As punishment for the failed rebellion led by former District 13, every year, each district
must send two young tributes (a boy and a girl) to the ruthless Capitol to participate in
the annual Hunger Games, where 24 tributes must battle to the death until only one
tribute remain.
In a twist of fate, Prim, Katniss’ 12-year-old sister was selected as the girl tribute for
District 12 to participate in the 74th Hunger Games. In her horror, Katniss volunteered
immediately to take Prim’s place just as Peeta Mellark, the boy tribute was selected.
District 12 had never seen a winner in decades, and more likely than not, they’ll come
back as corpses...
The Cornucopia sounded its sinister horn, as 24 tributes forged their own path to
survival. In little less than a minute, ten tributes had drowned in pools of blood...
Let the Games begin.
It’s interesting how the Capitol devised the Hunger Games to intimidate the enslaved
districts. If they just wanted to intimidate the districts, why not just round up 24 people
and execute them all at once? The answer was hope, the only thing stronger than fear. A
little hope is effective, it sparks a fire, as long as it’s contained.
I’ve always been curious about The Hunger Games , but I never got the chance to read it
until recently. The main draw of the game was presenting suffering as entertainment.
Gamemakers devised the Games to show tributes battling to the death instead of dying
too quickly, they highlight Katniss and Peeta’s romance as star-crossed lovers, fated to
be doomed to increase drama. TV cameras centered around the arena depict tributes as
objects whose values are determined by how much entertainment they provide. This
entertainment means more than vanity. For the better they appear, the more gifts and
resources the tributes can gain from sponsors which could mean life and death in the
arena. The novel suggests reality television as a form of objectification, as people were
subject to the entertainment of those rich and wealthy.
There were people of all sorts in the arena--sly Foxface, murderous Cato, innocent Rue…
each fighting desperately to stay alive. Most were selected to participate unwillingly, but
some had trained for the Games for their entire lives and will do everything they could
to vie for glory. It reminded me of the Roman times, when people were placed in
stadiums to fight animals and other humans.
With all the hype surrounding this book, I was certainly not disappointed. I would rate
The Hunger Games a 10/10. The adventures were thrilling, and each twist of the plot
was heart-wrenching. It made me wonder if I can survive if I was in the Games. It made
me think about my strategy--makes allies, camp out, scavenge for targets, etc. It can’t
imagine myself killing another human being, but would I do so in self-defense? I began
to question the nature of my being ever since I read this book. Would I weigh humanity
above survival and love above life? What would I do? What would you do?
Check out The Hunger Games at the Newport Beach Public Library.