Hunger Games
I finally finished The Hunger Games trilogy. I must say it took me
longer than I thought but I am glad I read it.
For those who don’t know The Hunger Games is a
young adult novel by American television writer
and novelist Suzanne Collins. It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen,
who lives in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, where the countries of North America
once existed. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, rules
over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one
boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding
the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised
battle to the death until only one person remains.
The
hunger games originated after district 13 had an uprising against the Capitol
and then after destroying 13 the Capitol instated these “games” as a lesson to
the rest to ensure that they don’t also start an uprising.
In
the first book titled The Hunger Games, Katniss takes her sister, Prim’s, place
when her name gets called in the Reaping. The other tribute from 12 is the baker’s
son Peeta. The tributes are then placed on a train and they are then
transported to the Capitol. On arrival they get a prep team who has to redo the
tributes and make them spectacular. They also have a mentor who was a previous
victor, the drunken Haymitch. On the first day of the games nearly half of the
tributes are killed and Katniss depends on her hunting skills to survive. While
Peeta is spinning the story of the star crossed lovers who will never be able
to be together thanks to the games.
The
gamemakers announce that if the tributes can survive with their district
tribute both of them can survive. Katniss and Peeta join forces and fight to
the end. Until the shocking revelation that they won’t be spared. Katniss gives
Peeta and herself a handful of poisonous berries and they make to eat them,
when the gamemakers intervene and lift them out of the arena. They are treated
to a hero’s welcome, but this has also flamed the unrest already spreading
through the districts.
The
second book is called Catching Fire. Both of them receive considerable wealth
and are living in the affluent Victor's Village of the district; however, they
have rarely spoken since winning the Games, as Peeta realized that Katniss's
proclaimed love towards him was exaggerated at their mentor, Haymitch
Abernathy's, request in order to receive life-saving gifts from sponsors.
Katniss struggles to understand her feelings about Peeta and her best friend,
Gale, who kissed Katniss upon her return to District 12. As part of their
duties as victors of the Hunger Games, they are preparing to embark on a
"Victory Tour" to all districts within Panem. President Snow
announces that, for the 75th Hunger Games, as part of the "Quarter
Quell", a special edition of the Games every quarter-century, tributes
will be reaped from a pool of all living Victors of past Hunger Games.
Desperate to prepare, Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch begin training and studying
the winning tactics of past victors. Being the only living female victor from
District 12, Katniss is chosen for the Quarter Quell by default. When Haymitch
is chosen as male tribute, Peeta volunteers in his place to protect Katniss. The
new Games arena is a beach and jungle terrain with the Cornucopia located on a
small island in the center of a miniature sea. The arena resembles an analog
clock with one lethal event occurring every hour on a twelve hour cycle. At
night, the group splits to prepare for the plan, but is attacked separately by
the remaining tributes. Katniss is knocked out and has her tracker removed by
Johanna. Johanna then leads the two remaining careers away from Katniss. An
injured Katniss comes across Beetee, holding a knife tied to the wire and
appearing to have planned to direct the knife into the force field. Katniss
realizes the plan all along was to destroy the forcefield, and she directs the
lightning at the force field's control panel with an arrow tied to the wire,
destroying the force field and temporarily paralyzing
her. When she awakens, Katniss discovers she is being transported to District
13: a place widely believed to no longer exist. But to her horror she realises
Peeta was taken by the Capitol.
The
last book is called Mockingjay, After her rescue by the rebels of District 13,
Katniss is convinced to become "the Mockingjay": a symbol of the
rebellion against the ruling Capitol. As part of a deal, she demands that the
leader of District 13, President Coin, grant immunity to all of the Hunger
Games victors, including Peeta, and that Katniss receives the right to kill President Snow,
the leader of Panem, herself. Katniss watches Peeta on television, and is
unable to cope with her guilt. Finally, District 13 leaders decide to rescue
Peeta, realizing that Katniss' guilt is impeding her role as "the
Mockingjay." After the rescue, it is discovered that Peeta has been
brainwashed into believing Katniss is the enemy, and he attempts to strangle
her during their reunion. Peeta gradually improves after much treatment and
therapy, including cake decorating. His childhood friend, Delly Cartwright,
helps with his recovery by retelling happy events in District 12. Soon, Peeta
recovers fully enough to train. The rebels and Katniss eventually set off on a
mission to the Capitol, and President Coin later sends Peeta with them in
replacement of another soldier, although his many scarred memories fuel his
rage. After the rebels conquer the Capitol and place President Snow on house
arrest, he informs Katniss that the final assault that killed Prim was ordered
by President Coin. Katniss realizes that if this is true, the bombing may have
been the result of a plan originally developed by Gale Hawthorne; however, Gale
denies his involvement. Katniss remembers a conversation with Snow, following
the 74th Annual Hunger Games, in which they agreed not to lie to each other.
Her suspicions plaguing her, Katniss banishes Gale from her life. When she goes
to execute Snow, Katniss realizes he was telling the truth and kills Coin
instead. A riot ensues and Snow is found dead, having possibly choked on his own
blood (laughing) or been trampled in the crowd. Katniss then tries to commit
suicide by swallowing a suicide pill sewn onto her suit before the campaign to
conquer the districts began (in case the Capitol captured her during one of her
missions), but Peeta stops her.
In
the epilogue, Katniss speaks as an adult, twenty years later. She and Peeta are
married and have two children. The Hunger Games are over, but she dreads the
day her children learn about their parents' involvement in both the Games and
the war. When she feels distressed, Katniss plays a comforting but repetitive
"game," reminding herself of every good thing that she has ever seen
someone do. The series ends with Katniss claiming that "there are much
worse games to play."
This was one of the best books a read.
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