Although it may be surprising, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins correlates quite well to the Vietnam War. There are prisoners, leaders, executioners, and battles for freedom in both. The tales of those in captivity are the most interesting, especially when one focuses on their thought patterns and attempts at escape. However, neither the tributes nor the prisoners of war (POWs) could stand on their own; they needed to communicate. Looking at the use of codes by the Tributes in the arena when compared to that of the POWs in Vietnam, shows that suppressed peoples are forced to use subvert tactics to escape their predicament, whether it be a literal or mental escape; this is important because it sends the message that people need to not only speak but also understand the those around them.

The code used in the Arena in Catching Fire was fairly simple. In a paragraph, she explains the entire plan and the method of sending the message to the Tributes (Collins 385).  Used to arrange an escape for the Tributes inside, it involved the supporters on the outside sending them bread. "The district where the bread originated indicated the day... The number of rolls the hour."(Collins 385) This was the perfect code, because it was easily overlooked. Sponsors often sent their favorite tributes gifts, such as food, at especially difficult times in the arena. It was also a simple communication method. They had to know how many days they had been in the arena, and count the rolls. Because rationing the food was already necessary, this did not stand out even to the tributes who did not know of the plan. The entire ordeal was being broadcast to the nation of Panem, but there was little need to worry of discovery.

The POWs in Vietnam were in a parallel circumstance. They were not allowed to communicate with each other under threat of torture. Therefore, they developed an ingenious method of communication called the tap code. Carlyle Smith Harris introduced it, having learned it from an instructor while in the air force (Hubbell 44). It was similar to Morse code, but there were no dashes. Variations of it could be done with coughing and other respiratory sounds. Jeremiah Denton (who is famous for sending the message "TORTURE" by blinking in Morse code during a propaganda television interview early in his prison experience [Denton 91-92]) takes credit for inventing this particular version, although it became quite common throughout North Vietnam's prisoner network. This vocal method was efficient because the prisoner's were often ill. Thus it was easily disguised (Hubbell 46-47 and Denton ix-x).

Just as the characters in Catching Fire used their communication to plan an escape, so did the POWs in Vietnam. Denton developed one such plan. He discovered a way to open his cell door and disclosed the method to two friends who were later able to escape, albeit briefly (Denton 126-127). The POWS also relied on communication to escape mentally. Solitary confinement was not an uncommon punishment, and for some it went on for years. The only opportunity these men had to communicate with someone besides their tormentors was to speak through the tap code. One good example of this desperation for contact is John McCain. Because his father became commander in chief of the United States Pacific forces during his captivity in the war, McCain was often focused on in interrogations, punishment, and of course, solitary confinement. He says, "As far as this business of solitary confinement goes the most important thing for survival is communication with someone, even if it's only a wave or a wink, a tap on the wall, or to have a guy put his thumb up. It makes all the difference." (McCain) The POWs' existences would have been null had it not been for the network they devised. They maintained a military framework, and their mission was to resist their interrogators (Hubbell 44-47). Once they could converse, they were able to support each other through the many trials they experienced as prisoners, just as the Tributes formed alliances to defend themselves in the arena.

The emphasis placed on communication in Catching Fire serves to prove a point. Communication is a two-party system. It requires sending and receiving, or speaking and listening. The men in the Vietnamese prison camps knew the importance of both parts. They developed extremely good hearing as a result of listening for nearly inaudible taps or coughs (Denton viii-ix). Finnick showed the same attentiveness when counting the rolls they had received. The resemblance between this historic circumstance and Collins' novel is no accident.  She is making the statement that people in America have lost this attentiveness and need to regain it in order to escape impending perils. She does this by focusing on the receiving end of the message in Catching Fire. She describes in detail Finnick's reaction to the first loaf of bread and to the smaller roles. "Finnick turns the bread over in his hands, examining the crust. A bit too possessively." (Collins 317) "Finnick counts them, turning each one over in his hands before he sets it in a neat configuration  he seems obsessed with handling it." (Collins 349) He held onto the bread as if it were a lifeline; and indeed it was.

Collins emphasizes the honest aspect of communication, by showing how angry Katniss is when she finds out the other Tributes worked around her with the code. "Used without consent, without knowledge My supposed friends have been a lot more secretive." (Collins 385-386) After a few minutes of processing this new revelation, she even attacks Haymitch (Collins 387). Whenever the North Vietnamese discovered prisoners using codes or saying anything, they had a similar violent reaction. Once, Jeremiah Denton got news from home from another prisoner. When he gave a triumphant shout, the guards instantly captured, questioned, and tortured him (Denton 140-141). Understanding communication is the power to control others. The North Vietnamese realized this as enforcers, whereas Katniss realized it as a victim. Collins wanted to make this point of two-way communication to her audience. Society needs to make an escape, not from an arena or a prison camp, but from this endless cycle of miscommunication. The fact is it is easy to mislead someone who is only half- listening. Although people appear shocked when someone famous (or infamous as the case may be) deceives them, it is a purely hypocritical reaction. They use the same forms of deception in their daily lives. In order to cease being offended, citizens need to change themselves, not just the leaders. If they are truly attentive to everything politicians say, then they are less likely to be deceived. As a result, gradually the current bureaucrats will be replaced by honest leaders.
 
What is the point of lying? When one recognizes the situation of the POWs stripped of everything they had, one can realize there is no real use for deception. It only brings people down and destroys purpose. The POWs had nothing to lie to each other about, and as a result their communications thrived. In The Hunger Games series, Katniss was always at her best when she knew the truth of her situation. Their enemies knew the harm this communication could do and were willing to do anything to put a stop to it. Suzanne Collins' message is simple: America needs to become a two-way communication system. It needs to both listen and respond without making assumptions and costly miscalculations. The same applies to its individual citizens. In all the noise of the modern era, the United States has lost its voice. Only once it has cleared its throat of everything that is obstructing it can it be heard by any other nation.


