In Susanne Collins's Catching Fire, a new Head Peacekeeper is sent by the Capitol to oversee District 12 and enforce the strict laws the Capitol has set in order to maintain control over the district the Huger Games victor, Katniss Everdeen, resides. This puts the actions of Katniss and those around her under a microscope by the all-controlling Capitol in order to cease any more threat of rebellion in Panem. Consequently, Katniss' best friend Gale Hawthorne falls victim to the new, stricter regime in their district when he was caught trying to sell a wild turkey he illegally shot; his penalty is public punishment in the town square by whipping. The historic act of whipping as used in District 12 contrasted with the ability the advanced Capitol actually has for holding a trial for one of its citizens symbolizes the imbalance of power and respect between the districts of Panem and the Capitol; this is important because it depicts that a government should be leading its people to prosperity, not weakening them to fall victim to their power as the roles of victim and culprit are reversed in this form of corporal punishment.
	
This history of corporal punishment has been around since ancient civilizations, but its recorded history goes from the Middle Ages until the 1800-1900s. The act of whipping was in response to "minor crimes and unlawful acts" where "a person is whipped with a rod or whip" ("Buzzle"). Similarly, Gale's sentence was given to him for shooting a wild turkey in the woods, which is illegal yet largely ignored in District 12 until this scene. The new Head Peacekeeper exercises his power over the people of District 12 by creating an example of Gale. In a very public event, the district gathered in the main square to witness Gale's punishment. As he was help up by his wrists, everyone watched as the whip repeatedly lashed him across his back. Although, legally, Gale was in the wrong by bringing the illicitly hunted turkey into the market, his punishment exceeded that of proving a point; the Capitol and its workers went above and beyond to show everyone not to question their power and limits, which especially scared District 12 out of any thoughts of rebellion. This type of authoritative influence creates victims of the citizens emotional and physically affected by this control.
	
This scene creates an emotional appeal of those involved in the scene and the reader. The people of the square hissed at Katniss to leave because they were scared for Gale's safety if her involvement came to play. The emotions of those watching include scared, panicked and pity for the corporal punishment they are forced to gather and observe. Allowing others to view this type of physical reprimand creates a victim out of the person who did the wrongdoing in the first place, yet no one can help but watch what he is enduring. It isn't until Katniss cries from the audience and throws herself "directly between the whip and Gale" that his pain can be put to a halt (Collins 106). Inflicting physical pain on an individual before a crowd breaks down the person not only physically, but also emotionally. He goes from breaking the law to becoming the victim of his punishment as he is bared to the crowd as helpless and weak. The crowd in turn is scared for his wellbeing, but also too feared by the event to say anything against the abuse of power the government is portraying. This scene perfectly represents the extent of authority the Capitol has against the people when one Peacekeeper is controlling the emotions of a crowds of people; this definitely creates a greater distinction between the two parties.
	
The most obvious result of corporal punishment is the physical effect it leaves on the person enduring this trauma. Since whipping is seen in today's world as an ancient punishment, it is extreme that in the futuristic setting of The Hunger Games series, the powerful government would bring it back. Because of the awful physical effects on the body from this punishment, the Capitol only gains strength by using whipping. Gale "slumps unconscious on his knees" held by his wrists with his back described as "a raw, bloody slab of meat". As Katniss throws herself to cover Gale's body she notices "Gale's blood, the air heavy with its scent" (Collins). As the picture of the scene is created in the reader's mind, the whipping comes to life and brings a new light to this punishment. As the lashes of the whip broke down Gale physically he eventually passes out, yet is continued to be punished; this creates an atmosphere of indecency as a once strong man loses all his strength to the one person in charge at the scene. Gale inadvertently becomes the martyr for breaking the law with the new Peacekeeper in charge.
	 
The setting of The Hunger Games trilogy is in the country of Panem, hundreds of years after the demise of what was once known as North America; yet instead of being a modern and revolutionary nation, the districts of Panem revert back to what seem to be medieval times, while the Capitol thrives financially and socially. During the colonial period of the United States, whipping was a punishment well into the 1900s for crimes including "forgery, counterfeiting, Sabbath breaking, blasphemy, witchcraft" and other offences (Window on Cecil County's Past). Cecil County, Maryland was one of the last in colonial times to get away with whipping as a corporal punishment; only in 1882 did they specify only wife beaters could be whipped and in 1940 they gave their last punishment of ten whippings to a carpenter who beat his wife (Window on Cecil County's Past). As one of the last places to allow this practice in the United States, it is strange that in a novel set hundreds of years from this time period would bring it back; this shows the reader that this new country has its own flaws and is reverting back to primalistic ways of physically controlling its people.
	
The physical torture of whipping as a type of corporal punishment is first illustrated in Catching Fire by the new Head Peacekeeper against Gale for poaching. Exerting his control over the district provided by the Capitol, the new Peacekeeper breaks Gale down emotionally and physically in a public event; however this is an abuse of power on the side of the government. Although this kind of punishment has been mentioned in the series of novels, this is the first time it is witnessed by Katniss which makes it a turning point in the plot. Even though this scares the people in the district from rebelling against the powerful figures in charge of them, it only fuels the hate that Katniss has for the Capitol. In an emotionally and physically extreme scene, another power struggle between the people and the government is seen. Weakening the citizens by exposing this historic form of punishment actually presents the Capitol as the suppressers and as the party in the wrong, which eventually overturn s the role of who is the convict in the situation to who s the victim.

