The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins
Jaxon Simmons Block 1
The Setting
The Hunger Games takes place in the future. There are three main settings in the story. Panem, which is a country that after disaster, rises from the ashes of North America. There are 12 districts in Panem, and Katniss lives in District 12 with her family. The Capitol is where the government resides and, within the Capitol is the Arena, which is where The Hunger Games takes place. Panem was home for Katniss and the tributes, it was a safe place for Katniss and the other tributes, a place where they were together with there families. The Capitol and the Arena had a negative effect on the main characters, this is where they trained for the games and participated in the games. The Capitol and the Arena were where Katniss and the other tributes felt fear and competed for survival. It was a very suspenseful place during the story.
Rue's Whistle Song - The Hunger Games
The Theme
One of the biggest themes in The Hunger Games is Survival. Katniss had to survive the difficult times in District 12. She had to keep her family alive after her father's death by hunting and providing food for herself, her mother, and Prim. She and Peeta also had to survive The Hunger Games by fighting other tributes in the Arena until their deaths. This theme of survival continues throughout this story and all of the books in the series. I came to understand survival as a theme in this story because Katniss and Peeta had to work hard to survive in many different ways all through the story.
The Hunger Games Characters
Katniss Everdeen
Katniss is the main character in The Hunger Games, and she is the protagonist in the story. She is tall with dark hair and blue eyes. Her thoughts throughout the story is all about the promise that she made to her sister Prim. She grew up in District 12, and volunteered for Prim when Effie Trinket pulled her name during the Reaping. That's when the story began and she was trying to survive The Hunger Games.
Peeta Mellark
Peeta is an important character in The Hunger Games, and is a Supporting Character. Before he was in The Games, Peeta worked in a bakery with his family in District 12. He is short with blonde hair and brown eyes. His is very nice and wants to do well. He is in love with Katniss and becomes allies with her throughout the games.
Prim Everdeen
Prim is Katniss' 12 year old sister. She is small and gentle, and is a Supporting Character in the story. She takes after her mother, who has light hair and blue eyes. Prim's name was drawn during the Reaping as a Tribute in The Hunger Games. Katniss protectively takes her place in the games. Katniss promises Prim that she will try her hardest to win the games, and Prim thinks about that promise during The Hunger Games.
President Snow
President Snow is the leader of the Capitol. He has brown eyes and white hair and always wears a white rose on his lapel. He kind of looks like Santa Claus, but he CERTAINLY doesn't act like Santa Claus. He is actually the opposite of Santa. He is very difficult and dislikes Katniss. That is a very big disadvantage for Katniss, because he runs the Capitol and The Hunger Games. In the games, President Snow targets whoever Katniss becomes allies with and kills them. His goal is to break her down and make her feel worthless, that is the kind of person he is in the story. President Snow is definitely the Antagonist in The Hunger Games.
Symbolism
Katniss is given a Mockingjay pin by a friend and wears this throughout the story. The Mockingjay is a mutated bird, which was a failed experiment of The Capitol. The MockingJay pin that Katniss wears symbolizes this failed experiment and the failed revolution against The Capitol. The Mockingjay becomes a very important symbol used throughout the story, that shows rebellion towards the Capitol.
Book Recommendation
I recommend this book because it has the perfect amount of everything. It has the right amount of action and it is very interesting. The main message is of survival and how Katniss and Peeta struggle to live through and actually end up winning the Hunger Games. The story gets very intense at times, and keeps you interested and wanting to read more. Katniss basically carried her family on her back and helped them survive during very difficult family times. It is a great story of survival, friendship, and hard work. And that is why i recommend it.
The Hunger Games: Katniss and Peeta Reaping Scene [HD]