In the world today there are many pressing social issues, these problems largely influence American society and the way people live each day. David Wood wrote the article, “Effects of Child and Family Poverty on Health in the United States”, he argues that poverty does not only effect the individual who is earning the income, but it also has a large impact on children and how they are raised and develop in the world. His article is relevant in pop culture today because many topics discussed in his article are major topics discussed in art and literature. Suzanne Collin’s novel, The Hunger Games, touches upon many themes Woods discusses in his article. Collins has the intention to better illustrate to her audience the social issues impoverished American families face each day, by putting their real-life problems in a fictional world that the audience can better understand and relate to. The country is a dystopian society called Panem, it is divided into twelve districts based on social class. Each class has certain privileges that are not available to the others. In addition, every year a lottery is held, one boy and one girl from each district is chosen to fight until their death in The Hunger Games. Poverty is a main topic Collins talks about throughout her novel, an individual does not choose to live in poverty, this status affects many lifestyle choices and opportunities available to the individual. The poverty cycle effects families all across The United States, there are many contributing factors as to why some families are wealthy, and why some families fall below the poverty line. By looking at factors that contribute to poverty such as: food, health, drug addiction, number of opportunities, government aid, and household size, we can see that it is difficult for families to escape the ongoing cycle of poverty, many families face these types of social issues each day but it is hard for some to relate because we do not live the same lifestyles. Collin’s attempts to demonstrate these issues through her dystopian society.

The Cycle of poverty is something that effects many people in our country on a daily basis due to the fact it is a never ending chain of events which creates an ongoing, continuation of poverty. According to the business dictionary, this cycle can “create tension in families, cause addiction, provide less opportunities to individuals, promote violence and lead to a lack of employment.” Being in poverty not only effects the individual who is trying to earn an income, it effects the entire family unit. Since the 1960’s the number of people living in poverty has increased, furthermore, the people living in poverty today are twice as poor as people during the 1960’s. (Wood) The cost of living has gone up since the 1960’s, however, most pay checks have not increased nearly as much as the goods being purchased. The average salary in 1960 was $16.87 compared to $25.31. The average cost of a home in 1960 was $7,354, however, in 2010 the average cost was $188,900. (Mybudget Team) How is it fair that wages have only been raised eleven dollars, but the price of a home can raise $181,546? Most government aid put in place helps elderly individuals rather than struggling families below the poverty line. This type of aid hurts struggling families rather than helping them because individuals stuck in the poverty cycle need help getting out or they will continue to follow the never ending patterns.

 Suzanne Collins draws many parallels between her novel and the poverty cycle that many families face in America each day. Some Critics will argue that her dystopian society has no correlation with The United States socioeconomic status what-so-ever, however, Collins draws many parallels between the social issues Woods discusses in his article and American society, her novel makes the social issues easier for our society to understand and relate to. Each district in Panem represents the different socioeconomic classes in the United States economic system. The drawing of names from the game bowl represents the opportunities children are given based on their privileges, higher classes have less names in the bowl, therefore, less of a chance of being chosen. Katniss wins the hunger games to prove that even when all odds are against an individual, they are capable of breaking out of the never ending poverty cycle. As a society, we are taught that an individual cannot break from the cycle of poverty, when reading the novel the audience does not have faith that Katniss is capable of winning. 

The Hunger Games is an iconic novel in our culture today, it touches upon many social issues that are prevalent in our society. One major issue that influenced the writing of this novel is how food intake compared to other children effects the cycle of poverty and development. Children in a lower income home will not have as much food available to eat due to a smaller food budget. A common theme pertaining to poverty is children often suffer the most, but are not given a voice or a way to help themselves due to their circumstances. The Hunger Games demonstrates this issue when Katniss puts her name into the Huger Games lottery multiple times, hoping she will receive more or a bigger food ration without getting her name picked. "I volunteer!" I gasp. "I volunteer as tribute!" (2.5-6) Primrose’s name was only entered into the lottery a single time, Katniss volunteers because she does not think it is fair that her name was entered multiple times and Primrose was selected. It is not Katniss’ fault that her mother has a job but cannot afford to feed their family of three, it is also not her mother’s fault that she does not earn enough to support her family. Katniss and her younger sister Primrose are the one being punished in The Hunger Games for their mother’s income, which the family cannot control. This unfortunate issue relates to a topic David Wood talks about in his article, he explains The United States has the largest number of children growing up in poverty compared to any other developed country. 1 of every 5 children grows up below the poverty line. (Wood) This statistic relates to Collins’ novel because she split up the socioeconomic classes into districts to make the wealth gap between each district more apparent to the audience. These districts are a direct reflection of the wealth gaps across The United States, our culture has shaped the way Collins’ has written her novel. 

