoots him. “Pity, not vengeance, sends
my arrow flying into his skull.” (HG341)
Later, she thinks of the captured Peeta “I must find him, kill him now
before the Capitol gets to choose the agonizing means of his death.” (CF383) She thinks that the means of killing is justified because the end of ending suffering is good.
The word “euthanasia”
comes from the Greek for “happy death”. It
is strictly forbidden.
Whatever its motives
and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of
handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.
Thus an act or omission which, of itself or
by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder
gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to
the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in
good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always
be forbidden and excluded.[11]
It is interesting
that in the third book, reflecting on her intention to spare Peeta suffering,
Katniss considers “Didn’t I want to kill Peeta with that syringe to save him
from the Capitol? Was that really my
only option? Probably not, but I couldn’t
think of another at the time.” (M126)
That would be because the only answer is Christ on the Cross.
Christianity & the Cross:
It is possible (indeed, to be effective as a parable, almost
necessary) for a good story which carries a good moral to not contain any
explicit religion. Tolkien, Rowling and Lewis have done so beautifully. The Hunger Games attempts to do the
same. In this case, however, the
religion, which is implicit but not apparent in the other authors’ works, is
almost completely missing from The Hunger
Games. It is interesting to note,
however, some allusions. One of my
favorite lines in the books is: “But what is a slingshot against a 220-pound
male with a sword?” The answer can be
found in 1 Samuel 17. I also find it
interesting that Collins, while omitting the practice of religion, retains
Sunday as the day off. (HG109)
Unfortunately, these
books are about, among many other things, suffering. And suffering is difficult if not impossible
to treat reasonably because there is no meaning in suffering if there is no
Cross. Katniss is willing to kill others
and herself when she cannot see anything beyond immanent suffering. If suffering does not have meaning, then she
would be right. Her murder of the
champion who was being tortured and her desire to kill Peeta when she thought
they had both been captured by the Capitol are because of compassion, which is
from the Latin for “suffer with”. She
identified with their pain and wanted it to end. Note the use of the qualifier of “hopelessly”
in the definition of euthanasia above.
Suffering is not only efficacious because one can unite that suffering
to the completely satisfying death of Christ on the Cross.[12] The Cross brings with it the
Resurrection. There is always hope[13]
for those who suffer just as there was always the hope of the Resurrection
during the Crucifixion. In a (fictional)
world without the Cross, there can be no hope for suffering except in some
artificial psychological exercise. The
conclusion to this trilogy saturated with suffering is:
“I’ll tell them [Katniss’ two children] that
on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in anything, because I’m
afraid it could be taken away. That’s
when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I’ve seen someone
do. It’s like a game. Repetitive.
Even a little tedious after more than twenty years. But there are much worse games to play.” (M390)
Sadly, this is the
best that someone without faith can do.
While it works for a character in a book, it is not the way we look at
life. We see life through the lens of
the Cross. But that lens also lets us
see something else: the resurrection to eternal Life.
Varia
A better writer would end this with a brilliant conclusion. While I begrudgingly agree that as a writer,
one must often omit that which does contribute directly to the substance of a
work, I also know that a certain flexibility must be admitted, and so I offer
the following “varia” in lieu of a conclusion:
·
“We will see how high and mighty he is when he’s
faced with life and death.” (HG143) This
is certainly the case. It is under
pressure that the true man is manifested.
·
“At some point, you have to stop running and
turn around and face whoever wants you dead.” (CF118) Amen!
In a world that is nauseously pacifistic, this is a refreshing attitude.
·
Like Rowling and Tolkien and so many other
writers, names are not chosen at random.
As in reality, where our Creator is the only one who knows our true name
(cf. Revelation 2: 17), a writer (who is a sub-creator) names their characters
by their true names. “Katniss” is a
plant of the genus “Sagittaria”, which is Latin for the feminine “armed with
bow and arrows”. The name “Peeta” sounds
like a play on “pita”, which is a Middle-Eastern bread (my favorite) (Peeta
being the son of the District 12 baker).
As has been noted, many of the Capitol character names come from
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (which
ties in well with the climactic tyrannicide).
One of the women from the district which produced textiles is named
Twill (CF144) and the two former victors from the agricultural district are
named Chaff (CF213) and Seeder (CF214).
·
In common usage, the phrase “begging the
question” has very unfortunately become disassociated with the logical fallacy
that traditionally bore that name. (CF163)
Petitio principia “More commonly known as “begging the
question”. You assume what you set out
to prove. eg: Descartes’ famous cogito ergo sum[14]
·
Collins has many good lines, including those
which do not require evaluation in such a paper. One such is: “I find myself in the position
of having to console them [the prep team].
Since I’m the person going in to be slaughtered, this is somewhat annoying.”
(CF204)
·
“Have these precautions been put into place
because of the recent influx of immigrants? (M67) Although it is not a major theme in the
books, could this be an allusion to a situation we are dealing with in our
country especially today?
·
“Dancing transforms us. We teach the steps to the District 13
guests.” The simple things in life ought
to be cherished.
·
Referring to her life after winning her first
Hunger Games, Katniss relates: “Your talent is the activity you take up since
you don’t have to work either in school or your district’s industry.” (CF39) This deserves more treatment that I can give
it here, but our society does not have a good account of leisure
activities. A good read on the subject
is Leisure: the Basis of Culture by Josef
Pieper.
·
Our need to be constantly entertained: “The
audience in the Capitol will be getting bored, claiming that these Games are
verging on dullness. This is the one thing the Games must not do.” (HG173);
with a reference to an American Idol-ish audience element: “Having voted, and
probably bet on the winner, people are very interested in my wedding gown.”
(CF170)
·
The lengths to which we will go to alter our
appearance out of vanity: “They do surgery in the Capitol, to make people
appear younger and thinner.” (HG124, cf M318, 319)
The views expressed herein are not necessarily those
of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler (TX), Bishop Alvaro Corrada del
Rio , S.J., or the Pontifical
College
[1] “Coriolanus” being the
title of a Shakespearean tragedy about the Roman leader Gaius Marcius
Coriolanus
[2]
the most recent midterm elections being a notable exception
[3]
otherwise known as “lukewarmness”, for which our Lord has strong words (cf.
Revelation 3: 16)
[4] referring the reader to
Pope John XXIII’s Encyclical letter Pacem
in Terris and the Radio Message
of Pope Pius XII (24 December AD2010)
[5]
that is, the study of man
[6] Of note is a passing
reference to this: “Not only does he hate me and want to kill me, he no longer
believes I’m human.” (M186) In order to
make it easier to kill people, one must first devalue them. That is why it is a “fetus” and not a
baby. A baby is a human, making abortion
homicide. “Terminating a pregnancy”
becomes the removal of an unwanted growth.
The Nazis did the same thing with Priests, Nuns, the handicapped,
homosexuals and the Jews.
[7] my emphasis added;
Catholic Encyclopedia, Tyrannicide,
found at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15108a.htm (5 November AD2010)
[8]
which would actually seem to be something with which Collins would agree, given how she portrays
the soft, self-centered Capitol citizens
[9] “make me over, dress me,
write my speeches, orchestrate my appearances – as if that doesn’t sound horribly familiar” (M11)
[10]
cf. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae
I-II, 18, 4
[12]
Colossians 1: 24
[13]
“hope” is used here in its more theological sense of “assurance of a future
event” and not “wishful thinking”
[14]
You set out to prove that there is an “I” to begin with, but you start out with
the “I” in your premise – the “I” is understood in the sum, “I am”; from Peter Kreeft’s Socratic Logic, p. 94
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