The Cult Of Masculinity

People visual that not all girls can be courageous when it comes to standing up for themselves or fighting for others, but in the novel "Hunger Games" Suzanne Collins states that Katniss Everdeen is courageous when it comes down to the family. People usually see that girls are weak and are easy to run over. Then there are people that look and see that girls are worth something and that are actually the strongest people you will meet. In Suzanne Collins "Hunger Games," she uses that Katniss Everdeen is courageous through the characteristics of Katniss going out hunting for food for her family, Katniss taking her sister place at the reaping, and Katniss fighting for herself and Peeta. One of the adventurous things that are shown through Katniss Everdeen is her going out hunting to get food for her and her family.

In the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the main character and protagonist is 16 year old Katniss Everdeen, a strong and selfless young woman who is far more mature than her age suggests. As the main provider for her family after her father died, Katniss had to become responsible and resourceful at a young age, which forced her to participate in rebellious behavior in order to keep her family alive. She is an unselfish and protective character, putting herself in danger in order to keep the ones she loves safe, especially for her little sister Primrose. Even after the pain and hardships she has had to go through not only in the games, but in her life, Katniss maintains her

In life there is always some sort of violence and there always seems to be a good and a bad side. The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross is a movie about 24 tributes fighting to the death for the Hunger Games crown. The prize is riches, fame and freedom from ever having to physically fight in the arena again. It is a game of violence, ferocity, and blood, and only one tribute can win. Even though stories often have a Battle between Good and Evil, it is Katniss’s internal conflict confronting her own good and evil that portrays humanity with a longing for destruction, violent inclination, and sense of separation.

In the history of cinema, most movies involving a hero 's journey involve mostly the same plot; man gets a call, goes on a journey, gets in a battle or two, and saves the helpless woman from some evil source. The Hunger Games has the same plot as other hero films, but takes a complete turn on the actor encompassing the hero. The hero in this film is a Katniss Everdeen, a poor girl from a dystopian society. In this film Katniss volunteers for her sister to be in the Hunger Games, which is an event where individuals are thrown into an arena where people from twelve districts fight each other to the death for entertainment. Katniss must win the hunger games and make it back to her family. Katniss eventually befriends Peta and they defeat all obstacles and win the Hunger Games together. The Hunger Games is a perfect example of a hero 's journey plot. It follows the steps that any hero journey movie would, including the call, crossing the threshold, a supreme ordeal, companions and mentors, a transformation and the end gift. This film encompasses the classic hero journey plot, with an exception of having a strong female lead instead of male.

In the novel “The Hunger Games” Suzanne Collins conveys the qualities of a hero through the main character Katniss Everdeen. The novel is based around a dystopian nation, in which is placed in Panem. Through which a boy and a girl from each district must take part in ‘The Hunger Games’ where they have to fight to the death, until there is one survivor. Katniss subsequently evolves as a significant hero portraying the heroic qualities such as selflessness, identity change and intelligence. Selflessness is shown as she puts others before herself, her identity changes as she has to put up a brave face, and intelligence is displayed as her strategies progress in the games.

“We had to save you because you're the Mockingjay, Katniss, says Plutarch. While you live, the revolution lives” (Collins). Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games is a complex character who epitomizes the archetype of a hero, however, she also shatters the mold by rebelling against the capital and endangering her whole family. She starts out as a hero to her family, especially her sister, and then becomes the symbol of strength to everyone. Katniss sacrifices herself by volunteering to join the Hunger Games in place of her sister, it is a game of survival where a boy and a girl from each district are forced to fight the other members of other districts to the death. By going out of her ordinary world and preparing to join a game where her life could be taken, she fits right into the archetype of a hero. Her bow and arrow, the weapon that only she can wield, will be the only things to help her survive. Despite these heroic qualities, Katniss makes an erroneous decision and blunder mistakes that shows the reader the flip side of Katniss.

Society’s current structure of masculinity is unforgiving in form. It cuts out other forms of masculinity, it physically and mentally demanding, and its ill effects extend far beyond the men it infuses itself in. Yet what would we do if we were given other options for masculinity, ones that allowed for unique blends of attitudes and perceptions? Looking in to the lives of homeless men we can see the forced strategies which create new masculine codes created for the adaption against patriarchal pressures. They are made out of survival need to circumnavigate the painful mental and physical reality that is only made worse by harsh masculine standards. Yet these new masculinities hold out a form of hopefulness for society. They offer up new discussion to what it means to be a man, the potential for change, and what we can expect from changes in male identity over time. Using what we learn from the disadvantaged, we can hope to improve the lives of people, although the process will take time, effort, and careful mediation.

