Comparative Essay: The Hunger Games and Fahrenheit 451

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” This quote said by Kofi Annan relates extremely well to these stories in which information is crucial to everything. In the book “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, Katniss Everdeen volunteers for an annual “tribute” to the government in place of her sister. In this competition she has to make it through many challenges brought on her by the Capitol and slowly she learns more about the society she has to survive in. In the short novel “Farenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, a fireman, Guy Montag, meets a girl that makes him realize he wants more out of life. To do that, Montag breaks the law to read books and find his true self while escaping the government. Katniss Everdeen and Guy Montag have differing views and tactics, but both have to deal with a government controlled society. This trait will be explored through the complacency of the people in society, government control, and the ways in which they rebel against the government.

The first trait shared in both of the books is the complacency of the citizens. In “The Hunger Games”, Katniss grew up in district 12 separated from the Capitol and never understanding why people let the games happen in the first place. When Katniss goes into the Capitol for the first time she sees all these lavishly dressed people and she wonders, “What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to rill in and die for their entertainment?” (Collins 60). This quote shows that the people in the society, especially people in the Capitol, don’t actually care about anyone but themselves and will go along with whatever the government says. Similarly in “Farenheit 451”, Montag lives in a society that has long since stopped reading books and went along with the government when they were banned. Captain Beatty explained to Montag, “It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no!” (Bradbury 58). This quote from Farenheit 451 shows that not only does their government just control the populations, but that the citizens actually choose to follow whatever they say willingly.

The second trait that is featured in each book is the pressure from the strong government control. In “Farenheit 451”, society has been propagandized and controlled entirely by the government. Like Beatty told Montag, “If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none” (Bradbury 61). This quote shows that the government doesn’t want people to think, but instead wants to control everything the citizens do. In “The Hunger Games” we also see a society governed by a totalitarian government that keeps its citizens under control by splitting them up and punishing them harshly. When Katniss goes out hunting the book makes it clear that, “...trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carries the severest of penalties…” (Collins 4). This quote highlights the need for the government to inflict harsh punishments to maintain order and dominance.