Hunger Games Review
A look back on the book that defined a decade of dystopian literature.
It has been exactly eleven years since the first installment of the Hunger Games film franchise came out. A new prequel to the series was released back in 2020 and there is now a new film set to release later this year that is directed by the same person who directed the final three films of Hunger Games franchise. Since we are in rapid change and there’s a new addition to the story, I have decided to review the book that started it all.
The Hunger Games is an annual event where two children from the ages 12-18, one a boy and the other a girl, are chosen to participate. They are then sent to the capitol where they are to be groomed and trained for the Hunger Games. These tributes are then sent to this arena where they are all expected to fight to the death. Only one tribute is supposed to emerge victorious in the games while everyone else dies in combat and survival of the fittest.
This specific story in the original trilogy follows the protagonist Katniss Everdeen at sixteen years old as the next games are approaching. She becomes very protective of her little sister Prim, because their mother has become distraught after the loss of her husband. Their father was killed along with multiple other men in a coal mining incident. Because of this Katniss had to become the new parental figure in their family.
Prim is very nervous because it is her first year ever going into the reaping. Katniss tries to reassure her that her name won’t be chosen. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Flash forward to the day of the reaping and Katniss and Prim are in line. Effie Trinket, the yearly announcer for District 12 pulls out a name from the girl’s pile. She says enthusiastically “Primrose Everdeen.” Prim is then grabbed by Capitol soldiers and brought to the front. Katniss tries to push through these soldiers to get to Prim. It is in this very instant that Katniss states, “I volunteer as tribute.”
The crowd is stunned. It was at this moment that Katniss had shown her earliest signs of heroism in protecting her sister from a dark game that she most likely would not survive. The male tribute that was selected is Peeta Melark. Katniss doesn’t know him that well but she does remember him in faint images outside of his family bakery.
Together they are trained in the capitol and are often threatened by the other tributes because they do so well. It is assumed that while Peeta actually has feelings for Katniss the same feelings are not mutual towards him. Their mentor is Haymitch who is also from District 12. He won the 50th Hunger Games also known as the second quarter quell. Haymitch tells them that they need to prop up their love story in order to receive sponsors while in the arena. They did just exactly that.
Although Katniss has trouble processing this at first, she eventually goes along with the story. Katniss becomes close with her stylist Cinna. Cinna helps her form the alias “Girl on Fire” as he dresses her up so that her specific outfits would flame as she was being presented as a tribute. Because of Cinna, Katniss had some of the most memorable fashion moments during the tributes tour.
Peeta and Katniss during training scored really high scores with Katniss receiving an 11 and Peeta receiving an 8. They're being this skilled put them high on the list for the other tributes as they had become high-ranked threats to the other individuals. These were two of the greatest scores.
In the arena, Katniss allies with Rue. Rue is a young tribute from District 11 who reminds Katniss of her sister. When Rue is killed, Katniss places flowers around her body as an act of defiance toward the Capitol.
The remaining tributes are alerted to a rule change that allows tributes from the same district to win as a team. Katniss finds a seriously wounded Peeta and nurses him back to health. When all of the other tributes are dead, the rule change is abruptly revoked. With neither willing to kill the other, Katniss comes up with a solution: a double suicide by eating poisonous berries. This forces the authorities to concede just in time to save their lives. As the games conclude, Katniss develops genuine feelings for Peeta.
This story ends with Katniss and Peeta having to profess their love on stage while addressing the nation after winning the hunger games. In the beginning, Katniss pretended to be in love with Peeta for the sake of sponsors and survival but now she’s begun developing them for real.
One of the most interesting themes in the hunger games series was the class divide. In the film and the books, it’s so evident who is the rich and who is the working class. This movie often leans into themes of social inequality and state violence against its citizens. There are multiple scenes in the series itself where people are attacked simply for defending themselves.
In each of the districts, there seems to be an over-policing of the citizens. These citizens are usually struck or even killed for showing a small sign of defiance against authority. I found this interesting and in a way a parallel to the current political times we exist.
To conclude, The Hunger Games is a well-written book and film. You can apply the dystopian themes to the reality we live in when it comes to authority and political resistance. One can learn a lot from reading the books as well just receiving pure enjoyment from this series.
Make sure you check out the new trailer for the upcoming film installment of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes below!
Rating: 8/10
Written By: Charnice Horne