The Hunger Games Reading Response
I believe that Katniss’s strength is portrayed through the direct juxtaposition between her values and those of the Capitol. Her main priorities revolve around being able to take care of her family. The capitol revolves around more superficial purposes such as looking good and always being entertained. Katniss seems to be the voice of reason in this dystopian society. One scene that stood out for me was when she was at the dinner before the Games started where citizens of the Capitol took something to expel what they ate, just so that they could eat more. She saw this as wasteful and gluttonous while people of her own district starved to death. By steering away from allowing Katniss to get caught up in her own makeover and new lavish lifestyle, the author makes her a powerful character. Other young adult novels get sidetracked when the main character finds new lifestyle or when she falls in love and the focus shifts to her confusion. This is what sets this book apart from others: Katniss’s focus on the Games is always in the spotlight, with short bursts of information on her own inner turmoil. This also shows how Katniss remains focused on her main goals, to win for her family and do so without losing herself.
As different as this novel is compared to other young adult novels, the author does bring in romance and the love triangle. I wonder why we must live in a society where most books having to do with teenage female protagonists must have a romantic angle to sell books. If books with male protagonists do not have a “search for love” or “inner confusion on where the heart lies” story line, no one bats an eye. But we very rarely find books where the female protagonist’s main goals lie anywhere else but with finding the right boy. I do not think it is practical to have books and other forms of media to have other focuses besides the romantic angle in order for the work to be successful and that fact is very upsetting. Readers must congratulate the author of The Hunger Games for reminding us all that young women are capable of a lot more than just finding the right man.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
2 Comments
Elizabeth Kelman
September 26, 2013I agree with your characterization of Katniss as a strong female protagonist, distinct from both the citizens of the Capitol and other female leads in YA novels (and fiction in general). However, I would also add that Katniss is a provider by necessity; as a result of her SES and family situation, she was forced to be resourceful and act in nontraditional ways in order to survive and keep her sister and mother alive as well. She does this for reasons that are consistent with female gender roles: as an innate nurturer, even mother-like to her little sister.
The romance angle did bother me as well, but it wasn’t surprising. As a trilogy marketed to teenage girls, the love triangle is meant to supplement the rest of the plot with something that is easy to talk about (Twilight-style teams of fans formed for each of her two male options) and appealing to readers who aren’t accustomed to/interested in plots that don’t involve romance.
Kaitlyn O'Hagan
October 6, 2013While I understand that the presence of a “love triangle” is inherently problematic for the reasons you both have stated, I do want to defend Collins a bit here–I think she handled the “romance” in the novel well and realistically (besides the absence of sexuality that is ubiquitous in YA fiction that wants to be successful/mass marketed/not banned). I really enjoyed that Katniss starts out as a young woman resistant to male romantic companionship but ultimately chooses that for herself–and this choice is actually somewhat incidental in the main plot line of the trilogy. The “romance” often takes a backseat to the more salient issues at hand for Katniss. This is why comparisons to Twilight frustrate me, as it is the romance that is the driving force and be-all-end-all of those novels.
Also, I’m 100% team Peeta. ;D