Symbolism In The Hunger Games As An Allegory

Not only is the Hunger Games series an action-packed, epic love story (still better than Twilight), adventure novel, it is also a prime example of an allegorical story. In an allegory novel, literary devices such as characters, setting, and other symbols are used to represent a literal and figurative meaning. In the Hunger Games, the Capitol is a utopian city where the wealthy and powerful reside. In relations to the real world, the Capitol represents Hollywood. Similar to the Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, is also an allegory novel. In this novel, a group of young schoolboys are left stranded on a desolate island, far away from civilization. The hardships that the boys go through on the island reveal certain traits in …show more content…
At the beginning of the novel, Roger is described as a “slight, furtive boy” (22). This is proven to be true when Roger is seen throwing stones at Henry. Though, “there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, in which he dare not throw” (62). The space described to be six yards in diameter is where civilization lingers. Roger, supposedly, is taught by society that it is uncivil to hurt anyone. By attempting to wound anyone, that individual would be seen as a malicious person. This scene shows that Roger is a sadist person since he wants to injure Henry. However, the civilization in him is restraining him from being able to throw the stones directly at Henry. As a result, civilization is the only thing keeping Roger from hurting anyone. Nevertheless, as long as Roger is far away from society, civilization will keep slipping from him as sand would in an open palm. As the story progresses, Jack and Ralph are in disagreement with each other. As a result, the group of boys split in two, with Roger siding with Jack. Seeing that Jack and Ralph are yelling at each other in rage, Roger steps in; “High overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever” (180). Their bickering ended with Piggy being pushed over the edge of a cliff by a boulder and falling to his death forty feet below. Shortly after this incident, Ralph …show more content…
Ralph is a character that possesses many aspects that make him an efficient leader. One of the aspects he possesses is determination. At the beginning of the story, Ralph informs the others that in order to be rescued from the island, they first must “make a fire” (38). By making this fire, ships will be able to notice the smoke the fire produces, giving them a chance to be saved. Throughout the novel, Ralph constantly reminds the others to make a fire. His determination makes him an efficient leader because he is able to push others to do things that will benefit them. In this case, producing smoke will give them a chance at being saved. Having a leader that pushes others in a good way will result in positive outcomes. Another aspect that Ralph possesses is having the ability to listen to others. During one of the meetings, Ralph states that he will “give the conch to the next person to speak” (33). By doing this, he will be able to listen to their opinions and make decisions based on them. Considering other people’s opinions will make the group stable and content because rules and choices will be made in their favour. In addition, Ralph will seem more like a trustable and reliable leader since he is in favour of the boys rather than his own selfish decisions. When Ralph is in charge of the group, destruction and chaos rarely occurs. Thus, Ralph’s rules are able to subdue the inner