In The Hunger Games, a cannon is used to signal the death of a competitor, or tribute.
The cannon blast is one of the Games’ most recognizable sounds. It tells the tributes that someone has died and lets them begin counting how many opponents remain. Afterward, the dead tribute’s image is displayed in the night sky, identified by district, so the surviving players and television audience can follow the death toll.
In the first novel, the cannon is not always fired instantly during the opening bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Katniss explains that the Gamemakers wait until the initial fighting has ended because the chaos makes it difficult to determine exactly how many tributes died. Later deaths are generally marked by individual blasts.
The cannon is both a practical signal and part of the Capitol’s propaganda spectacle. It turns the deaths of children into a carefully managed broadcast, reinforcing the Games’ role as punishment, entertainment, and political control.