Theory T1 112009117 Full text

run. As a result, every part of society - from its social, political, and ideological standpoint - exists or remains standing only because of money. Moreover, Marxism classifies two kinds of social classes: “the bourgeoisie —those who control the world’s natural, economic, and human resources—and the proletariat, the majority of the global population who live in substandard conditions and who have always performed the manual labor” Tyson 54. The bourgeoisie are the rich and powerful, the controllers of a society. In contrast, the proletariats are the subordinate - poor citizens who live in oppressed situations under the ruling of their powerful government. Because of the presence of two differing socioeconomic classes, there are bound to be conflicts between the rich and the poor as class struggle becomes visible. Barry states that “Marxism sees progress as coming about through the struggle for power between different social classes” 156. Class struggle is a big part of history because it is driven by the competition for the social, economic, and political advantage – the superstructure of every society. The system in which a society works is heavily influenced by a notion of ideas called ideologies. Within Marxism, there are certain ideologies, which according to Althusser, “represent the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence” 18. People in capitalistic societies may see that their way of seeing themselves and the world they live in as something natural, when in fact it is not. According to Bertens, ideology blurs the line between whether or not society acts on their own will or their actions are caused by the system 86. Furthermore, ideology also deems what the society thinks is the norm or valuable. It is imperative to not overlook the ideologies within a tex t that show the “absences – the ‘ not-said ’ of the work and certain ‘definite forms of social consciousness’” Eagleton 555. For this reason, in this analysis, I will focus on three interconnected ideologies of Marxism- false consciousness, hegemony, and reification- to further explain how the lower Rimun 7 class, or people in the districts, are exploited by the government of Panem in The Hunger Games . The first ideology, which shows that a society whose dominant ruler takes advantage of its power, is false consc iousness. Dobie stated that false consciousness is “responsible for making people aware of how they have unconsciously accepted the subservient, powerless roles in their society that have been prescribed for them by others” 86. It will not matter whether the poor can be more productive than the rich people, because they are not entitled to the same lifestyle and daily comforts that rich people enjoy. This ideology serves the purpose to show how those in power take advantage of their position to promote their own interest Tyson 58. Because of the bourgeoisie’s high status in society, they are allowed to be who they are without being scrutinized for their actions. In addition, false consciousness shapes the thoughts of the rich to act superior. ` Secondly, hegemony describes a Capitalistic society that has its own set way of running its society because it seems to be what is natural. In particular, “hegemony is like an internalized form of social control which makes certain views seem natural or invisible so that they hardly seem like views at all, just the way things are” Barry 165. Hegemonic ideology shows that society sees each person’s socioeconomic class as fine the way it is. So, even though the poor remain in poverty and the rich live with no worries about their wealth, the society does not question the differing states of life. Even though the district workers are living under poor conditions and will not be able to rise in power, the government in charge will condition the subordinates to believe that their lives will improve as long as they follow the “guidance” and see the government as the protector for their lives Tyson 63. Hegemony is one way those in power will control the mindset of its citizens to believe that their current position in society and their state of life is where they are supposed to be, without realizing they are being controlled by their government. Rimun 8 Lastly, another Marxist ideology which oppresses the lower class is reification. Egan describes that, in reification, peop le are projected into their products and “relationships between people are mysteriously transformed into relationships between these inanimate objects” 29. Therefore, reification is “an attitude of valuing things not for their use, but for their power to impress others monetarily or for their exchange value” Dobie 83. Marxist criticism claims that each individual has a specific price tag to signify how much they are worth based on what goods, whether tangible or not, they can produce that is beneficial for the society, especially if it’s useful for the higher class. In essence, people are no longer seen as human beings, but how much they worth. People, in other words, become things. Marxist criticisms will help make known the parallelisms between the reality and the hidden content within The Hunger Games. It will be more evident that the conflicts between the bourgeoisie in the Capitol and the proletariats in the twelve districts are proofs of class struggle. This method of analysis will prove that there are numerous instances throughout the novel where the lower class is exploited for the benefit of the rich and the lower class has to struggle to overcome these harsh treatments. As evident by the world around us, the class struggle in this fictitious fu ture country is a mirror of today’s harsh reality.

4. Discussion

For 74 years and counting, people of Panem have had to witness the intentional live battle to the death of their own children. These innocent children come from the twelve districts of Panem. The twelve districts each produce the necessities consumed mostly by the rich citizens in the Capitol. On the other hand, those children living in the Capitol can say that they are lucky. They never have to worry about turning twelve, the age when children have to enter their names for the Hunger Games lottery. On the other hand, these district Rimun 9 children know that by entering their names into the Hunger Games, it will ensure they have the supplies needed for their family’s daily food. However, their life will turn around instantly if their names are drawn to enter the Games in an arena of death. In the end, the Capitol will ensure a yearly supply of never- ending food for the child’s winning district after the live telecast of these children’s fight for survival, leading to the twenty-three deaths. The dominance of the bourgeoisie in The Hunger Games is translated throughout the book, and the sufferings of the proletariat become the backdrop of the proletariat’s powerful subordinate continual happiness. It i s the basis of Marxism, as Dobie stated, is to be “a thought that sees inequitable economic relationships as the source of class conflict” 79. Therefore, Marxist criticisms become imperative in the analysis for the novel, The Hunger Games, as traces of inequality and exploitation of the lower class in the districts of Panem are transparent within the pages. Dobie continues to claim that Marxist critics are concerned with “identifying the ideology of a work and pointing out its worth or its deficiencies” 89. The injustice of dehumanizing citizens because of their lower status in the socioeconomic ladder within The Hunger Games, proves that an analysis of these interconnected ideologies –false consciousness, hegemony, and reification – is needed.

4.1 Ideology and Hegemony

In a society, there will always be different types of groups living in one large area. When reading texts using a Marxist perspective, readers will find that the characters are categorized into different socioeconomic groups. For Marx, in any society, its foundation will be heavily influenced by economic organizations consisting of two groups: the capitalist and the workers Bertens 84. It is by this ideology of two different social classes that conflicts arise, which are sometimes implicit within a story. Rimun 10