The Districts of Labor

Within the districts of Panem in which The Hunger Games takes place, each district represents a certain way of life. Some lifestyles vary from lascivious to desolate. Where in this society the amount of work does not equate to what district one is put into. In this story we have a twist on the ever popular Robin Hood story. Our new protagonist is named Katniss Everdeen. She lives in District 12, the lowest of all the districts. Katniss becomes our protagonist when she volunteers as tribute to the 74^th Annual Hunger Games. In relation to Marx’s, “Alienated Labor” the society in which Katniss grows up in indicates many of the signs of a declining society. One of these signs being that the divide between the first district and the twelfth district is growing smaller, and smaller. This means that the difficult of going up the ranks in districts is nearly impossible, that is, unless you win The Hunger Games. Winners are also called the Victors.

           

According to Marx, another key factor of a declining society is its association with greed, private property, division of labor, capital, and land ownership, and the connection of exchange with competition of value with the devaluation of men, of monopoly with competition. This system is perpetuated because the system is a money-system. This is also illustrated within the Panem society. In fact, it is very plainly emphasized. It is illustrated by The Hunger Games in that the only way one can climb among the districts is to put their life on the line. This competition further demonstrates the devaluation of men, the monopoly of competition, and most overwhelmingly, greed.

There is a seen in which Katniss is going through the tunnels of the different districts. This is where Katniss begins to understand just how powerful private property, capital division of labor, and land ownership. The capital division of labor is signified by the labor that her own district, District 12, is assigned. Her district is assigned the most intensive labor and yet receives the least amount of compensation. She also notices how difficult it physically is to change from one district to the next. The travelling from on district to the next requires a lot of confirmation and paperwork to add to the insurance of this division, which also plays into land ownership.