The Hunger Games novel and film are both aimed towards young adults. When first published, they pushed the boundaries of the gender binary in literature, showing us a female heroine in contrast to the many male heroes we have all seen growing up. Always pushing the boundaries, our protagonist Katniss Everdeen is seen as a strong, independent young lady who exhibits mostly masculine traits and characteristics. Our sidekick Peeta Mellark however, is not a stereotypical male. They show us that the heteronormative agenda and the gender order are a learned concept, and not something we inherently know from birth. “The gender order is a system of allocation, based on sex-class assignment, of rights and obligations, freedoms and constraints, limits and possibilities, power and subordination.”(22) This can also be seen in the higher districts, where everyone is expected to express their different styles and explore non-conformity.
In the novel, we see that Katniss took over being the caretaker of the household after her father’s death. She hunts and trades for their livelihood. Her mother mentally disappeared from the household due to depression. And so, Katniss took everything her father taught her and went to the woods. “My father knew and he taught me some before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion.”(5) She is also seen as a less emotional person, who has difficulty expressing herself and talking to others. She is all about survival when she enters the games and is willing to kill to get home to her family. In contrast with other female characters, she is also less romantic. She has two boys, Gale and Peeta, who obviously love her romantically, but she is oblivious to this because she focuses on her family’s well-being and survival above all else. By having the masculine qualities, it shows that for younger females, it’s possible for us to be strong and that we don’t have to be housewives.
Peeta Mellark is our secondary main character. He is essentially Katniss’s sidekick who isn’t very good at his job. He is not what we know as a heteronormative male and breaks many stereotypes we have grown up to recognize and normalize. He grows up the son of a baker, strong from carrying flour sacks everyday, but he is sensitive and emotional. He is open with his emotions and lets the world see him cry. “Peeta Mellark, on the other hand, has obviously been crying and interestingly enough does not seem to be trying to cover it up.”(41) Peeta is creative as well, being seen in the movie camouflaging himself very effectively. These are all stereotypical feminine qualities that we push on females in literature and films. By breaking these stereotypes for males, we can show the younger generations that it is okay for boys to be emotional and soft, not closed-off and rough-edged.
Gale is your stereotypical male in the book and film. He is seen as the caretaker, willing to sacrifice his life to keep them fed, he is physically strong, and seen as a very handsome guy. In both the book and movie, Gale is one of the only completely stereotypical characters. “Besides, if he wants kids, Gale won’t have any trouble finding a wife. He’s good-looking, he’s strong enough to handle the work in the mines, and he can hunt. You can tell by the way the girls whisper about him when he walks by in school that they want him.”(10) He is one of Katniss’s love interests but it is not as obvious, They are more childhood friends than anything else, but could easily be seen as future partners had Katniss not gone to the Hunger Games. Gale thinks of Katniss’ family as his own and while she is in the Games, he takes care of Prim and their mother. Gale, who is the breadwinner for these families, is only enforcing the gender order and heteronormative market.
The Capital and higher districts are also helping in going against the gender order. By showing how the people express themselves in non-traditional ways, they are showing that in this future Panem, the gender order is not as explicit or taught as it is now. Effie Trinket, the Hunger Games announcer for District 12, is extremely feminine. She is shown wearing extravagant outfits that seem outrageous to the lower districts. This is within most parameters of the gender order in most ways, with her being overly feminine and dressing in very feminine ways. However Cinna, Katniss’ designer for the Games, can be seen as a very androgynous character. He wears androgyonus clothing and is shown wearing makeup-like his statement gold eyeliner. He pushes the gender order and shows boys that it is okay to express themselves in fashion and makeup. Another character who pushes the gender order is Caesar Flickerman. He is seen with extravagant clothing, not unlike most people who live in the Capital, but expresses himself with feminine qualities and traits. He is emotional and talkative, and has very colorful hair and wears makeup.
These characters all helped make important steps towards normalizing self-expression and creativity in both the fictional and real world. In literature and films, we are now seeing more and more non-specific gender representation with characters expressing themselves however they wish. Katniss shows girls that we can be strong and independent, Peeta shows boys it’s okay to be emotional and sensitive, and the people in the Capital show us that self-expression and creativity are important for our happiness with ourselves.
Works Cited
Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Ginet, “An Introduction to Gender,” in Language and Gender, 2nd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013).
Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.Ross, Gary. The Hunger Games. Lionsgate, 2012. Copy.
