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Ashlyn Thurston

Prof. Kelly Candelaria

English 350-03

11 November 2018

The Hunger Games​ and ​Unwind:​ The Human Drive for Survival

Dystopian worlds depict societies that are undesirable and fearsome. They are visual

representations of all-dominating political ideologies characterized by poverty, dehumanization,

tyrannical governments, social stratification, environmental disasters, uniformity, and other

horrors that aid in the cataclysmic downfall of a society. In the screen adaptations of Suzanne

Collins’ first and second novel in ​The Hunger Games​ trilogy, titled ​The Hunger Games​ and ​The

Hunger Games: Catching Fire​ respectively, and Neal Shusterman’s 2007 science fiction novel

Unwind,​ these two different worlds provide insight into the drives of the characters living in

post-apocalyptic, less-than-ideal places. Or perhaps a better way to put it would be ​surviving​,

because if dystopian literature and film has taught audiences anything, it’s that there is no living

in these societies. In the dystopian genre, there is only the all-encompassing theme and driving

force of these stories and characters: the innate will and momentum towards human survival.

In Gary Ross’ film ​The Hunger Games​ and Francis Lawrence’s film ​The Hunger Games:

Catching Fire​, the story follows the harrowing journey of young girl, Katniss Everdeen, after she

volunteers to take her sister’s place in the annual Hunger Games. In this dystopian world, the

Capitol in the nation of Panem forces one teenage boy and girl between the ages of twelve and

eighteen to be chosen every year from each of the twelve districts to compete in the Hunger

Games, a televised event where the chosen, called “tributes”, must fight to the death in an arena
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controlled by the Gamemakers until only one survivor remains. In Neal Shusterman’s novel

Unwind,​ two teens, Connor and Risa, and a tithe, Lev, run for their lives after being scheduled to

be unwound by their parents or the state. In this dystopia, the United States had a second Civil

War called the Heartland War fought over the issue of abortion that resulted in a law allowing

parents to sign an order in which their child could be “unwound” between the ages of thirteen

and eighteen. Though the term “unwound” is not very daunting, the process of “unwinding”

actually consists of the child being taken to a camp where their organs and body parts are

harvested for later use.

In comparison, both of these stories bring their central themes to life by painting vivid

pictures of futuristic nightmares dictated by governments that threaten the survival of the main

characters. Their choices, actions, and motivations all stem from one basic aspect of human

nature: survival. In other words, humans are wired to survive. Instinct has helped keep humans

alive for around two million years. There are biological triggers like the fight-or-flight response,

reported phenomena of mothers with the ability to lift a car off their children known as hysterical

strength, a baby’s survival mechanism to cry when they need something, et cetera. Survival is a

natural, primal instinct in human nature that functions as a fear-driven influencer to test the limits

of human behavior and see what people will do to survive when faced with the possibility of

danger or death.

The Hunger Games​ is all about survival. Once Katniss volunteers to take Prim’s place,

the only thing she can think about is being the last tribute standing and getting back to her family

and friends. All the other tributes are thinking the same thing. Even the people living in the

districts must try to survive in the harsh conditions of their home and get enough food in their
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bellies to avoid the risk of starvation. The theme of survival is at the core of this story. Before

Katniss and Peeta enter the arena, Peeta says, “I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show

them that they don’t own me. If I’m going to die, I want to still be me. Does it make any sense?”

to which Katniss replies, “I just can’t afford to think like that”. Katniss understands all that is at

stake for her. Whether or not she feels that the Capitol is using her is not of importance. Even

though Katniss would like to stick it to the man, it does not matter. None of it does. Katniss

pushes everything else out of her mind and focuses on the one thing that truly matters, survival.

Spoiler alert, Katniss survives. Following the aftermath of everything that goes down in

The Hunger Games,​ one would think Katniss could finally take a breather and do some very

well-deserved ‘R and R’ in Victor’s Village, but then again, the girl is still living in a dystopia

after all. Though she is out of the area, she still must act accordingly and appropriately. The

Capitol is under the impression that Katniss and Peeta are still the star-crossed lovers from

District 12 because of the show they put on in the last film. Therefore, Katniss and Peeta are

forced to keep up an appearance of truth or suffer the consequences. Just because the Games

ended does not mean their story does, and since Katniss and Peeta’s feigned relationship was

broadcasted to all of Panem, their love story must not only continue, but they must convince the

Capitol of their infatuation for one another for their own survival.

