Conflict Theory and the Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is about the Capitol of Panem (government) and how they keep their control on the people (that make up the twelve districts) by forcing two people from each district (one male and one female) to compete in a televised event called the Hunger Games. Each of the tributes (the selected male and female) have to fight for their lives until there's one person remaining (the victor). The victor receives money for life from the Capitol and they along with their families are allowed to live in a victors village in their district. One of the main characters in this movie, Katniss, volunteers to take part in the Games because her younger sister was drawn as the female representative. Throughout the movie shows the struggles and difficulties that In my opinion, The Hunger Games has more than one of the sociological perspectives represented in the movie but the perspective most represented and shown throughout the movie is Conflict Theory.

Conflict Theory can be understood by competition for scarce resources or how the elite control the poor and weak (Karl Marx). The reason I believe that Conflict Theory is most represented in this movie is that in the movie there are twelve districts (district one is luxury compared to district twelve which is mining) and the Capitol. The people who are in the Capitol are rich and flaunt their wealth- you can tell by the type of clothes they wear in the movie- compared to the district members who have to find or hunt for basic things like food and water (for example, Katniss from district twelve had to search for food in the garbage to feed her family). Another example of how conflict theory is infused in the movie is during the Games itself; because each tribute has to protect themselves in order to survive and win the games. In lesson 5 we learned about gender/sexuality and race/ethnicity, that being said, in The Hunger Games the movie cast was very diverse.

For example, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) played the role of Katniss's stylist, Rue (Amandla Stenberg) played the role of a tribute from district eleven who reminded Katniss of her sister and formed a bond with her, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) played the male tribute from district twelve, and Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) played the tribute from district twelve. In the movie, the tributes chosen were one male and one female, where their ages varied as well. In lesson 6 we learned about the economy/politics and family/aging, with this in mind, in The Hunger Games the movie showcased the differences between the government and its wealth with other districts. The government had its control over the people by punishing the ones that refused to follow rules in public so they could spread that fear.

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