The main conflict in The Hunger Games revolves around the struggle for survival and the fight against oppression. The story is set in a dystopian future where the Capitol, a powerful and wealthy city, exerts control over the twelve impoverished districts of Panem. Each year, the Capitol forces each district to send one boy and one girl, known as tributes, to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal televised event where the tributes must fight to the death until only one remains.
The protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, volunteers to take her younger sister’s place as a tribute from District 12. Throughout the story, Katniss must navigate the deadly arena, form alliances, and outwit her opponents to survive. The conflict is not only physical but also psychological, as Katniss grapples with the moral implications of killing others to save herself.
Beyond the immediate struggle in the arena, the larger conflict is between the oppressive regime of the Capitol and the oppressed districts. Katniss’s defiance and acts of rebellion during the Games inspire hope and spark the beginning of a larger resistance movement against the Capitol’s tyranny.