In our society, when you don't follow the rules, you become an outcast to the rest of society. Suzanne Collins' novel series, The Hunger Games, critiques our society and its demands that people of specific genders act in certain ways and become certain things. Stereotypes regarding gender are prevalent in our society and around the world. However, The Hunger Games gives a very refreshing tone of “mockery” to these stereotypes. Katniss Everdeen isn't your typical 16-year-old girl, and Peeta Mellark isn't your typical 16-year-old boy either, especially when they're fighting every day just to survive. The Hunger Games is a work of social criticism, used to convince us that there cannot and should not be gender-defined “roles.” A mixture of “stereotypical” gender roles within a person and their actions is what people need just to survive in our daily changing world. Well, what is gender and what do we mean by gender roles? “Gender describes the socially constructed roles and responsibilities that societies consider appropriate for men and women” (World Health Organization). All people on earth are influenced by gender and the stereotypes surrounding it. A person should be able to choose who they want to be and not be afraid. Things are changing. According to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, “same-sex sexual harassment extends to where the victim is singled out because of failure to conform to accepted gender stereotypes” (Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP). This is very important for everyone to know and understand. It allows people to express themselves in the way they choose, without the anxiety or fear of being harassed for their decisions because they are a certain gender. This has only or... half of the card... people can be switched and things still go well. However, I want to combine how it is also good to have a combination of the traits of each gender. Blankschaen, Bill. “The Hunger Games: Battlefield for the Gender Wars.” FaithWalkers. Np, June 24, 2012. Web. November 8, 2013. Great article to read. Focused on the sexual inversion aspects of Katniss in The Hunger Games. Discusses how people relate to this topic in today's society (YA girls). However it focuses on the religious side of this topic. Based on the title of the website (Faith Walkers) one should expect the article to be biased. However we are also told that Kate O'Brien is the original author, in her own words. He is a teacher of literature and history at the Christian Academy. So it is accredited but it could be biased. This was an easy article to read. It can be helpful in explaining or understanding an opposing argument.