New examples of dystopian fiction often struggle to stand out. A handful of classics remain influential and command the genre, inspiring endless imitators. It takes a lot to innovate. Most newcomers shift their perspectives and allocate their focus in new and fascinating ways. The Hunger Games introduces morphling, a popular drug that many citizens rely upon. Instead of using it to mollify the rebellious Districts, the Capitol and its decadent aristocrats choose to numb their pain through a needle.
The Capitol is not an especially well-realized civilization. It’s hard to imagine anyone sincerely living under the circumstances presented in the books and movies. They’re often evil beyond justification. Cognitive dissonance does little to justify a culture that dresses like cartoon characters to celebrate the national blood sport. The few Capitol citizens who spend their lives maintaining an almost heroic level of intoxication are more relatable than most.
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What is Morphling?
Morphling is a painkiller prescribed to patients with severe injuries or terminal illnesses. Its name is an extremely visible reference to morphine. The alteration is so slight that one wonders why Suzanne Collins didn’t use the name. Morphine is an opiate narcotic meant to be used by those in extreme pain. Morphine has a massive abuse potential and routinely causes addiction. Morphling shares those traits, but the dystopian structure of Panem influences its place in society. Only citizens in the Capitol or District 13 can access morphling, as it’s expensive and regulated. Many wealthy Capitol residents are hopelessly addicted to morphling. The clever aspect of the drug is its effect on its users’ emotions. While morphine numbs physical pain, morphling also dulls almost all psychological highs and lows. Sorrow and joy become impossible while using morphling. Katniss Everdeen suffered a severe burn during a battle, leading her to take morphling. She described its effect internally like this:
Morphling dulls the extremes of all emotions, so instead of a stab of sorrow, I merely feel emptiness. A hollow of dead brush where flowers used to bloom
Who uses Morphling in The Hunger Games?
The most famous morphling addicts in the series are named after their drug of choice. The morphlings were tributes from District 6 who participated in and won the Hunger Games. Their names are never shared in the series, nor are the specific annual events they conquered. The morphlings became Capitol citizens after winning their Games. Their talents weren’t violent. They were capable painters and camouflage artists like Peeta Mellark. They turned to morphling to dull their guilt and trauma. The drug yellowed their skin and left them emaciated, making them look consistently near death. The morphlings were dragged back into the 75th Annual Hunger Games, where they secretly allied with the other tributes. The pair’s male member died in the initial rush for the Cornucopia, leaving the lady on her own. She gave her life for Peeta when a monkey-like creature attacked, dying in his arms. Neither of the morphlings is treated especially well by the text. They never receive names, and their motivations are communicated mostly through silent acknowledgment. Peeta later questions why the young lady would willingly give her life to protect him. Though they received next to nothing, some fans see more in them than their one conveyed character trait.
Casca Highbottom is the story’s other most famous morphling addict. Highbottom is introduced in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as the Dean of the Academy. He spends most of his time under the influence. His addiction was well-known, and he used morphling recreationally in public. His least favorite student, Coriolanus Snow, nicknamed him “High-as-a-Kite Bottom.” Highbottom explained his dependence on the drug to Snow near the end of the story. Highbottom attended the Academy with Snow’s father, Crassus. His professor, Volumnia Gaul, challenged her students to develop a punishment for the rebellious Districts. Crassus got Highbottom drunk and pushed him to innovate. His eventual creation was the Hunger Games. Crassus submitted the proposal after assuring Highbottom it would never be heard. Gaul later installed the Hunger Games, crediting Highbottom with its invention. He began a lifelong morphling addiction that would last the rest of his life.
The best-known morphling addicts don’t use the drug to treat physical pain. It’s a salve on the guilt that would otherwise consume them. Katniss briefly dealt with chemical dependency, as did her friend and comrade Johanna Mason. They fought their addiction and succeeded, allowing them to carry on the fight against the Capitol. This implies that morphling may be more effective, perhaps more necessary, as an emotional painkiller than a physical one. The chronic pain caused by a burn or shock provokes consistent usage of morphling. The all-consuming pain of knowing how much one contributed to the suffering of others guarantees a life of dependency. Morphling is a fascinating element of The Hunger Games story that allows characters to manifest their guilt into a substance. Morphling addicts render themselves as hauntingly death-like on the outside as they feel on the inside.
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