Everybody faces challenges, but not everybody can handle what life throws their way. In the dystopian worlds of “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”, both authors explore the lives of young and naïve teenagers, experiencing dangerous worlds that they have never imagined before. In “Lord of the Flies”, a plane crashes into an island with a group of boys that become isolated. Young, ordinary schoolboys must fend for themselves on a desert with no external authority. They must adapt to their surroundings and create their own civilization —later on, their own savagery takes it down. “The Hunger Games” takes place in the dystopian society of Panem, which is divided into twelve districts and a ‘Capitol’.
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As Ralph, Jack, and Simon go to explore the island, Jack finds a pig and kills it. The boys are astonished at his knowledge and experience because they know that they don’t have these valuable skills. Jack is able to adapt more easily because he (like Katniss) has to survive in the reality of his world. In both novels the characters are confronted with war — Katniss’ nation is controlled by a dictatorial government at the verge of a revolution, and Jack’s world is being ruined by World War II. War and violence is constantly present in their lives, and that is why Katniss and Jack are so similar; both characters are easily able to adjust and are therefore better off. The difference between “The Hunger Games” and “Lord of the Flies” is that Katniss uses her archery, climbing and trapping skills to survive, whereas Ralph, Piggy and Simon in “Lord of the Flies” lack survival skills. While Katniss is alone in the woods, she she uses her survival skills to ensure that she has food for nourishment: “Before settling down, I take my wire and set two twitch-up snares in the brush. I know it’s risky to be setting traps, but food will go so fast out here” …show more content…
To some it happens when they are younger, and to some when they are older, but it happens. The day we see the world a little clearer is the day we lose our innocence. The world we live in is very cruel. Some might argue that it is a safe and loving place, but this is false. The loss of innocence is shown in several ways in both the “Hunger Games” and “Lord of the Flies”. In the “Hunger Games”, Katniss instantly loses her innocence when she kills the boy from District one to stop him from harming Rue. She hesitate as “[she] shove[s] the boy away from [Rue]” (Collins 233). She throws him like a piece of garbage that she is throwing in the trash. She does not understand why she cares so much about the boy, until “[she] realizes . . . he was [her] first kill” (Collins 243). Katniss starts to become fully aware of the act she has committed and realizes that there is a monster hidden inside her soul. Likewise, Simon’s death portrays the loss of innocence of the characters Ralph and Piggy in “Lord of the Flies”. When Simon discovers that the beast is actually a dead parachutist, he is anxious to tell the good news. Meanwhile, Ralph and Piggy join Jack’s tribe for a feast and are swept up in the frenzy and begin to chant: “Kill the beast. Cut his throat. Spill his blood!” (Golding 152). The boys are so full of unrestrained inner savagery it is let loose when Simon arrives. They mistakenly think he is the beast, and viscously attack him.
As Ralph, Jack, and Simon go to explore the island, Jack finds a pig and kills it. The boys are astonished at his knowledge and experience because they know that they don’t have these valuable skills. Jack is able to adapt more easily because he (like Katniss) has to survive in the reality of his world. In both novels the characters are confronted with war — Katniss’ nation is controlled by a dictatorial government at the verge of a revolution, and Jack’s world is being ruined by World War II. War and violence is constantly present in their lives, and that is why Katniss and Jack are so similar; both characters are easily able to adjust and are therefore better off. The difference between “The Hunger Games” and “Lord of the Flies” is that Katniss uses her archery, climbing and trapping skills to survive, whereas Ralph, Piggy and Simon in “Lord of the Flies” lack survival skills. While Katniss is alone in the woods, she she uses her survival skills to ensure that she has food for nourishment: “Before settling down, I take my wire and set two twitch-up snares in the brush. I know it’s risky to be setting traps, but food will go so fast out here” …show more content…
To some it happens when they are younger, and to some when they are older, but it happens. The day we see the world a little clearer is the day we lose our innocence. The world we live in is very cruel. Some might argue that it is a safe and loving place, but this is false. The loss of innocence is shown in several ways in both the “Hunger Games” and “Lord of the Flies”. In the “Hunger Games”, Katniss instantly loses her innocence when she kills the boy from District one to stop him from harming Rue. She hesitate as “[she] shove[s] the boy away from [Rue]” (Collins 233). She throws him like a piece of garbage that she is throwing in the trash. She does not understand why she cares so much about the boy, until “[she] realizes . . . he was [her] first kill” (Collins 243). Katniss starts to become fully aware of the act she has committed and realizes that there is a monster hidden inside her soul. Likewise, Simon’s death portrays the loss of innocence of the characters Ralph and Piggy in “Lord of the Flies”. When Simon discovers that the beast is actually a dead parachutist, he is anxious to tell the good news. Meanwhile, Ralph and Piggy join Jack’s tribe for a feast and are swept up in the frenzy and begin to chant: “Kill the beast. Cut his throat. Spill his blood!” (Golding 152). The boys are so full of unrestrained inner savagery it is let loose when Simon arrives. They mistakenly think he is the beast, and viscously attack him.