The Hunger Games

The film based on the Hunger Games is completely different in respects to how food is represented in the novel. The context surrounding food in the novel is more embellished with detail in regards to the symbolic significance of food in Panem. Food is essentially used to manipulate an entire society. Food deprivation in each district besides the capitol, allows the elite to control factions of Panem. Contrary to the film, which plot line revolves around the violence encountered in the Hunger Games. The film establishes how the reaping and the Hunger Games are used as means of intimidation. Violence is used to instill fear amongst the population. This tactic is used to control the population from revolting against the capitol. It does not necessarily focus the food aspect as much as the novel does. Food is does not take a prominent role in the film. It is only a small component of the entire ordeal. As far as comparing both film and novel, the novel embodied the importance of food in various parts of the book and film doesn’t touch that factor so much.

The film visually depicts food but rarely touches base on how it affects the characters in the film individually. For instance the transaction of bread, between Peeta and Katniss was one of two scenes in the film that resonated with the novel. Bread is an important component in the novel because it holds a symbolic significance in the story as far as how limited food is in Panem. Case in point the interaction Peeta and Katniss had before the reaping involved Peeta generously giving Katniss a piece a loaf which was intended to be sold at his parent’s bakery. “The boy never even glanced my way, but I was watching him. Because of the bread, because of the red weal that stood out on his cheekbone. The boy took one look back to the bakery, then his attention at the pig, he threw a load of bread in my direction” (Collins, 2009). This specific moment in the book is depicted in the film just lightly. The interaction depicts Peeta’s empathy towards Katniss in that specific moment. It also depicts the vulnerable side of Katniss. The transmission or offering of bread can be addressed as a culinary philosophy because it highlights the disposition of the characters. It is a transaction of empathy via means of food. Food in one way or another tells a story in various forms i.e.. cultural and social and economic. Peeta comes from a family better off economically than Katniss and her family.

Moreover,Instances in the novel reveals how Katniss and other characters in the novel react to food. For example, Katniss hunts outside the permitted perimeter for small rottens, rabbits and birds. “The woods became our savior, and each day I went a bit further into its arms. It was slow at first ,but I was determined to feed us. I stole eggs from nests, sometimes managed to shoot a squirrel or rabbit for stew and gathered various plants that sprung beneath my feet” (Collins 2008). Sometimes if she’s lucky while foraging through the forest she could find a variety of plant species that she could take home to her mom. These small endeavors allowed her mother, sister and her to eat meat. Meat is hard to come by in district 12. Squirrel meat is a luxury in district 12 so much so that she could trade it for cookies with the local baker. Pastries, bread loaf and meat are out of reach for people like Katniss.Evaluating the worth of squirrel meat in the novel provides the reader with an in depth look at the socio-economic strife the residents of Panem endure on a daily basis. They are deprived of basic nutrients such as proteins and carbs provoking malnutrition and starvation. Katniss explains that the leading cause of death in Panem is starvation. Starvation isn’t acknowledged on public record by government officials. Deaths under these circumstances are recorded as natural deaths due to illness. This is an attempt by the government officials to cover up the truth about the conditions in which the citizens of Panem live in; a complete contrast to the citizens of the Capitol.

Lastly, author Collins uses these contrast to highlight the socioeconomic class of Panem’s twelve districts and the capitol. It is made evident that capitol’s population do face the same economical hardships like that those that live beyond the district do. They do not undergo starvation, threats of violence or unemployment. They have better comic opportunities and eat whatever they please. Unlike the people of districts 1-12. This division of class and culture plays an important factor in both the novel and the film.

References
Collins, S. (2009). The Hunger games. London: Scholastic.