Once the country becomes stable once again, a hierarchy is placed within all of Panem. President Snow and the Capital (Gamemakers, Advisors to the President, etc.) are at the very top. Then, you have the citizens of the Capital and just below them, the recruiters like Effie. Just above those of the districts, you have the winners of the Hunger games, who don't seem to escape the arena. Finally, you have the districts. This hierarchy is pictured below and does include the District 13 because even though they have been nearly exterminated from Panem and are living underground.
This system ensures that there is a vertically integrated system (O'Brien & Szeman 2019). This type of system consists of a board or executive at the top, aka President Snow, and then assemblage according to a complex division of labor. Each specific job assigned to each district creates an environment that the citizens must stick too. Additionally, because of the geographical layout seen in the video above, there is great separation between the districts and that creates a panoptic structure for the Capital where they have the technology to watch everyone, but no one can communicate to see how the other districts are fairing (Foucault 2008). This helps to ensure structure, discipline, and limited uprisings for nearly 75 years.
However, there is also a hierarchy between the districts themselves. Some are treated much better than others and this makes them more willing to listen to and accept the Capital's propaganda. That hierarchy can be seen in the photo below.
https://wikieducator.org/English/THG-JJJJGovtControl
These hierarchies all play into the environment that the Capital has created in order to control and manipulate the public. O'Brien and Szeman (2019) explore how the cultural separation can impact those who are lower in the pyramid as well as those who are higher up. For instance, in the district hierarchy, there is the Capital at the top. These people represent the upper class that O'Brien and Szeman refer to. Other than President Snow, these people are generally carefree about what is going on below them. They may sometimes interact with those in the middle class (Districts 1, 2, and 4 as well as potentially 3 because of their efforts to technology in the Capital). The interaction is even further from those on the last two tiers in the picture above because unless the people from here are the tributes entering the Capital, reporting to the Hunger Games. Those on the second and third tier often provide the surveillance of the lower districts. Many come from District 2 and therefore act in the role that the middle class does in "History of Popular Culture." As peacekeepers, they keep the low class from intermingling any higher than their District's status as well as keep order. This is what the middle class did during the Industrial Revolution with the lower class. They kept them out of their areas by creating separate towns and policing street games so that the lower class did not get any ideas.
The use of the districts altogether also shows a shift between wide open fields to fences and then buildings and streets. The new arrangement keeps the citizens from coming together in a way that the Capital cannot take on for a very long time. That is until the fall of the arena in the 75th Hunger Games when a real chance for nationwide rebellion to occur.
The Hob in District 12
https://historymaniacmegan.com/2016/02/13/the-hunger-games-the-musical-the-hob/
However, within the districts, specifically District 12, the hierarchy was not as strict. Yes, there was the Peacekeepers, town officials, merchant class, and those in the Seam, but District 12 worked different than the others. Their lives more so replicated those of the land owners and laborers in the 18th century (O'Brien & Szeman 2019). The land owners wanted the laborers to work hard, but in order to get the most efficient work, they have to tolerate the play of the laborers so they never thought that they could rise up because of being oppressed. The peacekeepers and government officials let the Hob continue on even though it was illegal. They didn't arrest and punish Gale and Katniss for hunting because they benefitted from the catches. The Capital may look down upon this greatly, but in District 12, the more relaxed way of life worked and that's why it resembles the land owner/laborer relationship.
This relationship did not continue. At the beginning of Catching Fire, President Snow assigns new peacekeepers to District 12 and they are much more strict. They burn down the Hob and enforce strict curfews. They even reinstate the whole concept of the town square where public beatings and executions occur. These are things that District 12 has not seen in years. This sudden change is what manipulates the public into being completely subdued by the Capital. The rebellious acts subside and Katniss takes the message that is being given to her. Not to mention the reinforcement of a panoptic society because President Snow shows Katniss images of her movements and whereabouts that she knew imagined President Snow to see.
Katniss and Peeta...Free At Last
http://getyourimage.club/resize-15-february.html
In the end, the Capital does fall and their geographical divide is put to an end so that, I assume, people can roam about freely. This shows the overall failure of a panoptic society because people who are watched and severely surveilled are not going to be happy in the long run and that is shown throughout Panem (Foucault 2008). Even so, while in power, the Capital does a good job of creating an environment where they can force people to watch the shows, messages, and events that they want and create a sense of fear and worry that keeps people separated and too scared to say anything negative about the Capital. The Hunger Games series does a good job to show the extremes of an upper class oppression over a larger lower class that has little power to do anything.
*Author's Note
Interested in getting a feel for what each Hunger Games movie is about (There are 4!)? Watch these trailers and then decide if you want to read the books or watch the movies (I highly recommend the books first)
References
Collins, Suzanne. 2009. The Hunger Games. Scholastic.
Foucault, Michel. 2008. "Panopticism." Discipline & Punishment. Indiana University Press.
Lawrence, Francis (Director). (2013). Catching Fire. USA: Lionsgate.
Lawrence, Francis (Director). (2014). Mockingjay – Part 1. USA: Lionsgate.
Lawrence, Francis (Director). (2014). Mockingjay – Part 2. USA: Lionsgate.
O’Brien, Susie & Imre Szeman. 2019. “History of Popular Culture.” Popular Culture: A User’sGuide. Langara College.
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