Effie Trinket As José Ortega Y Gasset’s Mass-Man

Effie Trinket as José Ortega y Gasset’s Mass-Man

According to Philosopher José Oretga y Gasset, a mass-man is someone who values the comfort of dogma. In Revolt of the Masses, Ortega y Gasset claims a mass-man subscribes to popular opinion and deems it unnecessary to question the normative ideas of a society. The mass-man “has the most mathematical ‘ideas’ on all that happens or ought to happen in the universe,” and thus declares his dogmatic principles as true because they derive from his uncritical perception (Ortega y Gasset, 1929).

Often, the mass-man benefits from his subscribed ideologies. He resents those who are different, justifies his thoughts on account of popular belief, lacks critical thought, and aligns himself with superiors under the guise he is part of that authority. Effie Trinket is a mass-man.

A mass-man upholds the standards of authority under the guise of tradition or respect. In the perception of the mass-man, the authority figure, sometimes referred to as the “state” in Revolt of the Masses, crushes all forms of disunion beneath it to uphold “the commonplace mind” (Ortega y Gasset, 1929).

In the reaping ceremony, instead of letting a distraught 16-year-old take the stage, Effie immediately interjects with the procedure of the capitol: 

“But I believe there’s a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does come forth then we, um…” she trails off, unsure herself. (THG,  22) 

Her first instinct is to cite the rules and procedures. While the mayor claims it does not matter, Effie does not critically consider the implications or consequences of the rules. She knows she must enforce them because the authority above her demands compliance. Instead of thinking through the rule, she recites it imperfectly, likely realizing she does not know the extent of it after she has already begun. This recital is an ingrained instinct. She seeks to defend the Capitol at the expense of her own thoughts. 

Ortega y Gasset emphasizes this blind, uncritical recital of beliefs as a self-gratifying allegiance to authority. Effie’s reaction to slight disorder is “pronouncing, deciding,” ergo, she seeks to impose the opinion of the Capitol (Ortega y Gasset, 1929): 

The blind allegiance is furthered when she emphasizes the importance of the respect towards the Hunger Games as her duty. Instead of analyzing the consequences of the games, such as the death and pain they cause the districts, she cites them as a vehicle for peace and prosperity— the ideology touted by the capitol. 

“Listen, everybody. There is something bigger than you and me happening here. As we all know, the Hunger Games are a sacred ceremony of remembrance for the Dark Days. A lot of people lost their lives to guarantee peace and prosperity for our nation. And this is our chance— no, it is our duty —to honor them!” (SOTR,  172)

This aligns with another feature of the mass-man: the idea that mankind is at its best. In Revolt of the Masses, Ortega y Gasset emphasizes the importance of history.

Ortega y Gasset believes mankind has no nature— rather, everyone is a culmination of everything— from the founding of a country to stubbing one’s toe, every instance affects one’s consciousness. To forget the context of history and to overlook it under the assumption modern life is inherently better than time before, "casts away the rudder" and leaves societies vulnerable (Ortega y Gasset, 1929).

Effie fully believes the Capitol’s narrative of the Dark Days, where societies were unstable and humans were barbaric. She does not consider the pre-Panem age, nor does she wonder how humanity has survived if everyone has been barbaric outside of the rule of the contemporary Capitol. She blindly trusts the Capitol’s rendition, therefore negating the contrary facts of history.

In the context of The Hunger Games, the Capitol’s propaganda that life with The Games is better than life prior erases the history of peace prior to the games. Effie’s constant reminders of how the games "really are for a greater good," and deserve respect because they maintain peace fail to account for a time before the games (SOTR, 338). Yet, as an example of a mass-man, she does not consider anything beyond the information and rationale of the Capitol. She is incapable of thought beyond the comfort of the familiar dogma. 

Compounding the idea of a disdain for history and critical thought, the mass-man is unable to equate himself with someone who does not comply with the common social standards. To compare himself to someone who is different would mean holding oneself to a similar standard. The mass-man is unable to offer any grounds to do so, as comparison would mean “to go out of himself for a moment and to transfer himself to his neighbour” (Ortega y Gasset, 1929).

While Effie does have some very real empathetic moments, she often devotes them to her job status, in turn, looking back towards the Capitol for reassurance.

In the first book, upon saying goodbye to Katniss and Peeta, she finishes her statement with, “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I finally get promoted to a decent district next year!” (THG,  138). Despite the tears in her eyes, instead of thinking about how the teenagers in front of her are going to die, she still sees them as a means to receive praise in the form of a promotion. She desires the encouragement from authority in the same way as Ortega y Gasset’s mass-man. 

Ortega y Gasset continues to develop this notion as follows: 

Effie, unable to part the occasion from her ever-present thoughts about pleasing the capitol, lacks the ability to view the situation outside of the lens of propagating the capitol’s message. To Effie at this moment, Katniss and Peeta are a means to please the state. When something occurs that is anti-state, such as the private sessions in Catching Fire, Effie exclaims, “That kind of thinking… it’s forbidden, Peeta. Absolutely.” (CF, 240). Critical thinking is not a necessity when the capitol has told the citizens otherwise. Effie is opposed to free thought. She calls it forbidden on account of the punishment it may bring from the Capitol. She does not speak ill of Peeta’s actions, rather, she explicitly states the “thinking” (CF, 240). 

