A Simulacra Criticism of The Hunger Games

The Spectacle |The Pleasure of the Capitol|:

The Hunger Games takes place in an alternative United States country called Panem. A failed, past rebellion by the districts against the Capitol resulted in the punishment of one boy and one girl from participating in a pageant where they fight to the death in a battle royale. It serves as a reminder of the cost of insurrection. For the members of the Capitol who watch the event as entertainment, they give into the illusion that the district members deserve punishment. As the weaker citizens of Panem, they must fight for their survival. President Snow created the entire game as a school project, later adopted for real punishment after the rebellion. This highlights Baudrillard's concept of simulation as the creation of the real through the creation of conceptual models. The Hunger Games were forced punishment that reminded the people of Panem to stay in line with the regime. The Capitol citizens still view the event as a spectacle because they consume it as entertainment media rather than have their livelihoods threatened by the games like the district members. The Capitol people are a privileged population whose status and wealth let them ignore the realities they inflict on others since their perspective deems district members deserving.

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The people of the 12 districts do not treat the games as a spectacle because they witness friends, family, and themselves suffer. It serves as a reminder of how rebellion is forbidden, and they must mourn for their past. The Hunger Games was implemented to maintain order and productivity in the districts while entertaining the Capitol. 

 

The Games |The Simulation of Participation|:

The Hunger Games is a complete simulation, even though all the participants are physically and forcibly in the arena. All 24 participants are forced into killing one another for glory. The ultimate act of killing one another for glory and survival is constructed reality and an example of 'The Puppet' concept. Outside the games, the participants would have no reason to kill one another; the Capitol uses the games to create a reality because they are all spatially confined and cannot escape the arena. Thus, everyone is forced to participate because there is no alternative.

 

The arena of that game follows the fourth stage of the evolution of simulacra, the Simulation-Clones, which is indicative of a hyperreal environment. The participants cannot distinguish between what is real and what is cloned. Everyone in the arena is forced to act in what they think is their reality, even though the atmosphere constantly changes. There was a moment in the games where participants were forced to hear the sounds of their loved ones crying out in pain as a form of torture. It was symbolic of how rebellion would only result in the death and suffering of their families. The simulation sounded incredibly real that none of the participants could tell the difference between the clone and the actual voices of their families, which made them believe their construction was reality and they suffered hearing their families distraught. 

 

The Economic Element:

Simulacra analysis considers how the constructed hyperreal realities carry a lot of economic incentives, which is present in the Hunger Games. For victors of the game, they gain wealth for winning, and their district receives free food from the Capitol for a year. The participants want to win for survival and improve their district's lives. This economic interest drives them to fight to win. Also, by participating in the games and being likable to participate in the simulation, Capitol citizens will take a liking to the participant and send gifts during the games to help them survive. Therefore not participating in the entertainment production for Capitol citizens lessens the participant's chances of surviving. The participants become a part of the Capitals' reality while they watch the games unfold, forming emotional connections where they want to see their favorite win. However, they ignore the trauma of the experience they inflict on the Panem citizens since they do not suffer the reality of the games. 

 

Takeaways & My Opinion on Simulacra Criticism: 

1. Simulacra analysis is beneficial when analyzing dystopian mediums. It illustrates how these hyperrealities are constructed and why people participate in them. 

   1. The citizens of the Panem are being punished for a rebellion.

   2. Moreover, we are being reminded through the Hunger Games that rebellion only results in death and suffering. 

      1. The Capitol has held power for 75 years with wealth and punishment that leaves little room for change. 

2. Simulacra is interested in understanding our people engrained in the hyperreal reality. 

   1. When you continuously consume media related to a particular experience or thought, it is transformed into the ultimate truth, which people cannot distinguish from the real. 

   2. In the Hunger Games, after 75 years of experiencing the Capitol's punishment, Panem citizens see this as the only option since they know any alternative option would result in the same punishment as the first. 

3. It would be fascinating and all-encompassing to examine the franchise through the lens of narrative criticism to understand the significance of the characters, plot, relationships, and setting to greater cultural themes. 

4. Overall, understanding Hunger Games through the simulacra illustrates how people with wealth may view those with less as a spectacle because they are disconnected from reality. In contrast, the participants of the games must suffer in a hyperreal reality that preys on them and is inescapable from its constant torture.