Q: Thanks to a cruel futuristic government, 24 children are chosen by lottery to compete in the annual Hunger Games—a fight to the death that’s televised live. How did you come up with that idea?
A: It’s very much based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, which I read when I was eight years old. I was a huge fan of Greek and Roman mythology. As punishment for displeasing Crete, Athens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete, where they were thrown into the labyrinth and devoured by the Minotaur, which is a monster that’s half man and half bull. Even when I was a little kid, the story took my breath away, because it was so cruel, and Crete was so ruthless.
Ela discute isso com mais detalhes em uma entrevista com Scholastic :
Q: You weave action, adventure, mythology, sci-fi, romance, and philosophy throughout The Hunger Games. What influenced the creation of The Hunger Games?
A: A significant influence would have to be the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The myth tells how in punishment for past deeds, Athens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete, where they were thrown in the Labyrinth and devoured by the monstrous Minotaur.
Even as a kid, I could appreciate how ruthless this was. Crete was sending a very clear message: “Mess with us and we’ll do something worse than kill you. We’ll kill your children.” And the thing is, it was allowed; the parents sat by powerless to stop it. Theseus, who was the son of the king, volunteered to go. I guess in her own way, Katniss is a futuristic Theseus.
In keeping with the classical roots, I send my tributes into an updated version of the Roman gladiator games, which entails a ruthless government forcing people to fight to the death as popular entertainment. The world of Panem, particularly the Capitol, is loaded with Roman references. Panem itself comes from the expression “Panem et Circenses” which translates into “Bread and Circuses.”
The audiences for both the Roman games and reality TV are almost characters in themselves. They can respond with great enthusiasm or play a role in your elimination.
Como nota final, esta página interessante em Shmoop discute algumas das alusões à sociedade romana, incluindo:
- O nome Panem (como discutido acima)
- A arena e sua semelhança com o Coliseu
- Cinna - havia duas Cinnas associadas a Júlio César. Um era um tirano envolvido em seu assassinato, o outro um poeta assassinado após o assassinato depois de ser erroneamente identificado como o outro Cinna.
- O grande número de nomes romanos no Capitólio.
Todas essas referências obviamente vêm de entrevistas com o autor. Os livros não fornecem nenhuma razão mais profunda para isso e os filmes certamente não o fazem.
Gostaria de acrescentar que, do ponto de vista fora do universo , acho que você já descreveu o link: " pode-se ver o termo" Capitol "e os Jogos Vorazes em si como uma espécie de gladiador luta em relação a isso ". Eu acho que é exatamente isso que está em jogo aqui. O uso do simbolismo romano em todo o Capitólio apenas enfatiza ainda mais a força e o poder do Capitólio sobre os distritos fracos e desconexos.