Final answer:
Cinna uses the lighted torch on Katniss and Peeta's outfits as an allegorical representation of their struggle, resilience, and power. The torch symbolizes their journey from darkness towards light, in defiance and rebellion in the face of the challenges they face.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the text, Cinna uses the lighted torch on Katniss and Peeta's outfits as an allegory, representing their struggle and their resilience. The brightness of the torch sheds light on them, highlighting their characters and making them stand out from the other competitors. Similar to the concept in the poem 'First Fig,' where the candle burning at both ends signifies a risk-filled life yet also a life well-lived, Cinna's use of lighted torch on their outfits signifies their life which risks being extinguished yet burns brightly in the face of the challenges they meet, offering a lovely light.
Also, just as in the allegorical representation from Socrates, who portrayed humans living in a darkness (the state of unenlightenment) but having an opening towards the light (the search for knowledge and wisdom), the lighted torch on Katniss and Peeta's outfits symbolizes their journey from the darkness of oppression towards the light of rebellion and hope.
The torch could also be viewed from a perspective in fashion expressed by Steven Zucker, where dress is a representation of power. The lighted torch, therefore, brings forth Katniss and Peeta's defiance and power against their oppressors.
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