The Hunger Games franchise is an incredibly impactful and debilitatingly devastating series, evidenced by its plot, where children were forced to fight to the death for viewers’ entertainment. Since seeing the first film at just eight years old, I’ve been utterly fascinated by the complex and brilliant mind of the franchise’s creator, Suzanne Collins. Every aspect of Collins’ work—from character names to flowers in a field—has significance to her overarching political and social commentaries.
One of my favourite scenes throughout all five films is Cato’s speech, right before his death. These few minutes completely shift the audience’s understanding of the narrative. Following an intense chase scene and a nerve-racking fight with Cato that nearly resulted in the deaths of the two main characters, Katniss and Peeta, this speech shifts the scene from stressful to devastating.
During this stalemate, Cato tells Katniss to shoot him so he and Peeta would fall and she would win. Cato states he’s “dead anyway,” a declaration that makes Katniss falter slightly, realising that Cato isn’t her enemy and never really was. Through tears and a bitter smile, Cato states that he “always was” dead, although he “didn’t know that till now”. He confesses that killing is the only thing he knows how to do “bringing pride” to his home district.
Alexander Ludwig’s performance of a broken boy realising that everything he’s been taught in his life is a lie turns the film’s main antagonist into a tragedy. Previously, Cato appeared as an arrogant killer who found joy in slaughter. This moment of realisation humanises Cato, as he is a product of his environment and is victim to the same system as Katniss. Additionally, the audience is reminded of the fact that he is just a child. This speech conveys that he, as well as the other Career tributes, were brainwashed and manipulated into thinking that the Games were these great, glorious events in which they could win much honour, when in reality, they were essentially born to die.
This scene exemplifies one of the franchise’s main themes: to “remember who the real enemy is”—that being the corrupt government. Collins uses Cato’s tragic character and moment of realisation to assert that everyone is a victim to the system. The emotion of this scene exemplifies her commentary on how the oppressed are pitted against each other, even though they share the same enemy.
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