How Two Hunger Games Differ
Comparison Between the Movie and Book
Mrs. Neal
AP English, per. 6th
28 May, 2013
Peeta Announces His Love for Katniss
Characters
Gale Hawthorne
Avox Girl
Madge Undersee
Plot
No Cookies for You
When Katniss is about to be sent to the Capitol to participate in the annual Hunger Games, she is visited by several minor characters ( Gale, mother, Primrose, and Peeta's father) in the book. In the movie, however, the visit from both Gale and Peeta's father is omitted. As a result, Peeta's father never gets to hand the cookies nor assure Katniss that her younger sister will be taken good care of back at home. The director's decision to cut out these details gets rid of any possible distractions the viewers might have from focusing on the romantic or the competitive aspects of the movie.
The Beasts
After all other competitors have been eliminated, Katniss and Peeta in the book face the mutant dogs that were created/born with body parts of the dead tributes. Katniss recognizes Rue's innocent eyes and Cato's muscularity distinctively in the beasts. Through these gruesome details and horrific images, Collins emphasizes the cruelty of the Capitol and the extent to which the "superiors" are willing to mock the 12 districts in order to show their authority. This subject of authority is shown in the movie with less details because such details would clutter the plot and hinder the love affair between Katniss and Peeta.
Bread for a Rebellion
One of the major plot difference occurs right after Rue's death. In the midst of intense survival battle, Katniss in the book merely receives bread from the District 11 as a gift of appreciation. With first person point of view and greater room for details, the book includes this detail in this way so that the tension of the plot, the emotional charge, is not lost or interfered by the exterior events. As a result, the readers are able to relate closely with Katniss. The movie, however, utilizes third person point of view and wider overview of all the events in order to facilitate easier understanding of all the different tensions that play a role during the Hunger Games.