The Hunger Games

Character Analysis: Haymitch Abernathy

Author's note: This is my attempt at a character analysis on Haymitch Abernathy.I chose Haymitch because I didn't want to be cliche and just chose the main character, and also because I feel that he is an important, yet misunderstood character. My main focus is idea development and fluency. Please let me know if it's clear -- I feel like I get a little off-topic at times.

The citizens of District 12 are ashamed of him. The Capital citizens laugh at his sight. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark share a mutual love/hate relationship with him. Haymitch Abernathy has no one. His entire life was altered the moment his name was drawn from the lottery of names to be a male tribute for District 12 in the 50th annual Hunger Games. Whether he survived or not, his life was as good as over.

He did win. Haymitch Abernathy was the so-called champion of that year's Hunger Games. He succeeded in outlasting all the other tributes in the arena, winning himself a life of luxury. At least that's what the capitol told the district people they would get if they survived the games; a house in Victor's Village and enough supplies for needs and wants to last a lifetime. So Haymitch went into the arena and won The Games. The Capitol, in return, sent him back to District 12 to live in the Victor's Village, gave him everything he could want, and killed off everyone he loved.

Was this part of the deal for winning tributes? No. It was a simple punishment for defying the Capitol. Haymitch, as it says in the books, did not win by being the biggest, fastest, or most strategic. He simply figured out a key element to the design of these particular Games. While at the edge of the arena, a small rock fell into an abyss. To Haymitch's surprise, it ricocheted back out. When it came to the final opposing tribute and him, the girl threw an axe at Haymitch, but it missed and flew into the abyss. Because Haymitch knew the secret, he ducked and an unexpecting tribute died from a flying axe to the head.

The fact that a tribute from the Districts had figured out something not meant for a weapon and used it to his advantage to win infuriated the Capitol. For these games were not solely meant for entertainment. They were a force to keep rebellion away, signifying that the Capitol controlled all. A single district boy showing a flaw of something the Capitol had not meant to provide , using it to beat the system on national television  was unacceptable. All of the control the Capitol had over the districts was only provided by publically punishing anyone who even hinted that they wished for rebellion. So the capitol killed the only people Haymitch really had; his mother, younger brother, and girlfriend. They showed everyone that if you defy the Capitol, all your love will be taken.

An event like the Hunger Games can traumatize you for life, as we see when Katniss and Peeta have constant nightmares afterwards. Continuing into the series, Katniss becomes depressed, suicidal, and addicted to the drug morphling. It is safe to assume that many of the victors of the games later on developed something today known as post-traumatic stress syndrome, common in former soldiers, giving them nightmares, like Katniss and Peeta. But most of the victors have at least one beloved person in their life. Haymitch, on the other hand, had no one.

Even though he lives in different times than ours, his situation is not rare today. A tragic event happens at a young age. You lose everyone you love. Though you survive, many things in life have lost their meaning. You resort to something that could momentarily take away the pain. For Haymitch, this resort is alcohol. He drinks limitlessly, hardly ever bothers socializing and does not care for life anymore.  He suffers daily, not to mention the fact he has to relive his nightmares every year.

 Yes, during every following Hunger Games after he won, he was forced by the Capitol to mentor a child whom he knows will either face death or the same future as his. He watches children kill other children, some of them whom he might have seen around his district. He might even feel that it is his fault they don't survive. So he does his best to shut out the pain, and people judge him solely on the fact that he is addicted to alcohol without knowing why. Haymitch is a very unfortunate and misunderstood person. Although, he is not the only victor the capitol has changed for the worst.

The main reason for the games are to ward off any thoughts of rebellion within the Districts. It is actually a very ingenious plan; the Capitol punishes the Districts to show them who's in charge and to make them suffer, and at the same time, turn the districts against each other by allowing no contact with each other, and forcing their children to fight to the death. Even within districts there is hatred against each other, like in District 12,where there are the rich shop owners, then the poorer families in the Seam.

