Most
people want to make a change, to have their name in history as a
person who was selfless and did things for the greater good. Some,
however, do so without intention. Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist
of The Hunger Games, by
Suzanne Collins. Katniss resides in a war-ravaged land that was once
known as “North America”, now called Panem. She lives in the
poorest district of all, District 12, where people try to make a
living in the coal mines. On the Reaping Day, Katniss numbers her
days when she volunteers to go to the Capitol as a tribute of the Hunger Games instead of
her little sister, Prim. She becomes increasingly popular as the Games wear
on, through Peeta Mellark's interview, and her actions in the arena.
Katniss survives to the end with her fellow tribute, Peeta, but knows
the Hunger Games aren't over yet, and that darkness looms ahead.
Throughout the Games, Katniss' selflessness shines through her cold
exterior, making an impression on the audience, both the people of
Panem and the reader. This selflessness is what allows Katniss to
survive. Katniss shows us that selflessness is a powerful thing, and
that it is sometimes better for the greater good to sacrifice
yourself, rather that trying to make a change, alive.
Throughout the duration of the book, Katniss shows us
her selfless attitude again and again. The most notable time she
acted selflessly, if impulsively, was when she volunteered as tribute
for Prim. Katniss' reaction to her sister's name
being called shows her deep, unrivaled love for her. She does
not love anyone as much, not her best friend, Gale, nor Peeta, nor her mother. When
Effie Trinket called Prim's name during the Reaping, Katniss recalled
the wind being knocked from her body when she fell off a tree, and
stated that that was “...how I [felt] now, trying to remember how
to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned as the name [bounced]
around the inside of my skull.”(pg. 21) Prim's name being called
brought a great shock to Katniss, and the first thing she did was
volunteer to protect her sister, regardless of her own sake, because
she knew that she would never forgive herself if Prim died. Katniss couldn't
bear to live without her. This selflessness is shown again when
Claudius Templesmith, the Games' announcer, says that there was a
rule change in the Games, and that two tributes will be declared
winners if they are from the same district, unlike the norm of only
one victor. “The news sinks in. Two tributes can win this year. If
they're from the same district. Both can live. Both of us can live.
Before I can stop myself, I call out Peeta's name.” (pg. 244) As
soon as she could, Katniss made it her next priority to find Peeta,
wherever he was. Although this could be the repayment of owing Peeta
a debt when they were both children, Katniss truly does care for him,
and does whatever she can to help him, even depriving herself of
sleep to watch over him when he was ill. This selflessness shows yet
again when she suggests that she and Peeta eat poisonous nightlock
berries instead of fighting each other to the death. “My fingers
fumble with the pouch on my belt, freeing it. Peeta sees it and his
hand clamps on my wrist. 'No, I won't let you.' 'Trust me,' I
whisper. He holds my gaze for a long moment then lets me go. I loosen
the top of the pouch and and pour a few spoonfuls of berries into his
palms. Then I fill my own.” (pg. 344) This can be seen as the
dormant rebel inside of Katniss awakening, but also again as
Katniss' love for Peeta, through the fact that she cannot bear to
kill him and live with that knowledge, nor die, or have her family
and Peeta's suffer from watching them perish from a brutal death. It
seems that Katniss feels her family would understand if she ate the
berries, and chooses that path alongside Peeta. This selflessness
saves her from the pain of killing Peeta, or dying at his hands with
her family's sorrow, as the Gamemakers do not want to have the last
surviving victors die a death as themselves – and not a piece in
the Capitol's game – with rebellion screaming in their actions.
Again and again, Katniss shows us the strength in
sacrifice and selflessness. In 1984 – by George Orwell –
however, the protagonist, Winston Smith, doesn't have this quality
and is very self-serving and arrogant. When his first signs of
rebellion peek out, he only crosses the forbidden lines because he
wants to satisfy his own wants, so he promptly makes love with Julia,
trapped in the fantasy in his own head. “Not merely the love of one
person, but the animal instinct, the simple undifferentiated desire:
that was the force that would tear the Party to pieces.” (pg. 126)
This fantasy shows that he believes that by having sex with Julia, he
would make a change in the world that he lives in. this type of
thinking is strictly forbidden by the Party, and terrible
consequences will follow. Indeed, terrible consequences did follow as
Winston and Julia were caught in the act, dragged into the Ministry
of Love, and tortured until their wills shattered. This setting may
perplex some readers, but the Ministry of Love is an antonym for what
it really is, to confuse the people of London, and lure them into a
false sense of security. Thus, the Ministry of Love is really the
Ministry of Torture, the Ministry of Truth is the Ministry of Lies,
and so on. It is here where Winston's will shatters and he breaks,
figuratively. He is brought face-to-face with his greatest fear, and
inevitably, to save himself, he betrays Julia and the legendary “Brotherhood”. “Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia!
I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the
bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!” (pg. 286) This shows his selfishness
and also his arrogance at the thought that he would withstand
whatever the Party members threw at him. Another difference between
Winston and Katniss is that Katniss isn't afraid to die, she is
afraid of what would happen to those close to her heart, like Prim.
Katniss said that “[she] swore [she] would” (pg. 129) try to win,
just for Prim. Winston, on the other hand, was so fearful of dying
that he couldn't even bear to think about the razor blade the
“Brotherhood” might have sent him, so he would die bravely.
Instead, he clung to life, sniveling and begging the Party members
not to hurt him, to “do it to Julia!”.
The Hunger Games and 1984 show us
the strength of selflessness through the different actions that the
respective protagonists take. To be able to be willing to let go of
life is a hard thing, and to be afraid for someone rather than
yourself is no small feat. For Katniss to be so willing to lay down
her life for her family and best friend is something not many of us
could have the nerve to do, especially Winston. When faced with a choice of your life or something else you greatly want to stay safe, what would you choose?
