The first part of the trilogy tells about the despotic government, which organizes an annual demonstration game of survival, which is watched from the air by the whole world. The lot to participate in the Games falls to the young Katniss and Pete, who is secretly in love with her. They have known each other since childhood, but now they must become enemies. After all, according to the unbreakable law of the Hunger Games, only one of the 24 participants can win (Gurr). The judges do not care who wins; the main thing is the spectacle, which is always unforgettable.
The book is closely related to the problem of inequality that occurs at all levels. For example, all wealth belongs to those who live in the Capitol; they cannot understand that district residents can be as smart as they are. Therefore, the citizens of the Capitol see them as tributes and not as real human beings. The years of living in apathy and total submission to the Capitol made people disenfranchised when they merely wanted to break free (Gurr). They were not allowed to vote or make decisions for fear of being killed.
In addition, there is a visible differentiation between districts: some have resources for training and education, while others are desperate to make ends meet. The rich people who were chosen to participate were significantly more prominent, healthier, and had more advantages than those selected by chance. Katniss noted that salvation was a common way of living in her district, while Peeta said his family owned a bakery. The disparity also can be observed in the tesserae system when the deprived population becomes more vulnerable during the Games selection because they sign up their names twice to get food rations.
Work Cited
Gurr, Barbara. Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Post-Apocalyptic TV and Film. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.