The Hunger Games is a novel in which the capitol of Panem used tributes from each district to brutally kill each other off as a way to prevent the people of the districts from plotting together and rebelling. One of the biggest themes of this novel is control and power. The Capitol of Panem designed these annual games to regulate control over its citizens and also as entertainment as a cover up to keep the lower classes from realizing how terribly they are troubled, which could lead to rebellion. Also, the Capitol gained a stronghold of control over their citizens by belittling and making them feel worthless, so the citizens bowed down to anything due to lack of self-worth. The games really put tension amongst the districts and kept them divided due to animosity. This was the government's way of keeping the districts separated so they wouldn't come together and have another rebellion. The government had control over who these districts liked, due to the forced separation when really, they were the problem. And when these districts did have to face each other, as in the Hunger Games, it was not a nice greeting. This power seems easy to maintain since most of Panem's wealth comes from the capitol. Even in society now, the wealthy have always had that extra edge over the poor so I see how wealth is the root of gaining power over the lower class people. Throughout the novel, those same lower class district people did not allow those wealthy people of the capitol to gain power and control over them every time. Being fed up from the mistreatment and having a teenage leader ambitiously fight back to gain some respect for her people is the starting point for the chain of control and power to be broken. .
The Hunger Games is definitely the biggest form of control over the citizens of Panem. As Katniss stated, "Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch " this is the Capitol's way of reminding us how totally we' are at their mercy.