Book Title: Hunger Games
Book Author: Suzanne Collins
Series Name: The Hunger Games
Book Number: 1
Genre: Dystopia
First Published: August 2008
I read Hunger Games once or twice when it initially came out. Years later, I picked it up again. What has made me decide to do so is the announcement new film adaption of the prequel: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I wanted to reread the books and read the prequel for the first time before the film is released later this year. I enjoyed the books the first time around and hoped to rekindle this feeling within the reread.
Synopsis of The Hunger Games
A dystopian take on societal fiction. It captures the life of Katniss Everdeen who lives in one of twelve districts of Panem. Once every year, each of the twelve districts forces two young people (one boy, one girl) between the ages of twelve and eighteen to compete in a fight to the death. Katniss, who is no stranger to tragedy volunteers to participate in her sister’s place and becomes the female tribute of district. Now in the 74th Hunger Games, she is mentored by previous district winner, Haymitch and must train alongside her fellow tribute, Peeta before being thrust into the games. Now she must fight and forge alliances for her to survive.
Plot and world-building within The Hunger Games
Each book within the trilogy is split into three sections, known as parts. Within this first book, the Part names make sense and are helpful. Part One: The Tributes, Part Two: The Games, and Part Three: The Victor.
I think this is quite an effective tool to help readers follow the plot. It would have been too long and complicated without any indication. The book starts off very slow in pace but I think that it’s needed because of the set-up of the world and the history of Panem and the introduction of how the Hunger Games became to be. This is because the story starts off with the 74th game as opposed to the uprising that started all of it. This is great due to the book being dystopian fiction. The world and the history within it is completely invented for the purpose of the series. It sets the book up well.
Part two and three of the book moved a lot quicker in pace. It was full of action which I was able to get into. You really felt like Katniss was fighting for survival.
You as the reader are really emerged in the Games, the world, and the need to survive within the second part of the book. It feels real with strong imagery from one page to the next. You forget that the Arena is being controlled from outside because of the detail and the imagery. It just brings the world to life.
I think that Collins did a really good job on basing the book decades after the original uprising, but you still get a taste for the history of what happened then.
Characterisation with Hunger Games
I think that Collins has done such a good portrayal of the three main characters: Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch. She develops these and the minor characters in a way that you get for a real feel of the trials and tribulations that they go through. But not everything is portrayed on the pages of the first book so it keeps you wanting to read the rest of the series. This is because you want to read more about the characters lives.
Katniss
Katniss was immediately developed as a strong female protagonist because of her vulnerability to what has happened to her in the past, her reluctance to let anyone in. It gave me as a reader, the sense that she doesn’t care for many people except for her sister, Primrose. She has one friend, Gale, but you immediately know that this is for partnership and survival as opposed to actual friendship. As the book goes on, you then see more and more of the vulnerability of the character which makes you become attached to her more. Especially when she forms an alliance with young tribute Rue, from District Eleven, who is her sister’s age. Then you see the comradeship that she builds with Peeta and the comfort she feels when in his presence rather than romance.
Peeta
Peeta’s characterisation is developed partway through the book. At first, there’s not much to him. He comes across as a bit of a weakling, so you assume that Katniss has to always takes the lead. He comes across as a love-sick puppy for Katniss. But halfway through the games, he grows into his own and becomes a strong character. Both, as his feelings and as his strength as a fighter.
Haymitch
Haymitch, as a winner of the 50th Hunger Games, is established as a character who is already at war with his inner-demons from the games and although he is not featured in the majority of the book, his characterisation is built to such a point, you can still feel his influence through Peeta and Katniss’s actions and reactions. You would assume that once thy are crowned victor, they would live their life in peace. You see that this isn’t true for Haymitch. It illustrates that you want to win the games to survive but don’t because it is hard to deal with post-game trauma. You can see Katniss’s future even before she becomes a victor.
Final thoughts on Hunger Games
I also think that the portrayal of Katniss was done very well as she wasn’t your usual protagonist. She was fighting a threat, and unlike other female protagonists, her thoughts didn’t shift to romance. Romance was slowly built into it and handled very well. It gave room to discover and explore Peeta and Katniss’s romance in future books. I think the plot, narrative, and world building was handled very well within the narrative. She captured the emotions of each part, character, as well as the books as a whole.
I think that Book One of The Hunger Games—While it gives you a hint of what could happen through the rest of the series—could actually survive on its own.
~Guest Blog by Sophie Abel: visit her blog.
You can also look at other blog posts on Little Sea Bear. I recommend La Bella Sauvage, and Sophie’s World.