LIFE? OR HONOUR?
“The
Hunger Games” is a dystopian science fiction novel and the first book in the
Hunger Games trilogy written by Suzanne Collins.
The
novel is set in the wake of a second Civil War in America, which has been
divided into twelve Districts, parts of a nation called Panem. Panem is ruled
by the Elite residents of the Capitol, a centrally located area which is
responsible for maintaining order. To show their loyalty to the Capitol, every
year each of the twelve Districts must send two Tributes – one male, one female
– to compete in the national Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a gladiatorial
competition in which twenty four young people fight to the death, until only one
of them remains. The winner’s District is rewarded with food and other scarce
items.
Katniss
Everdeen from District 12 volunteers for the Games in place of her younger
sister. She is joined by the baker’s son, Peeta, who has had feelings for her
for a long time. Upon arriving at the Capitol both Katniss and Peeta are trained
before being thrown into the Games arena.
It is a
simple plot but Collins creates a detailed, savage world that captivates the
reader. I think the first few chapters of “The Hunger Games” are a bit slow and
juvenile but the story becomes exciting once the Games begin. The Hunger Games
arena is described in detail but it never feels overdone. The characters, while
stereotypical for the genre, are convincing in their roles.
Though
Katniss is the protagonist of this novel, I like the character of Peeta. While
katniss means everything to him, he also means something very important to her.
In her eyes, Peeta symbolizes hope. He, after all, is the one who helped save
her family from starvation by giving her loaves of bread when they were
children. Peeta’s kindness probably saves the lives of Katniss and her family.
“While
I’ve been ruminating on the availability of trees, Peeta has been struggling
with how to maintain his identity. His purity of self.”
- Katniss on Peeta’s struggle
for identity.
Another
reason why I like Peeta is that he is also one of the Tributes who wants to
know what his identity means in the scope of the Hunger Games. As the Games
approach, he tells Katniss that he does not just want to be a pawn in the
Capitol’s game. He wants to “die as himself”. For Peeta, it is important that
the Capitol knows that they do not own him. He confesses to Katniss that his
only hope for the Games is to retain his identity and not to be made into a
monster by his circumstances. This reveals Peeta to be a good and pensive
person who values his dignity and decency above everything else.
In
addition to being a thrilling action novel, “The Hunger Games” also works like
a satire of the social media. Collins attacks the modern audiences’ thirst for
‘reality shows’, in ways the younger viewers will fail to appreciate. Katniss’s
and peeta’s romance is the subject of so much fascination because the Game
makers and the viewers think it is doomed. They become the “star-crossed lovers” and
this promise of suffering adds more drama and makes it more fun for the Game
makers and the viewers to watch.
Since
the Hunger Games is a nationally televised event, the competitors must behave
in ways that would earn them ‘sponsors.’ These sponsors can air-drop supplies
like food, medicine, etc. into the arena. I feel that this entire novel is a
form of irony. The novel is filled with elements like romance, children in
peril, intense violence, and girl-against-all-odds. Yet, Collins seems to be satirizing them.
“Happy
Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in
your favour!”
- Effie Trinket
I find
that the slogan for the Hunger Games is very ironic. The government
representative for District 12, Effie Trinket, says it after announcing the
Tributes from each District and the announcers for the Games use it during
interviews. The slogan is a form of verbal irony as it is clear that the odds
are never in anyone’s favour. The people living in District 12 daily suffer
from hunger and poverty. Even those from the wealthier Districts are forced to
choose Tributes for the Games. In the best circumstances, the winner of the
Games will be haunted by the bloodshed for years. The others will be killed.
“Destroying
things is much easier than making them”.
- Katniss to Rue
There is
a lot of violence in this book. This is a story about children murdering other
children in gladiatorial combat that makes the violence brutal and gruesome. “The
Hunger Games” present the Tributes’ suffering as mass entertainment, and the
more the Tributes suffer in battle with one another, the more entertaining the
Games become. Katniss at various situations talks about past Games and what
made them successful or unsuccessful. Katniss and Peeta are adviced to “Stay
Alive”The recurring theme is that the viewers want to see the Tributes
fighting one another and not dying too quickly (because then the fun is over).
This is seen in Cato’s(male Tribute from District 2) slow death at the end of
the novel.
The
universe of the Hunger Games feels despairingly cold, and godless, in which
life is truly “nasty, brutish and short”.
The main characters strive to act nobly but they do so most of the time
based on emotions rather than ethics. In this sense, “The Hunger Games is kind
of disappointing.
As for
whether the book is worth reading, I would say yes. Older teens and adults who
are fans of this genre will like reading it. “The Hunger Games” is definitely
one of the best written young adult novels I have read. It is exciting,
intense, thought-provoking and sometimes despairing too. The book is rich in
not only about governments, personal freedom, and sacrifice, but also about
what it means to just be yourself and not submit to the expectations of the
Society.
If I
should rate this book, I would give it 4.5 stars out of 5. I like this book a
lot, but not everyone will, or should.
- Hannah
Chandran