Katniss Everdeen, the main character is seen in an incessant state of anguish, worrying about her beloved younger sister Prim, without the slightest concern for her own welfare, an idiosyncrasy that robustly contradicts with the typical perfect and flawless main character portrayed in almost all action/adventure films. The controversial scene then ends with the fearless Katniss Everdeen taking her sister’s place and volunteering for her in the Hunger Games after she had been conscripted. There are even ceaseless ties made between District 12 and World War II concentration camps ranging from the rag like clothing to the groups of hopeless children with guns aimed at their face, further deliberating Katniss’s initial mother like and selfish instincts when preferring to worry about her sister in an environment that can be related to a significant historical atrocity. As a set-up for the rest of the film, this sequence plays an important role in constructing the underlying theme of the film as a whole. The fact that Katniss finds her own empathy, sense of caring and compassion and her journey of going from a un-trusting and instinctive girl to a strong moraled, selfless woman that would rather die than take an innocent human life. An

There is a masculinity crisis in America that has been escalating, since society has gravitated to the auspice of anti-marriage and single parenthood. The nuclear family is the root of a successful society. In a traditional nuclear family, family structure plays a vital role in the healthy developmental stages from birth through adolescence; otherwise, the child cannot adjust due to lack of social conventions. There are numerous factors that contribute to the threat of masculinity in our society; namely, families headed by single mothers, the media metrosexualizing males, and absence of God.

Katniss Everdeen is the main protagonist in Suzanne Collin's trilogy: The Hunger Games. She is highlighted by her responsibility, loyalty, morality, bravery, independence and her compassion towards others. Katniss becomes the victim of her totalitarian government and unwillingly becomes the center of a revolution. The hunger games trilogy tells the story of war and its effects on the innocent. Katniss’ strong qualities shine through the suffering of realistic consequences and outcomes. Her qualities of strength and bravery along with immense compassion is something I search to achieve.

The presence of true female bravery in many novels and films was very rare, however, the release of the series, ‘The Hunger Games’, has begun the start of the typical female protagonist, by introducing the confident character, Katniss Everdeen. The film focuses on the protagonist of the film, Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old girl that lives in the poor District 12, which is located in the apocalyptic land Panem. This essay will analyse views towards film heroes, and the protagonist in the film, by recognising gender stereotypes, traditions, values, and beliefs to relate to modern society. In the typical western tradition, the heroes in the films are typically male and reinforce the values of the typical western society, the heroes in the films normally follow a set pattern, and this is relatable to Joseph Campbell’s

The Hippie era has come to end and the days of self awareness have arrived. Instead of focusing on love to all, many Americans were indulging in their self pleasure. According to Alfred Kinsey’s research Americans sexual behavior deviated from their widely accepted norms (Glbt.com/shsh/sexrevo cites correctly). Wilhelm Reich added to Kinsey’s research with a remark that he believed sexual repression overwhelmingly distorted psychological development (glbt.com/shsh). To further societies receptivity of sexuality the case Roth v. United States in 1956 created a public arena in which it became possible to discuss sex and represent it both literary and visually (glbt.com). Furthermore the counterculture of the 60’s had a new candidness of sexuality,

The Hunger Games is one of the few young adult novels out there that takes every gender role in American society, dumps them out of their trashcan, and sets them on fire. Typically, with a book like The Hunger Games, with characters like the ones in this novel, the plot would tend towards a love triangle, a stereotypical static, Mary Sue female protagonist, and a modicum of other terrible and problematic tropes. However, Katniss Everdeen, our first person perspective character and voice in the novel, forgoes all semblance of playing into the damsel-in-distress role, and instead takes up the mantle of the hero whose only goal is survival, and ignores any romance nipping at her heels.

For many years films have always been structured around the representation of gender roles. Up until recently, very few films have challenged the traditional stereotypes. However, with the increasing support of feminism and a heightened consciousness of the way the different genders are being labelled and stereotyped, many movies and novels now challenge traditional gender roles . ‘The Hunger Games’, a film adaptation of the novel by Suzanne Collins, is one of these movies. Released in 2012 and directed by Gary Ross, the film is the first of four movies based on the bestselling trilogy written from 2008-2010.

The notion of hegemonic masculinity has altered the field of gender studies and many academic arenas. An idea popularized by R.W. Connell, hegemonic masculinity has played an integral role in the emotional development of American men, articulating the impact that this societal construction has had on the concept of American masculinity. It is a contested topic, yet the impacts that it has in terms of sexuality, struggles for power and political leadership, and gender identities are valid (Connell 830). Although difficult to fully achieve, it acts as a guiding force for the stereotypically masculine. Hegemonic masculinity assumes the subordination of all other forms of masculinity, placing it at the top of the social hierarchy. At the same time, the idea of hegemonic masculinity has served as a bridge between the growing field of men’s’ studies and female studies (Connell 829). Several authors share the premise that men in American society conform to the standards of the social construct of hegemonic masculinity.