Phase 2: Reminder of Our Weakness

"After the war, the capitol destroyed all the nests surrounding the city, but the ones near the districts were left untouched. Another reminder of our weakness, I suppose, just like the Hunger Games. Another reason to keep inside the fence of District 12" (Collins 186).


          In this passage, the narrator is referring to the mutant tracker jackers in the nests surrounding the city. Early on in the novel, we find out that is is forbidden to go out into the wild nests surrounding each district for there are deadly, rabid animals found in there that could kill in a heartbeat. Even Katniss, the hunter that she is now, was afraid and reluctant to go out into this wilderness at first. But without her exploration of the nest, Katniss would never have attained her great hunting skills. I find this tactic by the government a bit extensive, but I'm am not surprised at all by this feat. Think about all the control the government already has on their citizens in each District. They control their economy, their actions, their words, and their location. It is no wonder why Katniss feels trapped in District 12.
          The purpose of the passage is simple, and it is to further shine the light on the governmental take-over that has already taken place in all the Districts. Ever since the event that caused District 13 to become ashes, there is no room for any other district to even try to rebel, or else they will suffer the same fate. That is in essence what The Hunger Games is a reminder of. And the author uses this as another example when Katniss says that this is just another reminder of their weakness, just as The Hunger Games are. It further elaborates on the absolute control the government has over them. To the point that each citizen is reminded how weak, and feeble they are. Especially because District 12 is one of the worse off districts, no one would even dare to try to leave through the nest, although Katniss and Dale did think about doing so before the reaping at the beginning of the book.
          This passage connects to one of our greater questions on manipulation of one's mind. How does one do so? In this case, the government is planting images of danger and destruction in these nest areas. These mutant tracker jackers are a form of governmental control in that, all citizens begin to have an image of danger associated with rebellion. In that way, the government retains every citizen in each of their Districts because all citizens know that to leave the district means that they might as well call it suicide.
          In one of my older posts, I mentioned The Anti-Christ, and this post seems to be related to it in the way that we think about the Anti-Christ. Immediately when people think of the Anti-Christ terms such as The Second Coming come to mind, and we all have images associated with it. It seems as though the image of leaving the district in The Hunger Games seems to have the same connotation of death and leaves a sense of foreboding among many of the citizens in Panem.