Knowledge for All or Knowledge for None: How Controlling the Narrative Influences Power

A common theme that runs through dystopian literature is the idea of knowledge. Whether the knowledge is being shared or hoarded, it is often the driving force behind many problems and decisions in the story. A dystopian society that also focuses on controlling the narrative like Dave Eggers The Circle and Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games. Although, The Circle narrative focuses on sharing all knowledge and being as transparent as possible The Hunger Games is about secrets, lies, and hoarding all the knowledge. In both novels it is recognized that knowledge is power and to control the distribution of knowledge is the most power a group can have. By comparing these two novels you will see that the Circle is just as bad as the Capital because they are controlling powers who seek to be the dominant force in their world.

The company by the name, The Circle, believes that social media should be as transparent as possible so nobody can hide information and have access to everything, which sounds good on paper but in practice ends up threatening individuality. Everyone that believes in the Circle and its principles agrees that transparency is the way, even if this threatens individuals privacy. Although, not even in the circle is their full transparency, “Seriously though, I can’t tell you. Not right now, anyway” (Eggers 57). I find this relates to the Capital in The Hunger Games because in that novel only the Capital and its highest government members have all the knowledge. All communication, outside of physically talking to each other, is run by or through the Capital. So, in both cases the information can be censored because it’s all filtered through one place which pretends to want better than it does.

The Capital and Circle are also viewed very similarly by outsiders. The Capital is actually the highest class of people, they get the nicest foods and clothes before the rest gets passed on. The Circle is viewed as a higher class by outsiders because they also live lavishly and don’t have to worry about many typically everyday struggles. All food, shelter, and health worries are taken care of, which to regular people in dystopian fiction are typically hard resources to find. This is similar to how the other districts view the Capital; they have outlandish fashion trends because they have extra resources to fulfill these whims, and they have a drink at feast for the guests to drink when they are full so these guests get sick and make more room to eat more food. Although, the reactions of the outside viewers are different between texts as in The Circle everyone wants to work there so they can have these benefits, but in The Hunger Games it angers the other districts so much that they inevitably incite a rebellion.

Another similarity these two ruling groups have is the constant monitoring of movements. The Circle is open about their monitoring and have made it a part of their lifestyle because they believe secrets are a crime, "Secrets are lies. Sharing is caring. Privacy is Theft" (Eggers 305). The Capital on the other hand isn’t so open about the monitoring and keeps many secrets, but many citizens believe they are being monitored even though the Capital hides it. This tracking gives the group with the knowledge a way to keep tabs on citizens and the ability to take care of those who would object to them. Even though the tracking is viewed differently by the public, in both books readers can see how these dominant groups are similar and how this power has dystopian roots.

Both have the power to control the narrative; it is even stated toward the end of the novel "You and I both know that if you can control the flow of information, you can control everything" (Eggers 487). The Capital uses this power to keep the districts separate from each other, and the violent games to make them suspicious of people that aren’t from their district. On the other hand the Circle wants everyone to be extremely connected so people feel responsible for each other and holding each other accountable. Specifically the SeeChange cameras where everyone has access to these cameras that will be monitoring places everywhere. The Circle wants to eliminate individuality and live in a world of transparency, while the Capital fosters secrecy, both of these are a way to hold their power over the world. 

By comparing these two novels you saw that the Circle and the Capital are just as bad as each other because they are controlling powers who seek to be the dominant force in their world. Focusing on a common theme that runs through dystopian literature, which is knowledge, a reader can see who’s really in charge by looking for who controls the narrative. In both stories knowledge is being either shared or hoarded, it is often the driving force behind many problems and decisions made in the novels. A dystopian society that also focuses on controlling the narrative like Dave Eggers The Circle is Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games. Although, The Circle narrative focuses on sharing all knowledge and being as transparent as possible The Hunger Games is about secrets, lies, and hoarding all the knowledge. In both novels it is recognized that knowledge is power and to control the distribution of knowledge is the most power a group can have.