Examples Of Evil In The Hunger Games

Good vs Evil

No one is inherently good or evil. The intricate concept regarding the morality of an individual is simply based on one’s perception of the world around them; the outside factors, ultimately manipulating a person’s train of thought. The Hunger Games, a novel written by Suzanne Collins, is a tale of a sixteen year old girl named Katniss, and her misfortune regarding the authoritarian society in which she lives. Katniss consistently questions the wealthy government – the Capitol — that reigns over its poverty ridden districts with the constant fear of being brought into the Hunger Games. These games gamble with the lives of young children, pitting them against each other, and utilizing their deaths for the entertainment of the masses

This is brought to our attention through Haymitch, an ill-tempered individual who had undergone trauma at a young age within the games displayed in the novel. Moreover, the intentions of a person and the effects of their actions cannot be morally justified as either good or evil without taking into account the situation they have been put in. This point can be seen within the tributes of the games themselves as they fight for survival, but ultimately killing others to do so. As a result of such logic, the characters in the novel, “The Hunger Games”, cannot be defined as either good or evil. Ignorance is quite a ruinous notion, but not necessarily uncommon in this novel. The concept of ignorance is best portrayed through the desensitization of the idea of the Hunger Games, within the Capitol, and its citizens. “The wide streets are full of dancing people.” (Collins) In this section of the novel, the joyous celebrations of the Capitol citizens in honor of the upcoming games are most evident. Although their affinity for violent entertainment does not make these characters inherently good, the lack of remorse for enjoying the Hunger Games does not necessarily make an individual evil or sinister.

In the novel, this concept is best exemplified by District 12’s lone victor, Haymitch Abernathy. In this passage, “...a paunchy, middle aged man, who at this moment appears to be hollering something unintelligible, staggers onto the stage, and falls into the third chair. He’s drunk. Very.” (Collins) Haymitch is portrayed to be an alcoholic who tends to fail to provide much help to his own tributes due to his chosen vice. Consequently, this large fragment of his character creates a negative image within the thoughts of both the characters in the novel, and the reader. Although in hindsight, his apathetic approach to the formality of the games in his usual drunken stupor, may be initially perceived as morally wrong, is Haymitch Abernathy truly to be identified as evil due to his affinity for alcohol and general apathy for his tributes? The answer is no. In the following passage from the book, Catching Fire, Katniss describes the second Quarter Quell, “But in school I remember hearing that for the second Quarter Quell, the Capitol demanded that twice the number of tributes be provided for the arena. The teachers didn't go into much more detail, which is surprising, because that was the year District 12's very own