In March 2022, Forbes published an article titled “Why ‘The Hunger Games’ Vanished from The Pop Culture Conversation.” A year later, this could not be further from the truth. It feels like we’ve been transported back to 2012 when Katniss Everdeen was the it-girl of YA dystopia, and rifts formed between “team Gale” and “team Peeta” factions (team Peeta forever, by the way). The Hunger Games is once again the subject of enthusiastic online discussion.
This newfound love is, in part, a cleverly manufactured marketing ploy, as the new Hunger Games prequel film, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is released later this year. All films from the trilogy have been readded to Netflix, thus allowing people to rediscover their brilliance. We must applaud their canny marketing; it has certainly got everyone talking again. This will surely bring newly enthused audiences to the box office in November.
However, there is more to the resurgence of The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins’ remarkable trilogy feels more relevant than ever. In today’s tumultuous political climate, it is unsurprising that people are reconnecting with the novels. Many readers draw parallels between the gross overindulgence of citizens in the Capitol amidst a poverty-stricken Panem and the ignorant attitudes of today’s politicians and billionaires. The genius of The Hunger Games lies in the ironic artifice that encapsulates the entire series; the idea that, as much as readers/viewers are outwardly appalled by the actions of the Capitol, we mirror them in our eagerness to observe the violence and dramas play out. I used to think the ‘hunger’ in the title referred to the abject poverty and deprivation in Panem. Now, I acknowledge that it also represents the hunger for the spectacle of human suffering. Why else would they make a prequel unless they knew this sadistic voyeurism had the power to amass audiences?
Although she is somewhat polarising, Katniss Everdeen plays a significant role in the series’ popularity. Some may find her unlikeable and uncharismatic, but I believe those criticisms miss the point. Katniss is not supposed to be a heroic figure we all cheer for. She is an ordinary teenage girl forced into a horrific situation by an inhumane regime. She could be any one of us, and that is the point Suzanne Collins makes. I love Katniss Everdeen for her selfishness and prickly exterior. She may be the “girl on fire”, but ultimately, Katniss is a regular sixteen-year-old whose desperate self-sacrifice for her sister lands her, unwillingly, at the face of a revolutionary war. If we’re honest with ourselves, I don’t imagine any of us would act dissimilarly if we were in her shoes.
I support the reignited excitement towards The Hunger Games. Upon every reread, I notice nuances that I never saw before. This series is always worth our time. It is a masterpiece of political dystopia and, though intended for young adult audiences, continues to be loved by people of all ages.
Image “Hunger Games” by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.