Social Criticism in the Hunger Games and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Social Criticism In The Hunger Games And Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland
“Off with their heads!“ (Carroll 122) could be the motto of Suzanne Collins’ bestseller The Hunger Games. Published in 2008, the novel tells the dystopian story of Katniss, a young girl who has to participate in a fight-to-death-tournament with 23 other teenagers. Connoisseurs might have recognized the quotation of the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, first published in 1865. Mostly known as a children’s book, the novel depicts the story of Alice a girl that finds herself in a wonderland, where she meets many curious people and gets confronted with arbitrary brutality. Although they don’t seem to have much in common at first glance and have a totally different date of origin, both novels provide room for comparison in terms of their claim to criticize society. The protagonists constantly find themselves confronted with the theme of government oppression whether it is Katniss, having to accept the arbitrary rules set by the Capitol, or rather the Gamemakers or Alice, who has to cope with the tyrannical queen. This confrontation leads to a reflection about the self, which both girls experience. Another theme worth comparing is therefore the depiction of identity formation and the chaos that comes with growing up. As a last issue I will concentrate on the way Collins and Carroll contrast artificial and natural elements in their fantasy worlds.
Government oppression is a topic unfortunately still current in our world and as well relevant to Katniss and Alice. Katniss, who after sacrificing herself for her sister Prim has to participate in the Hunger Games, experiences the Capitol’s control on her own body. It is already in the beginning of the novel, where the reader gets to know that “Starvation is not an uncommon fate in District 12” (Collins 33). The Capitol doesn’t provide enough food for the residents in the poorer Districts and that is why Katniss knows the
“Off with their heads!“ (Carroll 122) could be the motto of Suzanne Collins’ bestseller The Hunger Games. Published in 2008, the novel tells the dystopian story of Katniss, a young girl who has to participate in a fight-to-death-tournament with 23 other teenagers. Connoisseurs might have recognized the quotation of the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, first published in 1865. Mostly known as a children’s book, the novel depicts the story of Alice a girl that finds herself in a wonderland, where she meets many curious people and gets confronted with arbitrary brutality. Although they don’t seem to have much in common at first glance and have a totally different date of origin, both novels provide room for comparison in terms of their claim to criticize society. The protagonists constantly find themselves confronted with the theme of government oppression whether it is Katniss, having to accept the arbitrary rules set by the Capitol, or rather the Gamemakers or Alice, who has to cope with the tyrannical queen. This confrontation leads to a reflection about the self, which both girls experience. Another theme worth comparing is therefore the depiction of identity formation and the chaos that comes with growing up. As a last issue I will concentrate on the way Collins and Carroll contrast artificial and natural elements in their fantasy worlds.
Government oppression is a topic unfortunately still current in our world and as well relevant to Katniss and Alice. Katniss, who after sacrificing herself for her sister Prim has to participate in the Hunger Games, experiences the Capitol’s control on her own body. It is already in the beginning of the novel, where the reader gets to know that “Starvation is not an uncommon fate in District 12” (Collins 33). The Capitol doesn’t provide enough food for the residents in the poorer Districts and that is why Katniss knows the