Now that schools are closed for winter break, it is a great time to relax, sit back, and binge read a nice novel. Last summer, I finished all three of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins in a month. Needless to say, I loved it, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a nice action-packed, yet meaningful novel.
*Warning: This blog may contain spoilers for the book*
Intro to the main plot of the Hunger Games:
The Hunger Games is not just a novel about a brutal game where adolescents are forced to murder each other until there is one person left, but it also has a deeper theme of a corrupt government and the unfair distribution of wealth and power in society. This book takes place in a dystopian society known as the country of Panem. It is divided into twelve districts, District 1 being the richest, and District 12 being the poorest. Its ruler, President Snow is a cruel and ruthless person who does not care about the well being of the people of Panem. The Hunger Games are annual competitions between the districts where adolescents from the ages of 12-18 (known as tributes) are forced to kill each other until there is one winner. The Hunger Games are held to punish the twelve districts for a rebellion that was held against the capitol several years ago. Katniss Everdeen is the main character and is selected as a tribute for the 74th Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are always under the control of the gamemakers. If the games get too “boring” for the audience, there will be challenges added to spice things up and add more deaths for the audience to enjoy.
Main theme of the novel:
The main theme that I took from the Hunger Games is that even when it seems that your life is controlled by those in power, there will always be a way to escape and rebel against the oppressors. In the book, there was only meant to be one winning tribute (a victor), but Katniss and the boy tribute from district 12, Peeta Mellark grow very close in the Hunger Games, with Peeta even having feelings for her. The Capitol and the gamemakers wanted Peeta and Katniss to fight to death so that there could only be one winner, but the two instead challenge the Capitol by deciding that if both of them could not win together, then they would die together, so that there would be no winning tribute for the Capitol to celebrate. This communicates the message that when we really put our heart into something and we really want to change the way that something is, it is never impossible to do so.
What made it so appealing for me:
The reason why I loved this book was because of the character development of the protagonist Katniss Everdeen. At the start of the novel, Katniss’ only goal in life was to hunt in the woods and put food on the table so that her sister and her mother would not starve to death like others in District 12. While she hated the Capitol and despised President Snow’s sadistic ways of ruling Panem, she was afraid to be vocal about it, as any action against the government resulted in execution or other punishments that were far worse than death. This side of Katniss is already likable to the readers as she is presented as a character who most people can relate to. She is not shown as a superhero who single-handedly lifts her whole district from poverty, nor does she do anything that is unprincipled or selfish to help herself. Rather, she is just an ordinary person who, instead of spending the whole day filled with feelings of self pity, does whatever she can to help the person she loves most in her life: her sister. However, we can see how the Hunger Games changes her. Seeing all the tributes dying around her just to entertain the privileged audience in the Capitol adds fuel to the hatred against the corrupt ruler of Panem. Her subtle acts of rebellion is shown by how she buries one of the tributes in flowers, signifying that the Hunger Games does not force anyone to die feeling alone. The book ends with President Snow being alarmed about Katniss’ actions in the Hunger Games, and suggests that the tension between the Capitol and Katniss would grow in the next sequel.
If my reflection on my favorite book series piqued your interest, then I would definitely recommend these novels for you!
