Consumed: Food in The Hunger Games

In the futuristic dystopia of The Hunger Games, food divides rich and poor, empowered and oppressed, pure and putrid. It also provides a lens to analyse power and rebellion through theory, surveillance, and the art historical genre of memento mori. This article considers the following: How does food represent and enact power? How does food send moral and political messages? How does the government control and, in fact, author the lives of the citizens? How do Katniss’ rebellions reflect, represent and magnify the crisis of the state?