RETHINKING GENETIC BORDERS IN THE HUNGER GAMES
Vol.11, Issue 1, 2025, pp. 95-107 Full text: PDF . HTML
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.25.1.5
Web of Science: 001528232700007
Author:
Kevser Ateş https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1462-1030
Affiliation:
Samsun University, Samsun, Turkey 02brte405
Abstract
Emphasizing the fading distinction between reality and artificiality due to the innovations in the fields of science and biotechnology, this paper argues that the fantasy world depicted by science fiction is no longer far from today's reality. Although technological advancements have enabled us to live more comfortably, when they are misused by those seeking to use them as a sign of power or superiority, they can have disastrous effects on both people and the environment. This study explores how an oppressive regime called Capitol in The Hunger Games employs science and technology to transform animals and humans into commodities within the arena, reducing them to instruments of entertainment. The Games' intentional replacement of natural beings with biotechnological mutations serves as a deliberate display of power, employing genetically engineered species as weapons and reviving the dead as monsters. This not only captivates the audience but also strengthens the regime's superiority, exemplifying how technology is weaponized to manipulate both fear and entertainment.
Keywords: biotechnology, The Hunger Games, commodification, mutation, science fiction
Article history:
Submitted: 10 February 2025
Reviewed: 03 March 2025
Accepted: 09 March 2025
Published: 30 June 2025
Citation (APA):
Ateş, K. (2025). Rethinking genetic borders in 'The Hunger Games'. English Studies at NBU, 11(1), 95-107. https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.25.1.5
Copyright © 2025 Kevser Ateş
This is an Open Access article published and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Funding:
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Note: The article is derived from the unpublished doctoral dissertation "Postmodern Ecology in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood and The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson" (in Turkish) defended at Erciyes University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of English Language and Literature, 2019.
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Handling Editor: Boris Naimushin, New Bulgarian University
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