THE HUNGER GAMES

UNDERSTANDING DEEPER MEANINGS

THE HUNGER GAMES

1. What is the meaning of the title?2. What do you make of the beginning

of the novel?3. What are the meanings of the

names?4. What symbolic objects have you

noticed?5. What allusions (historical and

literary) can you find in the novel?

Allusions

Spartacus, a gladiator in Ancient Rome, later a leader of a slave rebellion.

Shakespeare’s “Roman” plays, Julius Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra: names and themes.

Sacrificial rituals in various cultures and mythologies.

LAYERED MEANINGS (example)

Capitol: the Capitoline Hill of Rome; Capitolium (a Roman temple); Capitol as a legislative building.

Play on words: homophone (sound-alike) of a capital [city], capital as something major, and capital as wealth.

CHARACTERIZATION AND THE PLOT

How are the characters created in the novel, with what means?

Is Katniss a reliable or an unreliable narrator? Why?

How is foreshadowing formed?Are your reader’s expectations

confirmed or challenged as the plot progresses?