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and t he dist rict s reflect s t he relat ion bet w een t he capit alist and the w orkers in capit alist societ y.
2. The
Causes of Class Struggle
The root of t he problem s bet w een t he Capit ol and the dist rict s is t he idea of Panem et Circencess w hich is adopt ed by t he Capitol as it s political
orient ation—in ret urn for full bellies and ent ert ainment , the people have given up their polit ical responsibilit ies and therefore t heir pow er. So that’ s
w hat the dist rict s are for; to provide t he bread and circuses for t he Capitol M ockingjay: 162.
By this orient ation, the dist rict s have t he obligat ion t o produce and procure t heir resources based on t he quot a of production—Dist rict 1;
luxurious it em s, Dist rict 2; w eaponry, Dist rict 3; elect ronic gadget s, District 4; fishing, Dist rict 5; pow er and elect ricit y, Dist rict 6; t ransport at ion, Dist rict 7;
lumber, Dist rict 8; fact ory, Dist rict 9; grain, Dist rict 10; beef and live st ocks, Dist rict 11; agricult ure, and Dist rict 12; coal—and t he obligat ion t o send t heir
boys and girls t o the death arena of the annual event Hunger Gam es. The im plem ent at ion of Panem et Circencess in econom ic realm brings
t he domino effect s; from t he forced labor, to the povert y and inequalit ies. Forced labor is any w ork or services w hich people are forced t o do against
t heir will under t hreat of some form of punishment . Low er w aged labor and bonded labor cont ain some elem ent s of forced labor.
In the mode of product ion, the Capitol em ploys t he forced labor to both w ealt hier and poorer dist rict s. In t he w ealt hier dist rict s, t he Capitol em ploys
bonded labor. Bonded labor performance can be seen in Dist rict 2 as one of t he w ealt hier district s. In Dist rict 2, being t he peacekeepers m eans t hat t heir
debt s are forgi ven. Since many people are sw amped in debt in the Capitol M ockingjay: 65. M eanwhile, in t he poorer dist rict s, t he Capitol em ploys
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low er-w aged labor. The performance of low er-w aged labor is seen in several poorer dist rict s. In Dist rict 8, all people have t he obligat ion for four-hour shift
at t he fact ory t hat specialized in the Peacekeeper uniform s. In Dist rict 11, people grow food, but they are not allow ed eat ing t he crops. Everyone is
needed during t he harvest t im e; m en, w om en, and children. Every hand is needed for collect ing t he crops Cat ching Fire: 40. Although it is a school
t im e for t he children, during t he harvest t hey are not allowed to be at school because everyone has to work The Hunger Games: 142. And in Dist rict 12 is
usually crawling with coal miners heading out t o t he m orning shift. The performance of low er w aged labor, of course, is t he m ajor cause of povert y
and st arvat ion in t he poorer dist rict s. In Dist rict 12, for example, it is a com m on fat e in Dist rict 12 t o see people st arving and st raggling through t he
st reet s t ill the peacekeepers com e t o ret rieve t heir body The Hunger Gam es: 22. Poverty and inequalit ies can be seen by t he exist ence of t he w ealt hier
and t he poorer dist ricts. The wealt hier live w ith good living st andard; m eanw hile the poorer dist rict s alw ays deal w it h the st arvat ion and povert y.
In order t o cont rol the dist rict s in doing t heir obligation, t he Capitol rest rict s t he dist rict s under it s law s. Basically, t he rules as w ell as t he law s in
Panem are set by t he Capitol, and are referred t o the dist rict s. The Capitol persons have the law immunit y, except those w ho are on dist rict s’ side in
w orking out t he uprisings. The law s engage all aspect s of people’ s life. All t he dist rict s have t o fulfill the quot a of production. Act ivities t hat exclude
procuring and producing are illegal. All illegal t ransact ions like illegal m arket s are forbidden, including all form s of st ealing are illegal. Trespassing t he
w oods or going out side the fence is against t he law . As w ell as t ravel bet w een t he dist rict s is forbidden except for officially sanct ioned dut ies The
Hunger Games: 31. One m ost phenom enal law m ade by t he Capit ol is t he Hunger Gam es as t he new law s t o guarant ee peace and, as t he yearly
reminder t hat t he Dark Days m ust never b e repeat ed. In punishm ent for t he
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uprising, each of t he t w elve dist rict s must provide one girl and one boy, called t ribut es, t o part icipat e. Over a period of several w eeks, t he
com pet itors m ust fight t o t he deat h. The last t ribut e standing wins The Hunger Gam es: 15.
In coercing t he rules, t he Capit ol also em ploys violence t hrough it s peacekeepers. Public whipping, as w ell as public shot, is som et hing com m on
in the dist rict s, especially in the poorer ones. The violence does not only deal w ith execut ion of the deat h, but also the most t ort urous; mutilation. The
Capitol has no end of creat ive w ays t o kill people. One phenom enal is m utilating som eone who com mitt ed a crim e, and turning t hem int o a mut e
servant called an Avox. Avox is som eone w ho com mit t ed a crime. The Capit ol cut s their tongue so t hey can’t speak The Hunger Games: 56.
The overall explanat ion above is diagnosed as t he cause of t he class st ruggle b et w een t he dist rict s against the Capitol. The dist rict s, of course,
dem and their freedom from long last ing oppression, m eanwhile t he Capitol dem ands their power in ruling and dominating t he dist rict s.
3. The Power Relation