Any victors of the games would be considered heroes throughout the Districts, so if they joined forces and started a rebellion, the Districts would most likely follow. This is why the Capitol needed to be sure the victors stayed in line. In following books, you see what types of things are used but all result in the same thing -- doubt that the Capitol can ever be beaten. So is there any hope for the citizens of Panem, victors, or future tributes? Stressed as the theme of the 3rd Quarter Quell Games, the Capitol claims that "Even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol" The Hunger Games are a game you do not want to win. It isn't even a game you want to play. 

Could this really happen?

Author's note: This is a random piece that I was inspired to do after reading the "Repressive Regimes and Rebellions" chapter of The Hunger Games Companion. It talks about the government that rules Panem and how, if ever, our world could come to this. I am basically talking about some conspiracy theories about governments and other factors in the chapter. 

If you step back and take an overall look at the world right now as one big picture, you would see madness. Madness that nowhere on this earth is spared of. How far will all of this go until someone says 'enough', or how long until everything dies, and no one gets the chance.

Things are happening every day. More and more corruption. More rebellion, more fighting, more war. Throughout history, unfortunate events have happened. But over the years, they have become more common. If asked how many wars, rebellions and protests are going on right now, the answer might be higher than it would seem.

The world of the Hunger Games does not happen in some exotic country or on an alien planet light years away from ours. It happens here. The fictional nation of Panem is located where the U.S. is now, only a couple hundred years in the future. But the idea of our world being obliterated, forced to start all over, is not as difficult to imagine as one might think. Who's to say we won't all destroy most of each other or face a widespread natural disaster and turn into another Panem? Or do we even need to face those things to turn to the same government as displayed in The Hunger Games?

In our time, natural resources are becoming sparser,  jobs are being taken over by robots, and small amounts of people have more money than a large group of people. These are the main reasons we fight, strive to change. Our animal instincts lead us to war, all because we all are getting desperate. We all watch the news with a hint of anxiety, because underneath our pity for the people in those terrible situations, we are all wondering when it will be us. Eventually  it will.

The world is in a hole right now. We've been digging it deeper and deeper through the years, with few attempts of getting out. We are almost too deep, now. How much change will it take to get back to circumstances where we all have something, this 'something' mainly pertaining to money.

Take a look at America, for example. The elitist theory -- a theory in which the richest two or three hundred people in the U.S. control the fate of our economy and government. This theory isn't far from true -- just look at the Occupy Wall Street movement. The American people decided share their voices because the richest 1% of Americans control 40% of this country's wealth. In 2007, it was found that the top 1% controlled almost 35% and the next 19% owned 50.5%, leaving only 15% for 85% of America. The numbers have gotten worse by now, and will probably continue in the wrong direction. There's no telling where we'll be ten years from now.

Not only do  they control the money, but it has been leaked that a groups of wealthy people meet annually to discuss the current state f our economy. Isn't that the government's job? Those people, part of the Super class, are deciding our fate. That doesn't sound like our Land of the Free or Home of the Brave. We can only hope that the Elites choose to continue searching for a way to spread the wealth, rather than keep it all to themselves. Otherwise, we could end up in a country like Katniss', where one city calls all of the shots, gets all the glory, while the rest of the world barely gets by.

And in a few years, people might have no choice but to keep to themselves, when gasoline is rare, and more expensive than others. Or shelter, if a war should ever come take over a part of the U.S. What about in the movie 2012? In the film, the Earth is in a mode of self-destruction but the world leaders have secretively been making safe boats. Of course, these ships can not hold everyone, so only the most important world leaders and wealthiest people got a spot on this life-saving arc. It is a fictional movie, but what if some catastrophic event did happen? Most of us wouldn't make it past to see if the world does turn into a dystopian society like in the world of The Hunger Games?

As simply stated by Business Insider , " The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer." There are those who spend all of their money on vanities, and excessive goods, meanwhile, not too far away, there are some who can barely afford the necessities such as food and water. If we are selfish now, not spreading the wealth, what hope do we have in a time of destruction? It seems only human instinct to protect yourself first. So what can we do when that time comes? Will America turn into a government modeling the one of Panem? Could it really happen?