underclass and lower class, but they also deeply affected by economic changes since they also share the nation’s tax burden Tyson, 2006: 55-56.
D. Previous Studies
The researcher found that feminism is the most commonly used literary criticism to analyze Suzanne Collins’ the Hunger Games. One of the research is
done by Kristi Loobeek, a student of Concordia University, St Paul, in 2012. The research, entitled “A Feminist Analysis of the Film The Hunger Games”, focuses
on identification of the main character, Katniss Everdeen, according to the third wave feminism. This research is similar in terms of the object which is Collins’
The Hunger Games and the scrutiny of the main characters’ traits and corresponding actions. However, this research analyze the book instead of the
film, and uses Marxism instead of Feminism to be more specific in ideology and its flaws that are manifested in the novel.
Other research that analyze Collins’ The Hunger Games is a research conducted by Sara Petersson entitled “The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:
Entertainment or Social Criticism?”. Petersson is a student of Department of English Studies in Lund University. The focus of her research is the use of the
novel as social criticism of the present day US, particularly in its aspects of media and surveillance. This research is similar with the research conducted by
Petersson in terms of the object, Collins’ The Hunger Games, and the use of Eagleton’s literary theory to support the research. However, Petersson’s research
seek to analyze the novel’s reflections to the present day US, particularly in
entertainment and surveillance, while this research attempt to understand the manifestation of the U.S. capitalist ideologies in the book as the mediation
between the text and the social realities of the U.S. in the 21st century.
E. Framework of Thinking
The focus of this research is to reveal the capitalist ideologies in the book and their flaws as an attempt of mediation to the social realities of the 21st century
America. The characters and their corresponding actions are analysed using Marx’s theory of ideology which can be found in Lois Tyson’s book entitled
Critical Theory Today: a User-Friendly Guide, and supported by Terry Eagleton’s Marxism and Literary Criticism. The research aims to identify the
criticism towards capitalist ideologies and culture in the book. Below is the conceptual framework of the research.
