The Hunger Games is a dystopian novel by Suzanne Collins, set in a world rife with injustice, inequality, and supremacy. The plot centers around Katniss, a 16-year-old girl that finds herself participating in the annual hunger games, being a reality TV show where 24 children are lumped together in an arena and forced to fight to the death for the entertainment of the Capitol. The Capitol is cruel to the districts, wildly dehumanizing them and using them as laborers, their only job being to provide the Capitol with necessities while leaving themselves in poverty and famine. During the course of the novel, Katniss attempts to win the hunger games and escape this unfavorable situation using her wit and dexterity.
I will be assessing the Hunger Games through 3 major points that are inherent in good action novels. These points are characters, plot, and themes incorporated.
First of all, in terms of characters, the Hunger Games has managed to create relatable, likable, and fully developed protagonists, as well as in-depth and interesting antagonists. Creatively, it also included many characters that weren't as easily categorized into antagonists or allies such as Clove or Cato. Although they are perceived as antagonists because they are actively seeking to terminate Katniss and she spends the majority of her time in the arena attempting to avoid them, one must remember that they are tributes akin to Katniss trying to win this "game" and remain alive. Their characters and personalities are a by-product of the supremacist and unequal world where only two full choices could really be provided: fighting in the hunger games(possible reward being a life of luxury) or remaining in District 2 to lead a life of poverty and famine. Although the Careers were meant to volunteer for the Hunger Games, it is still unlikely they had a choice in the matter. Collins provided a lot of description and background detail to each character which solidified the emotional attachment the reader would have with them, regardless of whether they were antagonists or allies. For example, Collins provided plenty of anecdotes and therefore justifications for Katniss' emotions and personality. A recurring theme between Katniss and Peeta was the bread he gave her when she was starving. This anecdote became iconic in the ideas of trust and repaying debt, appearing many other times in the novel, such as when Thresh told Katniss they were even; that by letting her live at the Cornucopia, he is repaying her for caring for Rue. Overall, the characters are very well developed through detailed descriptions and justification in anecdotes, they are presented to the reader with the intended emotions surrounding them, and they are complex enough to resemble human nature and be relatable. Katniss also has a myriad of insightful comments about her own nature which humanizes her greatly to the reader.
Although the characters are an integral part of a good novel, what truly grasps the reader is an exciting plot, especially for these dystopian action books. As was discussed before, the plot mostly revolves around the hunger games itself and the events that happen within it. However one cannot discuss why the hunger games are exciting and enticing to the viewer without studying the entire concept of it. The hunger games are fundamentally a cruel affirmation of power by the Capitol and a matter of punishing the Districts for their misconduct in the rebellion 75 years before this story takes place. 24 children are forcefully taken from their families to kill each other until only one remains. Readers are drawn to novels where an opposing force(the true final antagonist, in this case, the supremacist government) forces the likable protagonist into a perilous, difficult, and high-stakes situation that the protagonist must try to face. This combination causes excitement in the reader because the consequences are dire and the protagonist must use their capabilities to overcome the difficult situation. As I mentioned before, the Hunger Games includes sub-antagonists as well which helps accentuate the idea of adversity. These sub-antagonists such as the Careers also point out how the supremacist government also turns Districts against Districts, effectively forcing them to hurt and kill each other while overlooking the actual culprit: the Capitol. During the actual hunger games, Katniss is constantly faced with issues threatening her safety or even her life, such as dehydration, the Careers, tracker jackers, and the mutts. The constant difficulty and peril of her situation are then also paired with friendship and loss(Rue) which strengthen the relationship between the reader and Katniss through the trauma bond. As readers, we feel as if we are experiencing the trauma and loss alongside her, which is only reinforced by the first-person narrative. The plot is constantly exciting and filled with action which therefore emphasizes the placidity and security of the rare moments of peace for conversation between characters. This dynamic of excitement and some reprieve wounds the reader even deeper into the plot and creates an even more personal relationship between the reader and the novel.
The Hunger Games also includes a selection of interesting themes that it explores, which I believe is very important for a memorable, quality novel. The Hunger Games explores themes such as inequality, loss, freedom, debt, and oppression. It portrays inequality through the contrast of nutrition between the Districts and the Capitol. The district population is usually malnourished and on the brink of starvation. Evidencing this there is the quote "District 12, where you can starve to death in safety”. Katniss says this sarcastically in order to convey her disgust at what the Capitol is doing. It draws attention to the contrast between the nouns’ death and safety. These are complete opposites which makes it darkly humorous for them to be in the same sentence. It displays a hint of irony as when you are starving, you usually aren’t safe. The verb “starving” implies an extreme degree of hunger. It implies that matters have been in this state for a longer period of time and that they are in a desperate situation. The noun “death” only confirms the idea that District 12 is in a perilous state in terms of food. It connotes sorrow and depression, pain, and anxiety. This sets the atmosphere for District 12, a bleak place where people are slowly starving to death. Moreover, nutritional inequality is rife as people are dying because of something easily fixable through a fair distribution of food. However, the Capitol chooses to keep their food and excess while the Districts are starving. Inequality and oppression are shown in several other ways as well such as the inequality between the Careers and Katniss etc. Freedom also becomes a very important theme in the novel as Katniss and Peeta defy the rules of the games by threatening them with not having a winner. This theme is even more prevalent in the next two books in the series as Katniss tries to overthrow the supremacist government.
Now onto the ratings:
Overall, the Hunger Games scores very highly at being a good dystopian action novel. Each of these 3 components is scored out of 10 to a total score of 30. For the characters, I would say the Hunger Games ensures that the correct emotions are conveyed for each and every one of them. Characters are fully developed and the reader is allowed the time to create meaningful relationships with each of them. I will give the Hunger Games a 10/10 for characters. As for the plot, the Hunger Games is mostly very well-paced, has an exciting plot that keeps the reader in constant suspense, and uses a combination of adversity and hardship to create a bond between the reader and the novel. I would give it a 9/10 because although the plot is fantastic, it was slightly too fast-paced at times and didn't let readers catch their breath from one shocking event to the next. This was probably done for effect to show the fast-paced manner of the actual hunger games and keep the attention of the reader, however, at times it may have been better to slightly slow down, in my opinion. Lastly, for the themes involved, it fully explored each and every one with plenty of detail. It gave the reader a holistic understanding of the main themes which helped accentuate the world-building of the hunger games. I would give the Hunger Games a 10/10 for the themes involved. In conclusion, the Hunger Games is a captivating, and exciting dystopian that, in my opinion, scores 29/30 on how great of an action novel it is.
Do you think differently? Tell me your opinions in the comments.
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