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Post by lisasortino on Feb 7, 2016 23:04:40 GMT
Although the The Hunger Games does not take place in America, it does relate to the American Dream. The major theme of The Hunger Games is having hope. This relates to the American Dream in which people hope to be successful which motivates them to work hard and achieve their goal. Katniss faces a lot of adversity, but she overcomes this adversity because she is motivated to win; just as Americans overcome failure all the time in order to reach their dream.
In addition to this, in The Hunger Games, Katniss stays true to her own beliefs and morals. She does not pretend to be someone she's not nor does she give in to corruption in order to be successful. She becomes the symbol for staying true to what you believe. This relates to the aspect of the American Dream in which you are happy with where you are and how you got there. Achieving success through corruption or bribery is not the equivalent to achieving the American Dream. The American Dream is achieving happiness through working hard and staying true to who you are.
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Post by amandakaliner on Feb 7, 2016 23:22:49 GMT
This is interesting, but I feel as though you could also say that the Hunger Games destroys the American Dream. Katniss and Gale and everyone else in District 12 can work extremely hard their entire lives and yet they will never be able to get out of poverty and into the Capitol. In the Hunger Games, there is the rich and the poor and there can be no in-between before Katniss starts her uprising.
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Post by briwiegand on Feb 8, 2016 0:44:32 GMT
I agree with both of you. Katniss can be seen as a virtual respresentation of the American Dream for she works hard to achieve her goals and never gives up in the face of injustice. However, she is the only person highlighted in the hunger games. There are millions of people in the districts who work hard their whole lives for nothing in return. They see the Capitol as the epitome of success and yet no one can get there unless they are born there. President Snow is the ultimate successful leader and yet he only got his position through poison and scandal. Because of this, I believe the Capitol is the illusion of the American Dream for the people of panem to look up to. It gives them hope that keeps them in line.
But let's go back to Katniss. She stands against the Capitol and rejects their lies. By doing this she heads a revolution by giving the people a revitalized sense of hope. So really she is the true American Dream because she is compelled by her own morals and is able to achieve not only success for herself, but for all of Panem.
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Post by ronaldrajan on Feb 8, 2016 0:44:34 GMT
Actually Lisa, the Hunger Games does indeed take place in America, however it may be the ruins of America which is simply renamed Panem. Other than this I totally agree with what you are saying about how Katniss seems to express some of the traits of the American Dream. She is a strong and independent young woman who goes to great lengths to protect herself and the people that she loves, which is a defining characteristic of what an american hero would be. And any characteristic of an American hero is also in the American Dream.
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kchen
New Member
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Post by kchen on Feb 8, 2016 1:06:07 GMT
i think another aspect of The Hunger Games that is important to note is the wide gap between the people of the Capitol and those in the districts. The people living in the Capitol have more than enough to eat while the people in the districts struggle to put food on their tables. This reflects the increasing difficulty in our world to achieve the American Dream. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Katniss defies these odds and becomes a victor, but at a high cost. She has to deal with the consequences of killing other children in the arena. Perhaps this represents the immoral paths people sometimes take to achieve the American Dream, like Gatsby.
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Post by anewman98 on Feb 8, 2016 2:03:18 GMT
i think another aspect of The Hunger Games that is important to note is the wide gap between the people of the Capitol and those in the districts. This is interesting to notice. I think the wide gap between the Capitol and districts relates to the gap between the rich and the poor. No matter how hard those in the districts work or fight, they will never be able to truly make their way up the class ladder. They are bound by the lower class and can't achieve the ideal American Dream. This is similar to the Great Gatsby. Gatsby starts off as a lower class individual with hopes of achieving the American Dream. Even though he works hard (illegally, but hard) to reach the top, he dies before he can gain the life he wanted. This shows that the American Dream is either not real or only available to those who are born into it. However, if the definition of American Dream is redefined, it may be attainable. If we see the American Dream as happiness more than success, every class could be able to achieve it in some way. |
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Post by rcb1008 on Feb 8, 2016 2:58:58 GMT
I agree Lisa, Katniss is a prime example of the American Dream (even though she doesn't live in the United States). Suzanne Collins, in my opinion alludes to Panem as being a representation of a post-United States country and while reading the books noticed eerie similarities. Katinss' character satisfies all aspects of the American Dream in that she is poor, yet yearns to be better than she is, and uses her struggles as a force of revolution. Additionally, I found the part you mentioned about "staying true to her morals" to be interesting as well. Part of the American Dream that is not often highlighted is individualism. In the United States all people have the ability via the American Dream to succeed in their own fashion. Katinss was rough around the edges, and did things her own way which, I think, is why she is such a powerful figure, and hero in contemporary literature.
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Post by jillian on Feb 8, 2016 3:13:49 GMT
I Feel like The Hunger Games is a good representation of how the American Dream is pursued. Sacrifices are made, some corruption occurs, and the winner comes out on top, but with many people resenting them for their success, whether it be because they are jealous or whether they themselves feel threatened. I think the Hunger Games and the American Dream can also be connected through the fact that only a select few succeed leaving the majority still wallowing in poverty no matter how hard they work to succeed.
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Post by hopekim on Feb 8, 2016 5:25:57 GMT
This is interesting, but I feel as though you could also say that the Hunger Games destroys the American Dream. Katniss and Gale and everyone else in District 12 can work extremely hard their entire lives and yet they will never be able to get out of poverty and into the Capitol. In the Hunger Games, there is the rich and the poor and there can be no in-between before Katniss starts her uprising. I think this is a really good point, and I am assuming that this thread only pertains to the first novel in the The Hunger Games series, but taking a look at the subsequent novels, I think that you could actually argue the exact opposite of what you are saying. When you say, "Katniss and Gale and everyone else in District 12 can work extremely hard their entire lives and yet they will never be able to get out of poverty and into the Capitol", this is actually achieved in later novels. I think the fact that this is eventually achieved in later novels after her uprising also says something about the American Dream. That even if you work really hard for something (what you said about Katniss, Gale, and everyone in District 12), you won't be able to achieve wealth and success (not being put into the Hunger Games) unless you make a change (Katniss's uprising). In other words, for the American Dream to be plausible, you cannot just think that hard work automatically equals sucess; you have to change something about your life or society in order for the American Dream to become an American Reality. |
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