An Interdisciplinary Study of Allusive Character Names and Implied Meaning in The Hunger Games

Abstract

This is an interdisciplinary essay discussing the allusive character names with classical sources of origin in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy The Hunger Games. This study shows that knowledge of these references is important in order to understand more complex aspects of the characters and the overriding themes of the novel. Drawing upon the previous research of Trites and Clemente, this study reflects upon the importance of understanding implied meaning and the ability to decode the author’s intentions. The results of this study are discussed in relation to aspects of the core content of English 6 and English 7 in Swedish upper secondary schools.