The Hunger Games Trilogy is an excellent book series written
by Suzanne Collins. This book series follows a sixteen year old girl,
Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world divided into
twelve districts. Each year one boy and one girl, ages 12-18, from each
district are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games in which the
survival of the fittest yields one champion.
I was able to read the Hunger Games Trilogy a year ago and immediately became engrossed with the books. In the first book The Hunger Games, the
reader is introduced to the main characters and their relationships
with each other and their perceptions of the government of the Capitol.
These elements of the book captivate the reader because the ideas are
easy to relate to and sympathize with. Each person wants to have their
own individual character not tampered or forcibly changed by some
outside force, and this is effectively mirrored within the book series.
This is also the obstacle that the main characters have to fight and
overcome within The Hunger Games. It becomes a struggle in which
people have to decide what they are willing to give up and how much they
are willing to compromise in order to survive.
The
relationships between the main characters are also tested with the
existence of the Hunger Games. Alliances are made between fellow members
of the games and estrangement must be held with those who only wish
harm. This deals with the essence of humanity. Good versus evil becomes a
main theme throughout the series. Honor, pride, strength, humility, and
selflessness are just a few characteristics that describe not only
characters within the book series, but also qualities that correlate
with what determines how a person can be categorized with respect to
good and evil. As the Hunger Games begin and develop, characters make
their true disposition evident to the readers, and fellow players like
Katniss Everdeen. This becomes a way for the reader to analyze the pros
and cons within humanity as a whole.
The first book, however, is not the end of the series. The other two books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, only expand on the story between the characters and the state of the government. My personal favorite is Catching Fire
because within this book the reader is exposed to how the relationships
between the players affect their functioning not only within the Hunger
Games, but also within their life after the games. The relationship
between Katniss and her fellow games competitor Peeta Mellark, grows
throughout the book series. The problem of determining where friendship
ends and a deeper romantic relationship begins is explored within
this pair. This same conflict is mirrored in the relationship Katniss
has with her lifelong friend Gale Hawthorne. It comes down to one person
feeling stronger emotions than the other. I love this dynamic of the
book because it hits on a real struggle that most teens face. This adds
to the relatable nature of the story to the reader. Through this readers
get a deeper look into how extreme experiences, like the Hunger Games,
affect the people who live through them. I think this is a major lesson
that all people could use a little insight on. Mockingjay is also
an excellent book, but the plot is a bit more outlandish and I found
the end to be disappointing. I think this is because the end of Mockingjay not only acts as the end of a book, but as the end of the Hunger Games Trilogy
as a whole. So just when you want it to continue, it ends very
abruptly. Additionally, it does not end as you may have imagined it to
end in your mind. So it comes as a disappointing finale.
Now
that I have seen the movie, I can safely say and recommend this movie
as a MUST see for all viewers out there. It accurately represents the
book staying as close as possible to the plot line of the published
story. The acting is top notch and I cannot get over how connected I
became to the characters during the movie. It was just like the book. At
times I felt as though I was in the Hunger Games with them living and
going through the same experiences they were. The audience becomes
enwrapped in the story relationships and character activity.
The
one critique I do have of the movie is the exclusion of the character
of Madge Undersee, the daughter of the mayor of District 12. Madge
Undersee is a friend of Katniss's and in the book she is the one who
gives Katniss the mockinjay pin. This shows how District 12 has a unique
unity, and as the mockingjay pin later becomes a symbol of rebellion in
the other books, Madge's inclusion in my opinion is necessary. However,
Madge Undersee is not included in the movie and this takes out a huge
piece of the book which will not otherwise be explained. The character
of Madge Undersee could have been easily added in a 5 minute scene and I
cannot understand why the movie makers could not have allowed this to
happen. Without Madge Undersee, the mockingjay pin is just something
Katniss's sister gave her as a farewell gift of sorts. It does not hold
all of the meaning and significance that the pin has in the book.
However, with all of this in mind, I still urge
all of you Hunger Games fans out there who can't catch the movie, to go
and READ the books because there will be things in the book that are
not included in the movie. And if you don't read the book, YOU will be missing out.
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