The Mockingjay Pin and Its Significance in the Hunger Games

           An example of an influential device in a dystopian environment is the Mockingjay pin. This Mockingjay Pin is what led to the Mockingjay being the most important figure in the Hunger Games, serving as the symbol of the rebellion of the districts.  Looking at the origin of the mockingjay pin, it is surprising to see the effect of the mockingjay pin on the country of Panem especially considering the controversial beginning of the mockingjay.

History of the Mockingjay

           The pin is a reminder of the actual mockingjay bird, which was a result of a spying feature gone wrong. During the days of the rebellion, the jabberjay was used to relay information back to the capitol until the rebels found out and used it against them. Eventually the jabberjays were discontinued and released into the wild where they mated with the mockingbirds, thus the mockingjays were created.
                                           

 Agency of the Mockingjay pin and its Thing Power

         The mockingjay is reminiscent of the days of the rebellion and that is why it was an important figure in the rebellion. In the book, we read that the pin was given to Katniss by her friend who is also the mayor's daughter (pg 49). This pin did not hold much significance  until after the first hunger games started. In the movie, the pin was chosen by Katniss herself from the Hob which she gave to her sister Prim. However, after Katniss volunteers to save her sister, Prim gives her back the pin for luck. This is why the pin held so much importance to Katniss in the games, it reminded her that she needed to win for Prim.  Video Of Katniss giving the pin to Prim

Image of the Mockingjay Pin

      The mockingjay helped to construct a dystopian environment because it originated from the jabber jay which was used to control the rebellion. In a way, the mockingjay serves as a reminder of the fact that the capitol is in control and it is their way of putting fear into the citizens and subduing them. In a dystopia, in order for the hegemony to exhibit control, there has to be no opposing ideologies and actions. This then is what makes the mockingjay so important in maintaining a dystopian environment. The thing power of the Mockingjay pin is apparently very strong. Thing power according to Jane Bennett is ".. the strange power of ordinary man-made items to exceed their status as objects and to manifest traces of independence of independence or aliveness, constituting outside our own experience"( Bennett, pg xvi). Vibrant Matter- Jane Bennett

        The mockingjay pin was very important to Katniss especially in the arena when she was fighting to live. This pin was so important to the extent that she decided against selling it even when she knew that she would get a lot of money from doing so. If she had gone ahead to sell it, there probably would not have been any symbol for the rebellion. In a way, the mockingjay symbol was beacon of hope and soon became a household name. So many people believed in it including Cinna that he had to use it as part of her uniform. 

     Looking at how important the Mockingjay was to the rebellion, we can see now that its agency was to serve as a fuel to the uprising and give Katniss a name that the citizens of Panem would come to remember her by. Who knew that a tiny piece of gold plated metal could lead to the liberation of the districts from the capitol?

                                                         Works Cited

 Bennett, Jane, 1957-. Vibrant Matter : a Political Ecology of Things. Durham :Duke University Press, 2010.

Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.