The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Summary
Katniss Everdeen, age 16, lives in District 12. Her country is called Panem and is run by the Capitol. There are 12 districts in Panem, each with very specific roles. The farther each respective district is located from the Capitol, the poorer their circumstances are. The Hunger Games are an annual event the Capitol has established as a punishment to the Districts for their failed rebellion. Each year, a draw, termed The Reaping, occurs in each district. The Reaping claims one girl and one boy between the ages of twelve and eighteen to travel to an arena within or near the Capitol to fight to the death. The winner of the Hunger Games is said to win a life of glory and richness; a statement that blatantly romanticizes the inevitable mental, emotional, and physical scarring that accompanies an emergence from the Hunger Games arena.
Characters
Katniss Everdeen
Katniss lives in District 12. She volunteered for her twelve year old sister, Prim, when she was called to go into the Hunger Games. Katniss is smart, stubborn, and good with a bow. Due to a mining accident that claimed her father`s life when she was eleven years old, Katniss knows no other role than the sole breadwinner for her family. Like most of their neighbours in District 12, her family`s circumstances are poor and humble. She works tirelessly to provide for her family`s physical and emotional needs, a quality that serves her well as she fights for her and Peeta`s lives as contestants in the 74th annual Hunger Games.
Gale Hawthorne
Best friend to Katniss, Gale also lives in the Seam of District 12. He wants to run away with Katniss and their families to escape the Games and the oppression that is inflicted upon them by the Capitol. Partly due to his age, his name is entered into the Reaping forty-two times. In his case, the odds are very far from being in his favour, yet he manages to emerge from each Reaping unscathed. Gale shoulders the tremendous burden of providing for his family, as he lost his father in the same mining tragedy that left the Everdeen family handicapped. When Katniss leaves for the Capitol to compete in the Games, Gale takes her family under his wing and cares for them as though they were his own.
Peeta Mellark
Peeta is the son of District 12`s baker, which places him in the middle to upper class of their small community. Peeta has never known want or sacrifice in the ways that have plagued the lives of Katniss and Gale. Despite this, he is unfailingly compassionate, selfless, and virtuous. Peeta is surprisingly strong, which is a clear asset as a contestant in the Hunger Games. After the Reaping it is revealed to the readers that, shortly after the fated mining accident, Peeta reached out to Katniss by providing her with 2 loaves of bread, potentially saving her and her family`s lives. It is also divulged that Peeta feels very strongly for Katniss, which is a significant detail when accounting for his behaviour and determination in the Games.
"Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun..."
What I Liked About The Book
The book is targeted to a teen audience, but it is written so well and boasts such a compound storyline that it has enraptured readers of all ages. It was the first of many dystopian novels, a genre that has proceeded to take the world by storm. Each of the characters that Suzanne Collins created is round and unique, giving life and colour to the bleak and ashy world that exists within the pages that she penned. Collins` writing is full of imagery, making it effortless to picture yourself within the world that she created.
What I Would Change About The Book
There are very few things that I feel could or should be changed in the book. My complaints are quite minuscule in the grand scheme of things. One thing that crossed my mind is that I would have liked to have a bit more background information about Katniss` life before tragedy struck. I also would have appreciated more insight into the lives of the people within the Capitol, in order to better understand their thinking and way of life.
The Hunger Games Official Trailer [1080p HD] - All Hunger Games Trailers (2012 Movie)