There are many similarities between the Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins) and the Marrow Thieves (by Cherie Dimaline), as they are both dystopian fictions. The two texts highlight Katniss Everdeen (a 16-year-old volunteer for the Hunger Games) and Frenchie (a 16-year-old Indigenous boy on the run from the Marrow Thieves) and their groups, as secret resistance organizations fighting against a corrupt and oppressive government. There is an overall theme present of exploitation and dehumanization of marginalized groups by people in power. Panem’s government suppresses those living in the districts, while Canada’s (future) government oppresses Indigenous people and their culture. Both of these brutalities are unjustified reactions of the government …show more content…
There are many smaller parallels (mini-themes) between the two texts. The first is forced participation in deadly activities. The Indigenous people must run from the recruiters and will do anything to avoid getting sent to residential schools, including killing those who betrayed them. Frenchie thought “We were now running, looking at reality” (Dimaline, 47). As names are called in District 12 during the Hunger Games reaping, “Primrose Everdeen” is called as Prim looks devastated as she has just been handed a death ticket at the ripe age of 12. Another resemblance is in the uprising of those in power. In the third movie “Hunger Games - Mockingjay - Part 1”, Katniss and her resistance group release a TV commercial in which fire is shown and she says the infamous line of “Fire is catching.if we burn, you burn with us!”. Likewise, Frenchie makes the decision to “go after Minerva” (Dimaline, 153) and shut down all residential schools to restore peace in society. A third similarity is shown in the loss of loved ones. Katniss and Frenchie show the great lengths they are willing to go for their loved ones, including killing betrayers (Travis) and being sent to death (Katniss in the Hunger Games) for