The meticulousness with which the spectacle of the Games is built becomes apparent in these chapters. The idea of characterizing tributes through design speaks to the vacuousness of the spectacle – it is, in effect, a "reality show" where reality is a deliberately designed illusion. This is not at all dissimilar to our own reality shows, so it serves as a social critique. The fanfare that greets them provides a great irony for Katniss, since she finds herself excited by the very elements she ought to disdain. She is excited to be in a position she detests.
In terms of class, Katniss is aware that the design process usually continues to penalize those of lower social station, since District 12 tributes tend to be decorated in an unflattering coal motif. Cinna's masterstroke is to emphasize the individual in his tributes, rather than generalize them into their class. While it should be noted that his fire strategy is very much a play to the spectacle of the Games, it also allows them to have an identity that is about them, rather than about where they are from and what industry their parents are engaged in. The theme of class is also seen in these chapters as the luxury continues to increase and overwhelm Katniss.
The design specifically gives Katniss an identity that holds metaphoric significance – "the girl who was on fire." Fire, traditionally a metaphor for consuming passion, is something that does not define Katniss, a stoic hero, at this point, but does set her up for her growth into a fuller person who can accept emotion.
But her stoic front is very much on display in these chapters, even as it comes in conflict with Haymitch's strategy of selling her and Peeta as a unified front. Peeta gives her plenty of reason to trust him – both in the past through the bread incident, and in these chapters through lying for her when she recognizes the Avox - but she cannot see him as an ally unless she is able to understand it as a functional advantage. The idea of selflessly trusting someone is too foreign to her, as she is so accustomed to working alone.
This all plays into the theme of community and revolution, which manifests in these chapters in two ways. First, the aforementioned strategy of presenting a unified front. Katniss's confusion about this, whereas Peeta easily accepts it, indicates her inability to yet understand the comfort of trust. But the more intense manifestation involves the red-headed Avox. Katniss has a deep ambivalence about the incident she relates, where she and Gale refused to sacrifice themselves for the girl in the woods. While it made functional sense to stay hidden, Katniss battles a feeling that she showed weakness by not sacrificing herself for the girls' safety, an indication of the mindset she will continue to develop through the novel. Also note that Avox is built from the Latin [I]a (a negation prefix) and [I]vox (voice).
Lastly, the introduction of President Snow suggests that Panem operates under the guise of a democracy – he is President, after all. It's one of the traditional dystopic ironies, a government of the people that is hardly operating in those people's best interests.
CAN I BE BRAINLIEST PLS?
