9. Embrace The Subtleties
In the books themselves, there is a deep vein of satire and political commentary running throughout the series that, while not essential to your understanding of the plot, adds greatly to its depth. It is especially interesting for example, the name of the country: Panem. Panem literally means bread in Latin and the clever use of this phrase is directly linked to the saying "panem et circenses," which means bread and circuses. For anyone who isn't a history geek, this refers to the methods of control used in ancient Rome to keep the commoners in place. If they were given enough food to live and enough entertainment to feel alive, it was a sure-fire way to help control the masses. Gladiators and sustenance: the needs of ancient Rome. Back to the Hunger Games. The games obviously play the role of the circuses, and an interesting comparison can be made between the reality shows of today and the possible horrors of a dystopian future. Now, surely people would be used to the suffering caused by such events - after all, in ancient Rome the concerns of the gladiators weren't exactly the most pressing issue. People would be used to seeing their children die, however horrific it would be. The image above shows the rebellion in District Eleven that occurs in the film. In the books, hints of rebellion are covered far more succinctly - there is no rebellion in Hunger Games, or at the very least they are hidden from view. It is only when Snow warns Katniss of what she has done that we have any idea of the danger that is coming. Rebelling over one child's death in a world of death and misery does jar, but rebelling in the hope of changing your country for the better makes a lot more sense. Let's hope that the satirical elements of the Hunger Games are kept down to a minimum, since some things are best left to the imagination.