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this case, this ideology helps people with inferior attributed qualities to cope with the harsh reality of constant discrimination and injustice in many legal systems, such as education and workplace. Many fundamental ideas of the American dream functions to enlist the support of the society, even those who fails to fulfill it, in endorsing the interests of the ruling class Tyson, 2006: 58. One of the dominant trait of American dream is rugged individualism. Rugged individualism romanticizes an individual who dares to go out all alone in pursuing a difficult aspiration Tyson, 2006: 60. The task is difficult and not everybody can fulfill it. Although it appears to be an ideal trait for the modern society today, who is faced with increasingly difficult technological progress and tough competition, rugged individualism belongs to the repressive ideology because it prioritizes self-interest above everything, including even the survival of others. By putting the interests of each individuals over the interest of the society as a whole, this ideology disrupts the well-being of society as a whole and threaten the survival of the underpriviledged people Tyson, 2006: 60. Individualism is strongly embodied by the main character of the novel, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss’ characterization follows the archetype of an ideal individualist; she comes from the underclass society, yet through trial and tribulations she finally manages to achieve victory in the Hunger Games. Katniss led a harsh life, started with the death of her father, thus making her the head of her family who is responsible in keeping her mother and her sister alive in a nation where the well-being of their citizens become its last concern. She was then volunteered to be a tribute in The Hunger Games and managed to win it, which elevates her socioeconomic standing. Individualism in the characterization and Katniss’ responses is a form of revelation of the contemporary American ideology. The book depicts Katniss’ adaptation to individualism and self-reliance as the ways to fight back against the grim prospects of the future and the authoritarian government who limits civil rights and liberties. However, these ideologies entail flaws that hamper their adherents to see the material reality of their conditions and help them to accept their disadvantaged circumstances. Therefore, they function as repressive ideologies which pose as natural ways to live the world while sustaining the unjust social structure. a. Ignorance as an Acceptable Virtue In the contemporary America, the society regards individualism as a common logic. If one wants to survive in the constant competition as faced by the society today, one has to adopt individualism. This is implemented by those who attempt to realize their pursuit of happiness. In consequence, in the pursuit of one’s happiness, one does not need to regard others’ well-being. This is shown by the existence of huge gaps in wealth, represented by disparities in lifestyles, between the social classes in America today, which consists of underclass, lower class, middle class, upper class, and American “aristocracy” Tyson, 2006: 55. Despite the poverty that is shown by the increasing numbers of homeless people, Americans middle class and above disregard the subordination of this ‘other’ inferior class because of their individualism, reflected by their constant dissent to tax policies, which is going to be used to fund the underclass, seeing it as a burden for them Tyson, 2006: 56. This ideology sustain the idea of classism, it puts individuals into their own places, separated with others because they are restricted by their collective self-interest. Thus, this ideology is crucial in a capitalist society because it nullifies compassion between classes and sustain the classist society. Categorized as a dytopian novel, The Hunger Games continuously glimpses the occurences in the book to those that happen in the western society today. According to Hintz and Ostry in Hamre, 2013: 5, utopia and dystopia genres represent the society and world that are better or worse compared to those of the readers’ world. The most prominent example of a dystopian novel is George Orwell’s 1984 which depicts the condition of the world if democracy did not prevail and was replaced instead by authoritarianism. Panem, the dystopian country in The Hunger Games, is often referenced as the future America. It is a “utopia that has gone wrong, or a utopia that only functions for a particular segment of society” Gordin, Tilley, and Prakash in Hamre, 2013: 5. The upper class people of the novel, the Capitol people, live in a secluded utopia, ringed by mountains to prevent attacks, and surrounded by luxury. On the contrary, the well-being of this few costs the misery of many, of the twelve districts of Panem who live on food shortage and restricted civil liberties. For the ruling class Capitol people, Panem is their utopia, on the contrary, for the rest of the population which consists of middle class and working class people, Panem is a dytopia.