Comparing and Contrasting the Novels “Animal Farm” and “The Hunger Games”

George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” and Suzanne Collins’s “The Hunger Games” share a crucial similarity: both are stories of rebellion against oppressive leaders. “Animal Farm” narrates the tale of animals revolting against their cruel leader, Mr. Jones, and its repercussions. On the other hand, “The Hunger Games” portrays two fighters initiating a rebellion against the administrators of the Hunger Games and their wealthy, oppressive leaders. Despite their differences, both rebellions have similarities, exemplifying that oppressive leadership inevitably causes resistance.

The initial rebellion in “Animal Farm” arises when all the animals oust Mr.

Jones off the farm. They had been further agonized by starvation, overworking, and death once Mr. Jones deemed them useless. This sorry state of affairs sparked an uprising led by Old Major, and the animals seized the right moment. After the rebellion, it was noted, “And so, almost before they knew what was happening, the rebellion had been successfully carried through: Jones was expelled, and the Manor Farm was theirs” (Orwell, pg. 20). This action reflects that the animals, suffering under their leader, decided to overthrow him. Comparative resistance is evident in “The Hunger Games” when Katniss strives to demonstrate her archery skills to the Gamemakers. Despite landing her first few targets, she fails to gain their attention. Consequently, an infuriated Katniss shoots the apple within the roast pig’s mouth, catching everyone’s attention and ensuring her recognition. Essentially, Katniss rebels against the Game Makers by asserting her presence.

Another rebellion burst within “Animal Farm” transpires when Napoleon banishes Snowball from the farm and emerges as the dictator. As food rations dwindle alarmingly, he notifies the hens about his plans to sell most of their eggs. The hens protest against this arrangement, leading Napoleon to withdraw their food supply. This resistance was reflected when the hens made their stance clear: “They were just getting their clutches ready for the spring sitting, and they protested that taking the eggs away now was murder” (Orwell, pg. 76). Despite their pleas, Napoleon doesn’t relent, showcasing his unwillingness to heed his subjects’ concerns, thus indicating another instance of oppressive leadership leading to rebellion in “Animal Farm”. Similarly in “The Hunger Games”, Katniss incites a rebellion in District 11 following Rue’s tragic death. Seeing Katniss raise her three fingers, the shocked residents of District 11 rebelled, attacking police officers and resorting to destruction, fueled by their intense grief over Rue’s death.

The final time a rebellion happens in Animal Farm is when Boxer finally collapses and is sent to the glue truck. While Boxer is being loaded onto the cart to the “Hospital,” Benjamin realizes that the writing on the cart says, “Glue Factory.” He immediately tells the animals, and they are outraged. Benjamin says, “Do you not understand what this means? They are taking Boxer to the Knackers” (Orwell, pg. 122)! They scream for Boxer to get out of the cart, but his kicks are too feeble now to break its grip. That’s the last they see of Boxer. This is the first and last time all of the animals speak out together against Napoleon. They all rebel against Napoleon killing Boxer, but this time their rebellion fails. This situation is unlike the last rebellion seen in The Hunger Games, though. During the Games, it is announced that if two contestants from the same district were to survive till the end, they could both win without killing each other. Katniss and Peeta fight off the rest of the contestants viciously and begin to celebrate their win. However, it is then announced that their previous change of rules was to be revoked, and Katniss and Peeta would have to fight and kill each other to crown a winner. They both look at each other, not wanting to fight. They then remember the poisonous berries they kept and threaten to eat them if they cannot both be crowned winner. This works, and they are both crowned champions. Katniss and Peeta rebel against the Gamemaker’s decision for only one winner, and they succeed. The major difference in these two rebellions is that in the Hunger Games Katniss and Peeta successfully preserve their lives, while the animals in Animal Farm do not.

In conclusion, it can be seen that tyrannical leadership in both The Hunger Games and Animal Farm leads to a rebellion. Rebellion happened many times in each story, with the most important ones being Katniss’s bowshot, the Rebellion of District 11, and Katniss and Peeta’s refusal to kill each other in The Hunger Games. In Animal Farm, the most important rebellions were the Battle of the Cowshed, the hens refusing to lay eggs, and the rebellion against Boxer’s demise. All of these examples show that leaders who do not fulfill the expectations of the public will have to deal with rebellion. Rebellion is a significant theme that Animal Farm and The Hunger Games have in common.

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