Student Question

What does the phrase "most people refuse dealing with racketeers, but carefully, carefully" mean in The Hunger Games?

Quick answer:

The phrase "most people refuse dealing with racketeers, but carefully, carefully" in The Hunger Games highlights the danger of associating with informers who place bets on the games' outcomes. These racketeers could report people to the oppressive government for illegal betting, posing a significant risk. This reflects the broader theme of human cruelty and exploitation within the story, where individuals profit from the suffering of others while maintaining a facade of caution and secrecy.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

herappleness's answer really is a good answer but perhaps the terms are unfamiliar to you.  People who are not related to the kids in the games often place bets on whether the ones fighting to stay alive in the games will cry or if they will die first or third or whenever. 

The people who place the bets don't like to deal with the racketeers because the racketeers are dangerous.  Translate "racketeers" as "informers" or people who tell the government about you and your bet  and get you into trouble. 

So now, if you are placing a bet that someone will die in the games and you place the bet with an informer, they may tell the government and you will be the one to be in terrible trouble.  Because there are so many laws by this government, it is very easy to have broken one, and therefore it would be easy for the government to kill...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

you for any offense you have committed, even for placing bets on the game contestants. That is why it is so dangerous to deal with "racketeers" or "informers".  This definition of terms should help you understand the situation better.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In chapter 16 of The Hunger Games the process of the savage games is explained:  the way in which the contestants are placed by age, the manner in which the family members stand around holding each other's hands, and the overall feelings of the participants which, in the words of the narrator, would rather die from a bullet in their head than from hunger.

The narrator explains that there are also those who have nothing to lose. These are people who have no loved ones participating in the games and, sickening as it sounds, place bets upon the contestants. Some bet on whether the children will burst out and cry, while others place bets upon who will be killed, and who will survive. This is where the phrase comes from:

Most refuse dealing with the racketeers but carefully, carefully. These same people tend to be informers, and who hasn’t broken the law? I could be shot on a daily basis for hunting, but the appetites of those in charge protect me. Not everyone can claim the same.
PARAPHRASE
Most [people] refuse dealing with the racketeers but [they refuse] carefully, carefully. [Because] These same people [the racketeers] tend to be informers, and who [among us] hasn’t broken the law [making us all vulnerable to being reported]? I could be shot on a daily basis for [breaking the law by] hunting, but the appetites of those in charge protect me [while I'm in the games]. Not everyone can claim the same [protection from law breaking].

What this means is that, since the racketeers already may or may not know ahead of time what will take place, they take advantage of the cold-blooded men and women who merely serve as spectators without caring for the feelings and emotions of those taking place. This is basically an allegory to human cruelty in every way: how some look and do nothing about injustice; how others profit from injustice altogether, and how even the ones who are cruel and benefit from others, even cheat among themselves.

Approved by eNotes Editorial