Introduction
The Hunger Games, an international bestseller written by Suzanne Collins, introduces the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, which comprises the Capitol and twelve districts surrounding the city. Nevertheless, the wealth distribution, standards of living, social rights, and the approach to The Hunger Games vary drastically among the areas. The Capitol is the largest and most prosperous city in Panem, which thrives due to the exploitation of other regions. On the other hand, the twelve districts are numbered according to their primary production, corresponding wealth, and training regime for The Hunger Games. It implies that District 12 is the poorest and smallest area of Panem, and most of its candidates in the Games are commonly considered to be the first casualties. Ultimately, while both the Capitol and District 12 are regions of Panem, they have vastly different beauty standards, living conditions, diverse understanding of social equality, and opposite approaches to The Hunger Games.
Beauty Standards
The first significant difference between the Capitol and District 12 is how their residents perceive beauty and fashion. While appearances are highly substantial due to the entertainment aspect of The Hunger Games, beauty standards differ vastly in the two regions. The Capitol people take pride in their wealth and demonstrate it by luxury clothing styles, grandiose buildings, advanced technologies, and outrageous fashion sense (Gemmill par. 6). Furthermore, the city residents frequently rely on plastic surgeries, grotesque makeup styles, and other methods to illustrate their difference from people in other regions (LitCharts 5). Ultimately, the access to wealth and power has significantly distorted the residents’ views on fashion and beauty standards.
On the other hand, the people of District 12 cannot afford to care about their appearance since they have much more prevailing issues, such as provision, shelter, and safety. As a result, due to the poor economy in the region, most residents have to wear rags as clothes and never take showers due to the lack of water in the district (LitCharts 22). Ultimately, there is a vast difference in the beauty standards and fashion among the residents of the Capitol and District 12. Nevertheless, this contrast results not from the fashion trends, but from the financial capabilities of the people and the desire of the Capitol’s citizens to stand out from the rest of the nation.
Social Inequality
The second relevant issue among the residents of Panem is social inequality. As mentioned briefly before, the wealth distribution among the districts of the nation is highly unbalanced, which has led to the prevalence of social injustice within Panem. The root of the problem is the authoritarian policies implemented by the officials of the nation and that are aimed at creating the superficial barrier between the Capitol and other districts (LitCharts 4). The dictatorship allows concentrating the majority of wealth in the central city while simultaneously restricting the social rights of people living in other regions. The government prevents any type of economic development of the districts by prohibiting free trade, restricting labor choice, establishing barriers between the areas, and disabling consumer sovereignty (Cleveland et al. 162). These factors are particularly noticeable in District 12 and account for the poverty in the region. Accompanied by the continuous propaganda of the Capitol, the tesserae laws, and the approach to The Hunger Games, social inequality is highly evident within the nation of Panem.
Standards of Living
The unbalanced wealth distribution has also led to diverse standards of living in various regions of Panem. Although the Capitol does not have a production of its own, the residents have the best food, clothes, technology, and entertainment due to the exploitation of other regions (Gemmill par. 6). The officials utilize technological superiority to control the production in other regions and military force to suppress the ideas of potential rebellions (Cleveland et al. 161). Evidently, the government does not care about the living conditions in the districts, and its primary objective is to assert complete dominance and enrich the Capitol. On the other hand, coal mining is the single industry and economic activity of District 12. It is so prevalent that even the education process revolves around the production, ‘besides basic reading and math most of our instruction is coal-related’ (Collins 41). The sole focus on one industry accompanied by severe economic restrictions, such as the prohibition of free trade and consumer sovereignty, makes District 12 the poorest region in Panem. People do not have access to provision, shelter, water, and medication, while the residents of the Capitol thrive.
Approach to The Hunger Games
Lastly, the Capitol and District 12 have opposite perspectives on The Hunger Games, the annual battle royale organized by the elite members of the government. The primary objective of The Hunger Games is to provide entertainment for the residents of the Capitol and to establish their superiority over the people living in the districts. The attitude of the Capitol toward the games is excellently portrayed by the quote, ‘the people begin to point at us eagerly <…> they can’t wait to watch us die’ (Collings 59). At the same time, The Hunger Games generally imply inevitable death for the tributes from the districts. It is particularly noticeable in District 12 since the residents of the region do not have any prior training and are commonly considered to be the very first casualties of the games. Furthermore, the situation is complicated by the tesserae system, which provides food for entering the names into the reaping. As a result, children from poor and starving families are more likely to be chosen for participation. Ultimately, the Capitol perceives The Hunger Games as means of entertainment and dominance, while the Districts view the games as the inevitable death.
Conclusion
Summing up, the primary differences between the Capitol and District 12 include the beauty standards, social rights of the residents, the living conditions, and the approach to The Hunger Games. The major factor for the opposing perspectives is the authoritarian government centered in the Capitol, which controls the wealth distribution and exploits the districts. This has ultimately led to the prosperity of the central city and critical poverty in District 12, explaining the vast differences between the two regions.
Works Cited
Cleveland, Jeffrey, et al. “The Economics of The Hunger Games.” International Journal, Pluralism and Economics Education, vol. 7, no. 2, 2016, pp. 152-169.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic Press. 2008.
Gemmill, Allie. “Hunger Games Panem Map Guide: Every Location Explained.” ScreenRant, 2019. Web.
“Hunger Games.” LitCharts, 2020. Web.