The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

The Review:

First of all, I could go on forever about The Hunger Games. I am particularly blessed because I made the smart decision to read the book series before I watched the movies. However, let’s continue with the review.

Suzane Collins is a brilliant writer whether that is her excellent use of symbolism or constant foreshadowing. The dystopian nature of this series is bone chilling, the idea of rounding up a boy and a girl from each district once a year to compete in an absolute blood battle? I don’t think anyone else could have written this story as good as Suzanne Collins. One major aspect of this book I find particularly important is the dynamic between Peeta and Katniss. Rivals, enemies, lovers? Who knows! All I know is I love reading about them; however, I am not a fan of his early alliance with the Careers! The bread-boy cares about the girl from the Seam, their story begins with Peeta throwing Katniss a piece of bread he burnt on purpose to prevent her from starving. Hunger is a constant theme present in the story; hell, it’s even in the title. But the idea of hunger is a genuine reality for many in poverty considering Katniss and Peeta are from District 12.  Whether that be a sack of potatoes sitting in the middle of the cornucopia or having to enter your name several times in the reaping in order to receive tesserae. The fear of starving, the idea of food being used as a motivator, is a sick and cruel circumstance. However, this is one of the many brutal realities that unfortunately reflects onto our society and the danger of hunger. Another dynamic that is even more important to the story is Primrose and Katniss. The idea of Katniss volunteering in order to protect her sister is truly admirable. The entire story flourishes after the inciting incident following the reaping.

Symbolism:

Collins utilizes symbolism excellently. The early hints to the Mockingjay with the golden pin Katniss receives from the mayor’s daughter all the way to something as simple as Katniss’s braids sparking a trend in all districts and even the Capitol. Katniss is the embodiment of rebellion even if she doesn’t try to be rebellious, it's her nature. Bread being used as a symbol for life and survival directly reflects back to Peeta extending a hand and feeding Katniss at her lowest. However, something that intrigues me even more is the novel's title origin, “Panem et circenses” means “bread and circuses”, which is exactly how the Capitol keeps the districts in line. They use food as a weapon and then use the Districts to entertain the wealthy Capitol citizens which ultimately terrifies the Districts. 

Movie Comparison:

I didn't want to write this review until I had seen the movie and I have many opinions on what was not included in the movie that I deemed as crucial to the story. First of all, the eyes of the tributes being incorporated with the mutts at the end felt so important to the story. Not only is it an emotional moment for Katniss, but it also highlights the extent of the Capitol’s cruelty. Additionally, the shared moment of Katniss and Peeta in the cave when they are sent lamb stew? We all know that shared meals represent communion, and so seeing them share the meal felt as if Katniss was beginning to trust Peeta again. Instead the movie skips over it entirely leaving an awkward gap between the book's storyline and the movie's adaptation. Another thing I viewed as extremely important was Glimmer's ring that had poison hidden in it! This moment in the book was eye opening to the careers desire to win and how far they would go to achieve it! Wow, I thought the hidden poison dart should have been included seeing how all tokens are supposed to be inspected prior to the games. 

The Ending: 

I think the ending was brilliant. It sets up the series for several books to follow. It's a very moving story and sparks rebellion within anyone who reads it. Katniss is an amazing lead for this story and her contrast with Peeta and the Capitol and then her journey home after defying the Capitol was excellent. I also think the Capitol killing Seneca Crane was the cherry on top. It demonstrated the Capitol's anger not just towards Katniss, but also towards Crane. The Capitol is not afraid to kill their own if necessary and I think that was just the right message to send at the very end.