Caroline Carpenter - Guide to The Hunger Games: The World of The Hunger Games

Thanks to all my family and friends for their love and support, especially Leisha who gave me my first copy of The Hunger Games and my parents for always believing in me.

This book was written by a tribute for other tributes to enjoy. Your dedication, creativity and enthusiasm in Hunger Games discussions, forums, artwork and fansites inspired me to write this guide.

I would like to thank everyone at Plexus whose hard work and help made this book come together, especially: Sandra Wake for taking a risk on this book and giving me the chance to write it; Laura Slater for her insightful suggestions and feedback; Laura Coulman for guiding me through this process with excellent advice and fantastic editing; and Coco Wake-Porter, whose innovative designs have brought the text to life. Special thanks also goes to Veronika Kantorovitch, a wonderful friend and very talented artist, who took the time out of her busy schedule to share my vision and contribute her beautiful illustrations.

The following books, magazines, and websites proved invaluable in writing this book. The author and editors would like to give special thanks to: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins; Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins; Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare; Wuthering Heights by Emily Bront; Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell; The Hunger Games Companion by Louis H. Gresh; The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster; The Time Machine by H. G. Wells; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare; Battle Royale by Koushun Takami; The Girl who was on Fire by various authors, edited by Leah Wilson; Vanity Fair; Entertainment Weekly; suzannecollinsbooks.com; wikipedia.com; imdb.com; thehungergames.co.uk; thehungergamesmovie.com scholastic.com/thehungergames; deviantart.com; mtv.com; hungergamesmovie.org; mockingjay.net; thehungergames.wikia.com; thehob.org; jabberjays.com; hggirlonfire.com; hungergamesdwtc.net; hungergamestrilogy.net; myhungergames.com.

THIS PUBLICATION HAS NOT BEEN PREPARED, APPROVED OR LICENSED BY ANY ENTITY THAT CREATED OR PRODUCED THE WELL-KNOWN BOOK SERIES, THE HUNGER GAMES.

W ith The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins has created something truly special. So, just whats the inspiration behind her string of wildly successful books? Collins says that the idea came to her one night when she was channel-surfing between a reality TV competition and actual war footage. The lines began to blur in this very unsettling way, recalls Collins. And, from here, the seed of her creation was sown; which shouldnt come as a surprise. So many elements of the story the surgically enhanced people of the Capitol and their obsession with reality TV mirror the Western world (albeit a very extreme version). The Hunger Games is clearly very much a product of our own troubled times.

However, Collins writing is shaped by more than just current affairs, drawing on a rich array of classical references besides. The timeless story of Theseus and the Minotaur is particularly important for the development of Collins protagonist, Katniss. Mentioned by Collins on numerous occasions, this Greek myth recounts how, in a bid to stop King Minos of Crete from attacking his land, King Aegeus of Athens agreed to a deal whereby, every nine years, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls would be sent to Crete to be eaten by the Minotaur, a monstrous half-man, half-bull kept by Minos in a maze on the island. However, after this ritual had taken place a couple of times, King Aegeus son Theseus volunteered to be one of the youths sacrificed to the Minotaur, with the intention of killing the beast and ending the atrocity once and for all. When he arrived in Crete, King Minos daughter Ariadne fell in love with him. Desperate to help him overcome the Minotaur, she provided him with string and a sword. As he wandered deeper into the labyrinth, Theseus unravelled the string to leave a trail behind him. Using the sword given to him by his sweetheart, he somehow managed to slay the monster. Then it was simply a question of following the thread hed laid to find his way back to Ariadne.

Theseus story had a profound impact upon Suzanne Collins as a child. She was deeply affected by the ruthless way that the childrens deaths were used as a form of punishment. The parallels between this myth and The Hunger Games a tale of young people chosen to die, within a society that is powerless to stop it are immediately evident. Both stories are centred on the terrible bargains made to appease an all-powerful, dominant force. In the ancient myth, the human sacrifice stops the Cretans unleashing further destruction on the Athenians; in The Hunger Games, the tradition is payback for a much earlier failed rebellion against the ruling power. But perhaps the clearest comparison to be drawn is between the heroes at the heart of each narrative. Theseus proves he is admirably fearless and selfless when he volunteers to face the Minotaur; likewise, Katniss stands out when she puts herself forward to take part in the dangerous Hunger Games in place of her younger sister. This element of self-sacrifice is fundamental to both characters and, while Katniss does not set out to overthrow the practice that threatens the children of her nation (the Hunger Games) in the same way that Theseus does, her actions ultimately lead to the same conclusion.

Another source of classical inspiration within Collins books is that of the Roman Empire. She has said herself that, the world of Panem, particularly the Capitol, is loaded with Roman references. Not only are many words in the book derived from Latin (the name of the nation itself, Panem; Avox; tessera), but several of the Capitol-dwelling characters have traditionally Roman names, such as Octavia, Seneca, Venia, Flavius and Portia. Even more significant is the use of gladiatorial games as a form of entertainment. When the Roman Empire was at its height, these games in which fighters battled to the death in an arena, often with dangerous animals thrown in were incredibly popular and watched by huge audiences. The Hunger Games are essentially an updated form of these events an assortment of kids forced to fight to the death by a sadistic government, in the name of an exciting show. A marked difference is that the Hunger Games are not watched by a live audience, but through television screens (in an eerie echo of the hugely popular reality TV shows that dominate the airwaves today). Nevertheless, the reaction of the crowd remains paramount. With the makers of the games constantly seeking new ways to keep things interesting, the viewers response can play a vital role in how the action unfolds, for tributes and gladiators alike.

As well as ancient history, Collins drew ideas from her own upbringing. Her father a military specialist, historian and doctor of political science was also an Air Force officer who fought in the Vietnam War for an entire year of her childhood, meaning that, from a young age, she was taught the consequences of war, poverty and starvation. Her fathers absence (echoed by that of Katniss dead father years later) meant that stories such as Theseus and the Minotaur, telling of families torn apart by destructive forces beyond their control, hit young Suzanne especially hard. However, her father never shielded her from the harsh realities of war and tried to explain things in a way that was appropriate for her age, whilst also trusting that his daughter could cope with a certain amount of truth in much the same way that Collins herself would come to write about serious and complex issues for her young audience.