For this same reason, Katniss points out the hypocrisy in gold and the mockingjay pin becoming fashion trends in the Capitol: 

“Evidently, Effie doesn’t know that my mockingjay pin is now a symbol used by the rebels…. In the Capitol, the mockingjay is still a fun reminder of an especially exciting Hunger Games. What else could it be?” (CF, 190). 

Effie, like the rest of the Capitol, lacks the option for the free, critical thought it takes to see the mockingjay as a rebellious symbol. The Capitol citizens see it as a fashion trend, akin to how they view the games as a reality television show. Once more, the mass-man subscribes to popular beliefs, refusing to think more deeply about the symbolism of the pin. 

Effie’s lack of critical thought is foundational to her value of hierarchy. Despite consistently being assigned District 12, she still sees herself as a respected part of the Capitol. Ortega y Gasset discusses this exact notion— the mass-man believes he is one with the state. 

However, on the victory tour, peacekeepers, a branch of the state, treat her, in her words, like “we’re all criminals,” (CF, 57). Despite believing herself of more respect, Effie has no real authority in the state, as proven by the prodding of the gun in that same section. She remarks she does not “like the way we’ve been treated,” yet lacks any real authority to change it (CF, 69). She continues to believe the state will protect her, when it is, in fact, the state doing to the prodding. 

Despite her treatment from the state itself, she still believes herself to be near the summit of the hierarchy. On occasions where Katniss attempts to speak to an Avox, Effie reacts with displeasure. First questioning how Katniss could “possibly know an Avox” (THG,  77), then clucking at Katniss for picking up a spill and maintaining “that isn’t your job, Katniss!” (CF,  219). Effie has hierarchy ingrained in her belief system. She believes everyone is above Avoxes, just the same as she believes she is synonymous with the state. She knows not of their crimes, only that the Capitol must have judged them guilty correctly, and thus she trusts the Capitol once more to do her thinking. 

Effie’s disdain for her relatives in Sunrise on the Reaping develops the cognitive dissonance it takes to maintain the dogmatic standards of hierarchy. While it is not revealed why Effie dislikes her relatives, the line she agrees with afterwards displays the dogmatic reality of the capitol citizens:

“You don’t pick your ancestors.” (SOTR, 173)

While standing in front of four children who are about to die because they did not choose their ancestors, the capitolites console each other on account of their own inability to choose their ancestors. The capitol’s hierarchy must maintain this dissonance. While capitolites can conduct heinous atrocities, such as verified in Finnick’s story in Mockingjay, they believe they are still better than the district people. According to the dogmatic system ingrained in the mass-men of the Capitol, no one gets to choose their ancestry, but ancestry only matters if they are district. 

The effects of the cognitive dissonance present in the mass-man allow the Capitol to portray the districts as less-than, such as in the constant comparisons to animals. Effie casually remarks about how “the pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages,” (THG,  44) and how both Katniss and Peeta have “successfully struggled against the barbarism of [their] district,” (THG, 74). Effie’s characterizations of District 12 as barbaric and savage are likely preconceived notions from capitol propaganda. Instead of forming her own opinions and taking into account the socio-economic state of district twelve, she simply judges, pronounces, and decides based on the Capitol standards she considers perfection, such as in the characteristics of the mass-man.

However, any time she is confronted with the idea she, herself, is not perfect, such as when her schedule gets delayed in Catching Fire, she often removes herself from the situation and expects an apology. In Revolt of the Masses, Ortega y Gasset equates this to the mass-man being “satisfied with himself exactly as he is”. Anything that would equate Effie with a second-class citizen, such as imperfection, would dismantle her worldview. 

In some instances, Effie shows a “keen instinct about certain things” (THG, 360). The unkindled development is a prime characteristic of the mass-man. Ortega y Gasset notes that in times of conflict, such as when Katniss and Peeta return from the first games, the mass-man will show signs of critical change. However, he will regress to his dogma, as it is uncomfortable to explore ideologies that conflict with his prior beliefs. As Ortega y Gasset puts it: “For the basic texture of their soul is rot with hermetism and indocility.” (Ortega y Gasset, 1929):

This explains the glimpses of promise Effie shows. On the train, she says something she finds to be revolutionary, because, to her, it is. She immediately apologizes for how absurd it sounds, but it shows signs of critical thought previously unseen:

“Well, it serves them right. It’s their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District Twelve is no excuse to ignore you.” Then her eyes dart around as if she’s said something totally outrageous. “I’m sorry, but that’s what I think,” she says to no one in particular. (THG, 107). 

Effie’s signs of promise continue, from her less-enthused air at the reaping in Catching Fire, to her enthusiasm to be viewed as a team via the matching gold bracelet, yet she always regresses back to valuing the Capitol’s ideologies foremost. 

Effie’s lack of critical thought and her allegiance to the Capitol are most likely a consequence of her conditions growing up. She has only ever known the Capitol’s ideologies. She, likely, has not engaged with ideas of opposition, because “that kind of thinking… it’s forbidden” (CF, 240). As Oretga y Gasset puts it, “our existence is at every instant and primarily the consciousness of what is possible to us.” 

Perhaps to Effie, it is impossible to conceive of a way district people could be fully worthy of being Capitol. Yet still, her glimpses of humanity prove she is capable of a semblance of critical thought. Yet her continued regression and the indoctrination from the propaganda of the Capitol makes her a mass-man. 

Haymitch puts it best when discussing Effie’s sister: “Prosperpina wasn’t born evil; she just had a lot of unlearning to do.” (SOTR, 308).