INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Panem, where you live in the districts without freedoms, rights and happiness and obediently slave away to provide for the corrupt capitol.
In a dystopian world there is a totalitarian government, a hero questions society and a backstory of war and revolution.
Panem is a dystopian society in The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins.
POINT 1 – Totalitarian Government
Firstly, in a dystopian society there is a Totalitarian Government.
In the Hunger Games, the Totalitarian Government is the capitol that relies on the subservience of the 12 districts to control Panem.
The capitol is described by Katniss as luxurious and clean. ”If anything, they have not quite captured the magnificence of the glistening buildings in a rainbow of hues that tower into the air, the shiny cars that roll down the wide paved streets, the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and painted faces who have never missed a meal”.
In the Seam in district 12, the mine workers and their houses are described as, ‘Men and woman with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, many of whom have long since stopped trying to scrub the coal dust out of their broken nails and the lines of their sunken faces. But today the black cinder streets are empty. Shutters on squat grey houses are closed.’ The tyrannical capitol has an excess number of resources that they divide inequality among themselves and the 12 districts.
They give themselves cars and roads while those in the Seam walk around everywhere. They capitol has preferred food in both quantity and quality compared to the Seam. The capitol controls everything in Panem being a Totalitarian Government in a dystopian society.
POINT 2 – Hero Questions Society
Secondly, Katniss Everdeen questions the dystopian society she lives in, to her friends and family. From a young age Katniss has been inquisitive and rebellious, ‘When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out about district 12, about the people who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the capitol’.
The protagonist is aware of the inequal distribution of resources. As Katniss grew older, she became aware of how dangerous it was saying those things. ‘Eventually I understood this would only lead us to more trouble. So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts’. She knew that if she carried on the capitol would potentially harm Katniss and her family to keep her silent.
Katniss questioned the dystopian society she lived in observing the suffering in her neighborhood while the capitol lived comfortably in their homes, most of them oblivious to their injustices.
POINT 3 – Backstory of War and Rebellion
Lastly, a backstory of war and rebellion is another aspect that makes up a dystopian society. District 13 rebelled against the capitol, along with the other 12 districts. The capitol retaliated and bombed district 13. From this uprising the Hunger Games derived as a punishment for the other 12 districts.
The capitol named the days of the uprising, the Dark Days constantly reminding the citizens of Panem that the days should never be repeated at the Reaping each year. The capitol is mocking the districts with the Hunger Games, ‘“Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.”’
The capitol manipulates the districts into believing that they are a Saviour to Panem by swooping in and ending the war, talking about peace and new laws. The harsh reality was that control over the districts was slipping from the capitol’s fingers when the uprising began, so the capitol had to eliminate their opposition to regain power and incite fear in the districts again.
Destroying district 13 caused the other 12 districts to cower before the capitol again. Panem is a dystopian society because there is a backstory of war and rebellion.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Panem is a dystopian society where the Capitol dictates the 12 districts with an iron fist ready to destroy those who oppose their rule. The government takes shape in a totalitarian form, the backstory of war and rebellion created the Hunger Games and a hero questioning dystopian society.
Make sure you are on the lookout for the signs of a dystopian society, so we don’t end up in one ourselves.
Uncoffined 
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