The Pursuit Of Authentic Existence In The Absurd World

American writer Suzanne Collins’ trilogy The Hunger Games is getting more attention from the readers and the scholars,and it has achieved good sales and reputation since its publication.In the trilogy,the author depicts the experience of the protagonist Katniss to participate in the Hunger Games and to fight against the totalitarian government as the symbolic leaders—mockingjay.Until now,researches abroad and at home mainly focus on the feminism,dystopian theme and the ecological thoughts of the protagonist.This thesis analyzes Katniss’ pursuit of authentic existence in the absurd world from perspective of existentialism.The thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter One is the introduction of Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games,besides,researches at home and abroad are also introduced.The theory of existentialism and three principles of existentialism "Existence Preceding Essence","Absurdity of Life" and "Freedom of Choice and Responsibility" are respectively introduced in Chapter Two.Existential thoughts revealed in The Hunger Games are correspondingly analyzed in Chapter Three.The thesis firstly analyzes the existential state of the characters and the absurdity of human existence respectively from the perspective of circumstance and interpersonal relations and then analyzes people’s longing for freedom and their free choices.Chapter Four mainly talks about three periods of Katniss’realizing authentic existence.Chapter Five is the conclusion part.It concludes that human beings can achieve authentic existence through making free choices and taking responsibilities.On the basis of the above analysis,the thesis holds that there are existentialist thoughts in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy The Hunger Games.The thesis demonstrates that the individual can achieve authentic existence through free choices,which can thus inspire people to have a more profound understanding towards life and the meaning of existence.