Anarchist Revolution In The Critical Dystopian Narrative The Hunger Games Trilogy

The Hunger Games Trilogy consists of three novels:The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, which were published separately in2008,2009and2010. Upon its release, the trilogy was well-received by teenagers and adults alike. With the instant fame of The Hunger Games Trilogy, many scholars, critics and reviewers have tried to explore the themes, symbolic meaning, and the dystopian trend in the trilogy. Drawing on the works of anarchist theorists, the repressive components of large technical systems and of Just War principles, this thesis aims to analyze anarchist revolution in the critical dystopian fiction-The Hunger Games Trilogy, and to offer another perspective to look at the trilogy.The first section of this thesis is an introduction of The Hunger Games Trilogy, the author Suzanne Collins and the literature reviews at home and abroad, as well as the relevant theories which will be used later in the thesis.The second section of this thesis is to explore how Katniss Everdeen grows to be an "Anarchist". It covers mainly three parts. The first part is about the origin of anarchism and anarchists. The writings of anarchist thinkers have stated that anarchists, who are opponents of coercive power, come from the oppressed and exploited class in the society and anarchism is an expression for liberty, equality and solidarity. The second part is about the birth of the anarchist, Katniss Everdeen. In a critical dystopian novel, which maintains both dystopian and Utopian characteristics, it remains the "utopian core" which offers hope inside the work itself. The "utopian core" gives birth to Katniss Everdeen, who holds the dearest intentions to her family and everyone around her. The third part is concerned about the growth and maturity of the anarchist, Katniss Everdeen. Confronted with tough choices throughout this whole trilogy, she gradually grows and matures in the process of making her choices.The third section of the thesis consists of three parts which intend to demonstrate the malignance of The Hunger Games in the state and how it triggers the anarchist revolution in the critical dystopian narrative. The first part discusses the technological system in the state. In Panem, a large technological system, which includes all the physical and social components in a state, is implemented to emasculate the whole country. The Hunger Games is one of the most essential articrafts that have been employed. The second part talks about the use of the Hunger Games in the Capitol as supreme entertainment, festivity and a life style to disempower the Capitol citizens. The Hunger Games is also used in the districts as a fear appeal, and ultimately, a way of dehumanization and surveillance to weaken the district citizens. The third part addresses the issue of the reverse salient. As the part that has fallen behind in the whole technological system, the reverse salient refers to their generating of jabberjays and mockingjays, which finally ignited people’s hope to fight. The use of The Hunger Games in both the Capitol and the districts has elicited a potential rebellion and the spark of mockingjays started the revolution.The fourth section is an anatomy of the "Revolution" from the perspective of Just War principles. It is composed of three parts. The first part is a brief introduction of Just War principles. After thousands of years of development, Just War principles finally came into being. The first two prongs of the tradition, jus ad bellum and jus in bello, have been studied and researched substantially, but the last prong of the tradition, jus post bellum, is still under discussion. The second part compares the two revolutions by using the first two prongs of Just War principles. By analyzing the anarchist revolution and the totalitarian revolution based on Just War principles, it is clear that the anarchist revolution meets the principles but the totalitarian revolution fails to meet most of the requirements. The third part is a comparison between the outcomes that the two revolutions have brought. With moral values, such as, liberty, equality and solidarity and the spirit of permanent resistance to coercive power, the anarchist revolution turned the situation around and changed the state from critical dystopia to critical utopia. However, the totalitarian revolution is eager to revenge, punish and grab the power from the people. In face of anarchist thinkers, the conspiracy of the totalitarian revolution was penetrated and eradicated.The last section is an overall conclusion of the whole dissertation. By analyzing the "Anarchist","The Hunger Games" and the "Rebellion", this dissertation draws the conclusion that an anarchist revolution can be caused by the oppression and exploitation from the totalitarian government and an anarchist revolution provides a way to resist coercive power and to achieve long-term peace.