”TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN”: An Analysis of the Utopian and Dystopian Aspects in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games Trilogy

Abstract

Suzanne Collins’ young adult novels The Hunger Games trilogy present a dystopian tale told through the eyes of the protagonist Katniss Everdeen. While the novels lift several topics that are common in dystopian fiction, this essay will focus on the controlling power of the governments introduced in the novels, one led by President Coriolanus Snow and the other led by President Alma Coin. I use Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony and John Gaventa’s theory of power as frameworks to discuss and compare the Presidents’ ruling powers over their respective societies. Furthermore, I also use Gene Sharp’s theory of nonviolence as a foundation to examine a nonviolent approach to the rebellion presented in the novels. The aim of this essay is to illustrate that the trilogy makes readers question the governing powers at play. I argue that Collins is problematizing our understanding of what a good and bad governing power is by blurring the thin line between the dystopian and utopian societies in the trilogy.