Department of English

In this thesis, I attempt to explore the ways in which nature can be both used as a weaponized political tool for counterinsurgency and a catalyst for resistance in the dystopian setting presented in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. This is emphasized through the exploration of themes of pastoral depictions, social class divisions, humanism and posthumanism, and self-identity, primarily through the series’ main character, Katniss Everdeen, and how her relationship with natural environments contributes to significant change in her world. The first chapter focuses on the relationship between class and nature, showing how the Capitol attempts to control both natural resources and people by manipulating access to food, landscapes, and education. I argue that through Katniss’s interactions with the natural world, the narrative diverges from traditional pastoral ideals, revealing that even seemingly free natural spaces remain subject to domination. The second chapter examines the blurred boundaries between humans and animals, drawing on posthuman and humanist theory to analyze how they are exploited within the Capitol’s system. Through the recurring symbol of the Mockingjay and other genetically modified animals, I explain that the Capitol's attempts to control nature ultimately fail because natural forces are unpredictable, and how Katniss herself becomes a posthuman figure with a hybrid identity that challenges the limits imposed by the government and exposes their fragility.