 A low paying salary not only effects the adult earning the income, but also has a major impact on a child’s health. Elaborating on the point in the previous paragraph about food intake, if an individual has a low income, they will most likely have a small budget for food, impacting the quality of food they are consuming. (Thinkprogress) A limited food budget will most likely lead to the purchasing of unhealthy, processed foods that are full of sugars because this type of food tends to be cheaper than organic foods. An unbalanced diet can have detrimental effects on children who are developing because these diet decisions contribute to a higher rate of obesity as well as a higher chance of contracting a high blood pressure number. 

Living in an inner city neighborhood or in government issued housing could also impact one’s health quality. Most families below the poverty line live in inner city neighborhoods, these cities tend to have poorer air quality due to the cluster of people and the proximity to large, polluted cities. These types of living conditions can ultimately lead to lung cancer or breathing issues later in life. (Thinkprogress) This relates to The Hunger Games because Katniss lives in District 12, which is commonly known as the coal district. The men who are sent to the mines usually have breathing issues due to the coal and ash in the mining tunnels being absorbed into their lungs. These men do not have the health benefits needed to go to a doctor and get the dust extracted, unlike a higher class citizen. Most citizens of District 12 use methods of natural healing in order to promote good health. 

In a lower class society, the chance of having a drug addiction is higher. David Woods claims in his article living in an inner city neighborhood creates more of an opportunity for children to purchase illegal drugs. Illegal substances and substance abuse is more prevalent in a lower socioeconomic neighborhood because there is typically a higher rate in crime and the drugs are more easily accessed. (Wood) Due to the fact there is a lack in job opportunity for people living in inner cities, many drug dealers rely on these types of environments to sell their drugs and make some extra money on the side. Once an individual is hooked on a specific drug habit, it is difficult for that person to break the addiction and get clean, this only puts the individual further into the poverty cycle. This issue relates to the The Hunger Games because Katniss’ hunger game mentor, Haymitch, was an alcoholic and could not function unless he had a drink. Peta states before one of the training sessions “Haymitch should not go near an open flame because he may burst into flame.” (Collins) Anytime Katniss enters Haymitch’s house he is drunk and surrounded by alcohol bottles. Since Haymitch won the Hunger Games in his youth, he has a free place to live and available money with nothing to spend it on, therefore, he spends his money on drugs. Suzanne Collins demonstrated this social issue in her novel because she wanted to show the audience how much of an issue this is for some individuals and put it into a new perspective. Alcoholism is a prevalent issue in society, Collins chose this particular drug to be the addiction Haymitch faces because it is the easiest drug to purchase in our society today, making this type of drug abuse the most relatable to the audience.

Most impoverished families live in inner city neighborhoods, or in government issued homes which fail to give as many opportunities to the children growing up in these neighborhoods, compared to children who live elsewhere. Many children are unable to safely play, participate in school sports, or continue their education because they have to assist their family in making money to afford basic necessities. (Wood) On page 17 Katniss explains, “I could be shot on a daily basis for hunting, but the appetites of those in charge protect me.” (Collins) This type of living atmosphere is apparent in The Hunger Games because Katniss risks her life crawling under an electric fence, and uses dangerous weapons to try and kill pray in hopes her family can go to sleep feeling full. If Katniss’ family had enough money to support their family she would have the ability to stay in school all day, rather than trying to assist her family is creating a better living atmosphere. Moreover, when Katniss is chosen to participate in The Hunger Games she experiences the lifestyle the capital people live. At the dinner in the capital Peeta attempts to drink a mysterious drink he had never encountered before, “My prep team laughs hysterically. “Of course [you make yourself vomit], so you can keep eating,” says Octavia. ‘I’ve been in there twice already. Everyone does it, or else how else would you have any fun at a feast?’”, they drink a drink to make themselves throw up so they have the ability to eat more. (Collins) The capital people can be compared to the top 1% of people in the United States, these people will never know what Katniss has to endure on a daily basis. Their children are given more opportunities in life than a child from District 12 because they are privileged enough to have the ability to stay in school and focus on their own well-being rather than their families. The ticket drawing for the hunger games is a perfect example of unfair opportunity because every child has their name in the bowl, therefore some people may argue, every child should have an equal opportunity of getting chosen to participate in the games. This is not true because not every child is given an equal opportunity, if a child is living in a lower class district they will have a higher chance of going to the games because their name is entered in the bowl more times to increase the food rations given. Compared to a child in a high socioeconomic district whose name is only entered once because their parents can provide for their entire family unit. It is not the child’s fault that their family cannot support themselves, however, it is the children in this dystopian society who are being punished for their economic status. 