The theme of survival is especially significant in ​Catching Fire​ because most of the other

characters base their actions in pursuit of self-preservation. Though President Snow’s hatred for

Katniss is palpable, he is forced to keep the reality of Katniss and Peeta’s situation quiet in fear

of a rebellion, as he puts at the beginning of the film when he visits Katniss in District 12, “You

fought very hard in the Games, Miss Everdeen. But they were games. Would you like to be in a
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real war?” Ironically, both Snow and Katniss have the same goal in mind, survival. Although

they are for different reasons as President Snow must pretend it is business as usual and keep up

an appearance of power and authority or lose the Capitol while Katniss must make her public

relationship with Peeta believable if she wants to stay alive or doom District 12 to ashes. Not to

mention, President Snow throws a curveball at Katniss that forces her back back into the arena

for the Quarter Quell. Not only does Katniss have to keep up an appearance that portrays a fake

reality in order to live, she must also be a tribute again and survive another Hunger Games

fought by past victors making her chances of survival even that more dire.

There is one quote in ​Catching Fire​ that really encapsulates the theme of survival

presented in the story. Before the Games start, Katniss comments, “Nobody decent ever wins the

games” and Haymitch voices his opinion and truth that “Nobody ever wins the games. Period.

There are survivors. There’s no winners.” Haymitch understands there are no victors at the end

of the Games, there are only the individuals who were lucky enough to make it out alive. They

bring back to their district more than a title as they are forced to carry the burden of the painful

memories from the Games that are now seared into their minds. Even looking back at the first

film, the “Career Districts” believe they are there to fight, kill, bring honor to their district, win

the Games and become a victor, the true glamor of winning is not realized until it is too late. As

Cato holds Peeta hostage while Katniss tries to get a clear shot, Cato taunts her, “Go on! I’m

dead anyway. I always was, right? I didn’t know that until now. How’s that, is that what they

want?” Maimed, mangled, and losing copious amounts of blood, Cato, the fearsome killer from

District 2 that has been trained for the Games since birth, barely gripping onto his sanity in his

final moments reveals the truth about the Games and its alleged honor, “I can still do this. One
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more kill. It’s the only thing I know how to do. Bringing pride to my district! Not that it

matters.” Cato sums up the reality of the Hunger Games in four words, “None of it matters” and

for once, he is right. There is no honor in the Games, there is only the sadistic, violent

entertainment of children slaughtering each other for the amusement of the elites in the Capitol.

The same innate human drive for survival presents itself in the novel ​Unwind.​ From the

very beginning, Connor knows that he must run away if he wants to survive. Risa knows she has

to escape the bus and disappear in the chaos of the pileup if she wants to survive. And Lev, well,

he does not really know that much besides the fact that he is a tithe. However, once Lev begins

to see through the lies and brainwashing his parents fed to him his whole life, he gets on board

with the plan to run away and begins to “Fight, flight, and screw up royally” like the others. The

three teenagers have to flee and survive without much help. Though they meet others willing to

assist along the way, they are relatively alone in their pursuit of survival. Like Katniss, they are

forced to venture out into the harsh conditions of their dystopia if they want to avoid being

unwound. In order to survive against all odds, they have to put aside their differences and form

an unlikely alliance to escape the evils of their world. In this dystopia, unwinding is just an

excuse to make money off the rich and get rid of the unwanted children of society without

technically killing them. It makes the act of unwinding more appealing even though it is just a

biased justification for organ harvesting and murder. Unwinding is a social euphemism used by

the generation who created the laws and suffered by the generation born into them. In this story,

it is either survive or watch yourself and your world unravel before your very eyes. Until they

take those, too.

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Throughout history, dystopian works have presented motifs about the relation between

science fiction and technology. In the screen adaptations of Suzanne Collins’ first and second

novel in ​The Hunger Games​ trilogy, titled ​The Hunger Games​ and ​The Hunger Games: Catching

Fire​ respectively, and Neal Shusterman’s 2007 science fiction novel ​Unwind,​ each story portrays

a future society characterized by scarcity, biased class systems, unethical rules and laws, natural

disaster, suppression of individualism, and all-controlling governments that directly affect the

main characters’ personal safety and livelihood. In turn, these external circumstances trigger the

characters’ innate drives towards survival. Furthermore, the oppressively troublesome state of

the world in these stories provide insight into not only how science fiction and technology are

related, but how they are interrelated. The interplay of how science fiction and technology work

together is impressive, thought-provoking, and fascinating in that both types are interconnected

with one another. It is impossible to separate the complex exchange between the two as science

fiction relies on the notion of imaginative futures through scientific theories and technological

advances while technology is quite literally the application and use of science. By using real and

imagined technologies in science fiction, the story highlights the intricate link between the two,

providing new avenues, possibilities, and implications for fresh technological constructs.
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Works Cited

The Hunger Games​. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam

Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland. Lionsgate

Films, 2012. DVD.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.​ Dir. Francis Lawrence. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh

Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald

Sutherland. Lionsgate Films, 2013. DVD.

Shusterman, Neal. ​Unwind.​ New York City: Simon & Schuster, 2007. Print.