The Giver by Lois Lowry and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins are both extremely famous dystopian novels. However, the two novels are completely different. In The Hunger Games, it is very clear that it is a dystopia. I mean, they send kids off to fight to the death. And for what? Food, water, and punishment for not submitting. The Giver is on a completely different end of the same string. The Giver takes place in a seemingly perfect world. It is slowly revealed that it is not as perfect as Jonas, the main character, originally thought.
Let’s begin! By definition a dystopian community is an undesirable place to live, often ruled by fear, oppression and misery. On the other hand a utopian community is a perfect place, an area that is a desirable place to live, an example of this is Jonas’ world before he discovers that it is not a utopia. Dystopia has certain characteristics that they all have. These characteristics include a strict or totalitarian government, constant surveillance, loss of individuality, inequality, illusion of utopia, etc.
In The Hunger Games, it is pretty apparent that Katniss, the protagonist’s, world of Panem is a dystopia. I mean they send 12 to 18 year olds to an arena to kill each other. And for what? Money and a piece of food. By contrast, it takes a while for Jonas to realize that the Community is more dystopian than utopian. The Community has everything that people need, food, water, healthcare and so much more. It seems like a place of unity and fairness. But it is later revealed that the government is willing to kill a baby for not fitting the standards of growth.
But do both of these books fit the characteristics of a dystopian society? In short, yes they do. But let’s dissect The Hunger Games first. It is clear that Panem is extremely unequal. Certain districts are richer than others like District 1, 2 and 4. District 1 sells and has luxury goods, District 2 is responsible for the defense and military of Panem and District 4 focuses on seafood. One distinct district lives below the poverty line, that district is District 12, the district Katniss and Peeta are from. Also Panem has a totalitarian government as their main leader is President Snow, a cruel man that leads with fear and brutality. The last big characteristics are propaganda and surveillance. Panem is under constant surveillance by government drones and The Hunger Games are broadcasted to create fear and obedience. Even as there are many more characteristics, these are the ones that are most prominent.
Right off the bat, one characteristic is extremely distinguished in The Giver. It is the illusion of a utopia. The Community starts off feeling perfect, everyone is happy, they get everything they need and everyone is equally important. But it is later revealed that they are not as perfect as they seem. Another characteristic is constant surveillance. The citizens of the Community are under constant surveillance with loudspeakers everywhere and devices to constantly listen to people. There is one last characteristic that is extremely prominent, it is the loss of individuality. The people that live in the Community are colorblind and cannot see their differences. And people who are deemed too old or not “strong” enough are killed. These are not the only ones, but the most prominent.
In all, The Giver and The Hunger Games both have their own characteristics for being a dystopia. Even if they are on two different ends of the spectrum, they both have things in common that define them as a dystopia.