In The United States many of the government programs created to aid struggling families give most of the funding the have available to elderly individuals rather than families in need. (Wood) This is an ongoing issue because families below the poverty line must make the decision whether or not they want to keep a low paying salary to stay on food stamps and government aid programs, or attempt to earn a better income but not receive the benefits of government aid, which could potentially create a larger poverty gap. In The Hunger Games President Snow makes a similar comment about the districts, he tells the citizens not to feel bad for lower districts. Snow tells the citizens of Panem “[they are] like a body turning its own heat”, meaning the lower districts brought war and poverty upon themselves because it is their fault that they cannot afford a better lifestyle. (Collins) This statement fueled the higher socioeconomic districts to not try and help District 12 because “it is their own fault”, even though it is not. In American society some people may argue that it is the individuals fault that they cannot support themselves. Poverty is a never ending cycle and the only way to break the cycle is to give more aid to those in need, welfare allotted to lower class families has decreased and it is only hurting impoverished families. (Wood) Society has skewed perception which effects the aid given to the struggling families, furthering the cycle of poverty. This idea is shown in The Hunger Games because many of the wealthier districts do not associate with District 12, furthering their poverty.

Another characteristic that may be found in an impoverished family is a singular parent, in J. Walker’s article, the author discusses many benefits of living in a single parent household. Children who have a singular parent are more likely to have strong emotional connections with their parent because there is no one else sharing attention with the child. (Walker) At some point in time a tragedy would have occurred that impacted the relationship between the parent and their child, sometimes, this event can strengthen a bond between parent and child because they rely on each other for emotional support. This type of relationship is shown in The Hunger Games between Ms. Everdeen and Primrose Everdeen. At a young age Mr. Everdeen was working a dangerous mining job, and the tunnel collapsed killing everyone who was working. Due to this traumatic event the mother-daughter relationship between Ms. Everdeen and Primrose is extremely close, in the third book Ms. Everdeen is teaching Primrose how to heal injured people. (Collins) As the book progresses they work side-by-side in the hospital helping people regain their health. This relationship provides evidence that one side effect of poverty could be to have a single parent, some children benefit from this relationship. 

In conclusion, by looking at the social factors that contribute to poverty such as: food, health, number of opportunities, amount of government aid, and household size, we can see that it is difficult for families to escape the ongoing cycle of poverty, it is difficult for many to relate to their hardships because we do not live the same lifestyles. In Collins’ novel she demonstrates many prevalent social topics in American society today. Poverty is a never ending chain of events that makes it difficult for an individual to climb into a higher socioeconomic class. The amount of earned income does not solely effect the individual who is making a living for themselves, it has a large impact on children who are trying to grow up and develop. Children are often the most effected by a family’s socioeconomic status because they often have the least control or say over the situation at hand. Critics may argue that today’s social issue of poverty has no impact on the creation of Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games. Contrastingly there are many parallels between her fictional dystopian society and American economics in today’s time. Food intake is an issue because a poor, unhealthy diet will impact a child’s growth and development. A child’s health may also be impacted because they are more suseptable to illegal drugs found in impoverished neighborhoods. Furthermore, opportunities may be hindered for children in a low status household because outsiders may be quick to judge their abilities based on where they come from. In addition, there is not enough government aid going to these families which is creating a larger wage gap. Families who are stuck in the never ending poverty cycle will have a difficult time escaping, as well as helping their children escape without some sort of outside assistance. Finally, the number of parental figures in a household will affect the type of relationships that children form with their parental figures. Issues in today’s society have a large impact on pop-culture being created because our culture influences what is being written.
