" Katniss also represents a girl who is coming of age. In this sense, the film could be called a bildungsroman, which is a genre that is completely opposite of "The Lottery." "The Lottery" is sheer over-the-top satire. The Hunger Games does not set out to ridicule and poke fun at human nature but highlight its good points in an increasingly demented and dystopian world. Katniss is admired for her the qualities she shows, not ridiculed for her faults. The film looks at human nature just as "The Lottery" does, but it does so in softer and gentler way (despite the darker context in which the narrative is situated). For example, as Katniss is being dressed for the Games, she says to Cinna, "So you're here to make me look pretty," with what is meant to be a sarcastic jab. Cinna replies with empathy and sympathy, "I'm here to help you make an impression." It is a moment of human contact and bonding that sets the Hunger Games in a completely different tone from "The Lottery."
One way in which the two works are similar, however, is in the fact that both deal with the darker side of human nature and reality. Neither work shies away from the fact of darkness in the human condition or in modern society -- even though their approaches are different. Thus it is not surprising to find the two works being compared to one another, since "The Lottery" deals with a perverse game of chance that ends in death for the "winner," and the Hunger Games deals with a perverse contest in which the participants must kill one another to stay alive (simply for the amusement of the audience). Jackson's focus is on the way in which people go along with such insane treatment and traditions as that depicted in the story. For example, Old Man Warner justifies the lottery by condemning...
Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, 'that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery.' 'Old Man Warner snorted, 'Pack of crazy fools,' he said. 'Listening to the young folks….'" in other words, Old Man Warner represents an anti-Christian institution that does not want people to view Mrs. Hutchinson's death as abominable -- but simply as a matter of bad luck, of course, of tradition. In the same way, the Capitol that oversees the Hunger Games justifies its bloodlust by appealing to the viewing
audience which watches and applauds the games. Neither the establishment in "The Lottery" nor in the Hunger Games shows any true or real concern for the citizens of its village or districts. The characters speak of hope, "May the odds be ever in your favor!" But this is a sad expression of the reliance of the characters upon chance rather than Providence or virtue.
In
conclusion, Jackson's "The Lottery" and the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' the Hunger Games are both different and similar in ways. On the one hand, the former is a
short story satire while the latter is a detailed drama of epic proportions, complete with
heroes and supporting characters. "The Lottery" has no hero or heroine but only sets out to describe a single day and event, which illustrates the
corruption of society. The Hunger Games, however, sets out to illustrate the arc of characters and the virtues and abilities of its heroine Katniss who overcomes obstacles and sacrifices herself to save her sister. Yet, the two works are similar in the sense that they both deal with the darker aspects of human nature and the
moral decline of modern society. Both emphasize the darkness in man, by his willingness to judge and throw stones or by his willingess to be entertained by bloodshed and
violence.
