How are teenagers portrayed in the

Hunger Games
Teenagers are portrayed as independent this is shown especially in Katniss
as her father is dead she has to act as the male in the stereotypical way of
being the breadwinner for her family as she is out hunting for her family
which is an anti-stereotype as most teenagers wont do anything close to
this for their family this shows that she is loyal and brave as this is also
illegal which shows further her independence and sacrifice for her family.
Her masculinity is reinforced further when she is out hunting she wears
darker clothes which implies a masculine approach to what she is doing
this is also an anti-stereotype as females do not usually wear dark
brownish clothes and also hunting is mainly a male past time.
Her weapon of choice also implies a lot as a bow and arrow requires skill,
concentration and strength. This suggests that without a father figure she
was brought up as a committed and disciplined maybe being emotionally
hardened as there was no one to comfort her in times of crisis. This
reinforces the portrayal of independence however this is anti-stereotype
as most girls dont have the discipline like this or would rather create
drama and hang out with her friends.
She has a calculated personality and a realistic attitude to the world way
beyond most females teenagers maturity this is an anti-stereotype as
most teenage girls are seen as two-faced this portrays the teenagers in
Hunger Games as in a level of maturity past that of modern teenagers you
can see this in the way she says to Gale that there is only one coming out
of twenty four even though Gale is trying to offer moral support.
Teenagers are also portrayed as rebellious. This is shown especially in
Katniss as she hunts outside the wall which seals district twelve therefore
she is adventurous and rebellious as it is illegal. She also volunteers for
the hunger games which could also be seen as rebellious as they are not
meant to volunteer for this death match it is meant to strike fear in people
not create heroes. This is foreshadowing her leadership in the rebellion in
future movies and how she disobeys the capitol at the end of the film. This
is a stereotype as in the Hunger Games the adults are almost the binary
opposites of the teenagers as no adults go in the Hunger Games and all
the adults rule everything while teenagers have to fight just for their food
which shows the adults superiority and the teenagers inferiority. While in
the real world most teenagers like to think they are in a similar situation
them verses the world however most the time this is not the case it is just
that teenagers like to think themselves as rebels.
This isnt the only stereotype in Hunger Games as in the scene where the
drone passes Katniss and Gale, Gale naturally puts his arm around Katniss
as to comfort her and protect her. This is a stereotype as it is often seen

By Thomas McIlhatton

How are teenagers portrayed in the

Hunger Games
that women of all ages need a strong male to help them and comfort
them. This also uses the stereotype that all males with brown hair and
good health are strong protective and brave essentially your knight in
shining armour. This is a representation of teens as girls wish to have their
knight in shining armour and boys act like this which gives them a
misrepresentation of their personality.
Another portrayal is that teenagers express their personalities or
experiences through their clothing this is shown in her red fiery dress
When she wears the red dress it could be linked to prostitution as red is
usually a colour linked with sex and love making which could suggest she
is being sexualised for the audience as this is still a form of entertainment
and in that sense still has to attract the same audiences and the best way
to attract male audiences is to give them an attractive female. and this
tells us about todays society and how we portray young girls in the media
today also the red could portray death and blood which could foreshadow
the deaths about to come. This is reinforced by her sarcastically saying
are you going to make me pretty almost as a dismissive gesture to the
capitol as she doesnt want to be sexualised or changed just to impress
those who oppress her. However red can also be linked to fire as they are
both of the same colour this in turn can be linked to rebellion as fire is
mainly used in rebellion reinforcing the foreshadow her leadership in the
rebellion this can also suggest that she is the spark to the time bomb of
revolution as the idea only comes across when she sets fire to that dress it
sets off a series of events which spark the rebellion.
Another stereotype used in the Hunger Games is that teenagers are
naturally competitive, even in their own social circles this is shown as in
the Hunger Games teenagers have to fight each other to death to reach a
higher social class therefore it is almost a metaphor for a teenagers daily
life as they are always trying to avoid social suicide. This can also be seen
in the way that the tributes make temporary alliances even though there
can only be one winner which would obviously create paranoia and
eventually create trust issues. This is similar to secondary school drama
as girls in particular are seen as two faced which can lead to temporary
alliances in times of drama and gossip while slagging each other off as
well therefore they stab each other in the back figuratively while in the
Hunger Games they stab each other in the back literally.
Another way teenagers are portrayed as against the whole world as Peeta
acts with a slight pessimistic attitude as he expects to die yet he wishes to
die unchanged and almost undefeated as a personal goal this is almost a
typical stereotype as most teenagers act as if their parents try to change

By Thomas McIlhatton

How are teenagers portrayed in the

Hunger Games
them and wish to keep themselves original. However this could also be
seen as a vague attempt to leave his mark on the world. As this is a
stereotype as some kids wish to be remembered but it is getting more and
more rare in teenagers of this day and age as they see that the world
owes them something even though they have done nothing to earn it and
because it is getting harder and harder to do this as you are more likely to
be outshone by someone of higher social class and with more resources
therefore leading this portrayal to be almost an anti-stereotype.
Another portrayal is that teenagers are secretly deep down emotional in
the case of Gale He tells her that all they want is a good shot which
obviously isnt true as they have to fight to the death so this suggests that
he is a compassionate person as he tries to lie to comfort Katniss. This is
an anti-stereotype as most teenager boys are seen as blunt and
unemotional as they have to survive a boys social world which comes with
insults masqueraded as banter and so have to mask their insecuritys
by acting as unemotional. At the reaping Gales hair is slightly scruffy
therefore implying that his body is suddenly becoming disorganised at the
revelation that Katniss could die. This is an anti-stereotype as most boys
would try to hide their emotional problems from there social class as noone likes personal affairs out in the open as they dont want to be pitted
by their fellow peers.
The camera pan over the city portrays teens as inferior however also
ambitious with Katnisss rising support so is their power as they rise from
inferior to a superior cause this implies that with enough support they can
be superior to those that oppress them this can also be seen that their
hopes and ambitions are too high and unreachable. As the camera gets
higher and higher.
The shot reverse shot of Gale and Katniss shows the intensity of their
relationship as it implies that they care for each other and it shows their
connection and love but the reverse shot gives people the impression they
are opposites. As Katniss is practical and calculated while Gale is
ambitious and confident. This portrays teenagers as attracted to their
opposites which gives them new perspectives. The speed which the
camera jumps from one to the other this shows that they are having a
quick conversation and maybe they wish to change the subject as they
might be getting to emotionally involved which most teenagers wish to
avoid. This a stereotype especially teenage boys as they dont like to open
up to each other and like to hide it this stereotype still works for Katniss
as she is more masculine then most as she goes hunting and doesnt like
being dramatic which is all an anti-stereotype towards a typical girl.

By Thomas McIlhatton

How are teenagers portrayed in the

Hunger Games
When Gale says that we could do it you know we could run away from all
this this diegetic sound shows that he wishes to run away as he believes
his life to be bad and he doesnt care about the consequences. This
represents teenagers as ungrateful and rebellious as the average
teenager does like to run away sometimes no matter the consequences.
The editing of the camera work which jumps from characters to the tribute
bowl implies that the teenagers are not in control and it could represent
their nervousness as the Non diegetic drumbeat could match the
heartbeat of the people with a chance of going in the hunger games.

By Thomas McIlhatton