A key feature of a dystopian literature, such as "1984" and "Hunger Games" is that the protagonist rebels, often unsuccessfully against the regime.

Authors Avatar by aisha_issaoutlookcom (student)

A key feature of a dystopian literature is that the protagonist rebels, often unsuccessfully against the regime.

To rebel is to revolt against the ruling power, reject accepted conventions and takes an individual or group that’s resistant to authority. In a dystopian novel, such as George Orwell’s 1984 and Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games, the typicality is for the protagonist to rebel against the corrupted regime. Winston Smith is the protagonist of 1984, and it is through him that the readers have the capacity to comprehend and feel the agony that exists in the totalitarian society of Oceania. Katniss Everdeen is the main protagonist, the narrator, and District 12's female tribute, a determined teenager trying to survive the totalitarian control. It’s the protagonist that helps the readers recognise the negative aspects in a dystopian world through their perspective, this is because Winston and Katniss are able to see the unethical in Oceania and Panem. Orwell and Collins create a world in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained by a repressive dictatorship ruling. This makes the readers associate with past dictatorship ruling, like; Joseph Stalin’s USSR and Adolf Hitler’s Germany era of ruling as they were manipulative and sadistic and used propaganda and secret police to prevent people from rebelling against their ruling. These techniques are similar in 1984 and Hunger Games as the leaders dehumanise citizens of Oceania and Panem by the use of Thought Police and Peacekeepers. The similarity between Stalin rule in the Soviet Union and 1984 could be because Orwell experienced first-hand a totalitarianism control when fighting in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the left-wing communist government which was embattled by General Francisco Franco, in other terms 1984 could be written as a warning to humanity.

In Panem there is inequality between the rich and poor, most of the poverty is isolated to the last of the Districts where earning a very small living is life. Katniss condemn this when she says, “District 12 where you can starve to death in safety.” The use of dialogue would make the readers sympathise with Katniss because the Capitol is claiming District 12 to be a safe haven, although it is the poorest District and cannot afford food for its inhabitants. This also may be the reason why Katniss hunts illegally in the woods beyond the District’s borders to feed her family. Hunting is illegal due to the fact that the Capitol is seeking power and control over the Districts by limiting food in order for them be the suppliers. In other words; by not allowing them to hunt, the Capitol can make sure that the only food source comes from them, this giving the Capitol an advantage and power. Katniss is rebellious as she is hunting illegally and if she was caught she’ll be murdered. This links to the fact that children living in District 12 are more likely to take tesserae tokens to survive due to the shortage of food compared to children living in the Capitol, this is because they would be tempted for a ration of oil and food. This is the reason why children living in the Districts are entered in the reaping. Collins makes the readers feel sorrowful for those living in District 12 by the use of the word ‘starve’. We associate with someone that is malnourished and creates an image of someone suffering from hunger which is a fear for all societies. Collins inspiration came from ancient Rome, so we can see a comparison between the tributes and the Roman gladiators because gladiators that fought in the arena had no choice, since they were often slaves or prisoners of war.

Join now!

Similarly from Panem, in Oceania there is also inequality between the rich and poor. The small Inner Party seems to live in luxury whilst the Outer Party members live in rundown apartments and the larger population, the ‘proles’ live in poverty. The ruling regime being the wealthiest and smallest population shows that wealth has not been divided equally and is contained for power. Through Winston, third-person narrative we’re informed that the proles live in decayed and bombed ruined houses, which indicates a war has occurred. This is a common convention in dystopian literature as war or a revolution had to ...

This is a preview of the whole essay