Suzanne Collin’s bestselling trilogy, The Hunger Games, was the spark that ignited a new popularity for the genre Dystopian Fiction, and is easily one of the best teen novels to center around a female character in an empowering way. Dystopian fiction is a genre that began as a counterpoint to utopian fiction: instead of picturing the perfect future world, dystopias are imperfect, broken societies from the future. The series takes place in a futuristic America where twelve districts are ruled by a corrupt Capitol and are forced to take place in yearly Hunger Games. These “games” entailed children fighting in a battle to the death for the entertainment of the Capitol. The main characters, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, assume roles that are highly unusual when compared with other well-known dystopia series such as Divergent, or The Maze Runner. While the trend is changing, in a majority of books, authors still hold true to the idea that the male character is the lead, and he is a strong, confident fighter, while the female lead, oftentimes his love interest, takes a backseat role to their heroism. The Maze Runner series is a good example of this when looking at the roles of Theresa and Thomas, as is Divergent when comparing Tris and Four. The Hunger Games completely goes against that societal norm by making Katniss the main character throughout with her own goals and motivations, and frames Peeta as the one who takes a backseat role to her heroism at times while still being his own, unique character..
Katniss is a girl who has spent years hunting wild animals to feed her family, and in the Hunger Games, she is able to survive through hunting and shooting her enemies with her mastery of the bow and arrow. Peeta, on the other hand, does not do nearly as well because his childhood was mainly spent in a bakery and not hunting like Katniss. This is but one of the many ways in which the traditional gender dynamic is reversed. For example, in the first book when Peeta is dying in a cave, Katniss is the one who has to find them shelter, hunt for food, and fight for his medicine in order to assure his survival, rather than the other way around.
While both are applaudable skills, one aspect to note is that this goes against traditional gender roles. Peeta takes a far weaker role in the books than Katniss, the symbol of the rebellion, while Katniss takes charge and lead both of them to victory. Not only is the escape of two teenagers from the Hunger Games an act of extreme defiance against the Capitol, but Katniss further goes on to become a revolutionary and the figurehead of the rebellion against the Capitol, in charge of her own team that Peeta is merely a part of. Finnick Odair one of the characters in the second book, Catching Fire, even comments that Peeta would not be there in the Quarter Quell, their Second Hunger Games without Katniss.
This reversal of traditional gender roles is a striking commentary on gender roles. Many novels still conform to traditional gender roles where the male protagonist is the strong, confident hero, and the female protagonist, while still a hero, follows behind the male lead as he leads them to victory without taking the role of a leader. In this series, it is the opposite. Peeta is the baker who has no place on a battlefield and only survives because his love interest and fellow protagonist Katniss is a brave fighter who is able to defy the Capitol and save them both.
Normalizing changes in gender roles such as these is one step closer to eradicating preconceived notions of gender completely. By normalizing reversed gender roles, society gets one step closer to destroying preconceived notions of gender and females won’t face any problems moving into STEM fields, just as males won’t have any problems baking, knitting, or doing other traditionally “feminine” activities. As authors, artists, or absolutely anyone continue to defy these specific gender roles, the world will begin to become a bit more equalized. The Hunger Games encourages young female leaders to think beyond society’s notions of what they should be and to become leaders, entrepreneurs, and rebels in whatever field they want. As the series to first popularize dystopian fiction in modern media, Hunger Games innovated the field of fiction and paved the way for multiple authors to follow in Suzanne Collin’s footsteps.