The Hunger Games - Book Report/Review Example

?The Social Impact of “The Hunger Games” Book and Movie When Suzanne Collins released “The Hunger Games” trilogy of books a few years back, she did so with the full intention of educating the young adults about the tragedies and atrocities of war. The Hunger games was not meant to be a glossy story of love ala “Twilight”. Nor did it feel a need to move towards “Harry Potter” territory by using all sorts of imaginative effects to engage its readers. The story of “The Hunger Games” engages both young and old alike because it deals with a very real topic that most American families with children serving in the armed forces are quite familiar with. The realities of war and the loss that accompanies it. One has to remember that the author, Ms. Collins, grew up a military brat since her father was an active serviceman. She grew up being regaled by his stories of adventures and battles abroad that he was involved in. It was his influence that led to her extensive knowledge of war and its dark side. A side that the author herself has said that young adults need to be slowly exposed to because war is sadly, now a part of daily life in most countries. Therefore, it is important that they be introduced to its terror in a controlled environment such as the pages of the book. Which after reading, allows them an opportunity to have an open discussion with their parents and peers about what they just read. “The Hunger Games” is in effect, a traching tool that both educators and parents can utilize in a collective effort to explain what war is all about. What is quite unique about “The Hunger Games” is that it effectively portrayed a reality show obssessed country, represented by The Capitol that cannot take their eyes off the actual bloodshed happening in the arena as the tributes battle for survival against all odds. It is quite uncanny that the story plot follows a reality show type of competition that has the contestants fare much worse than if they were told “You've been voted off the island.” The reality show in “The Hunger Games” has potentially fatal consequences for everyone, even the victor in the story. For a victor such as Katniss Everdeen can actually survive the games in the arena but be almost beaten by the evil intentions of President Snow once she returns to her life in the Vitctor's Village once she returns to District 12 in Panem. This is a very familiar scenario for most reality show contestants and winners. The only difference, is that there is no Pres. Snow to threaten them because they have become a symbol of hope for the oppressed nation. “The Hunger Games”, through its author, makes a specific declaration about the obsession of our society with reality shows and competitions. Something that Katniss seems to realize even before she volunteers to take her sister's place at the games. As far as the author and the character she created are concerned “the camera is the enemy, celebrity an empty, even dangerous contrivance...” (Dominus, 2011). A declaration that can be seen in the actions of Katniss every time she steps in front of the camera. Her actions speak of her distrust of the whole situation. Having to put on a fake smile and make false declarations all in the name of entertainment. In real society, such occurrences also happen, with the exception that most of the reality show participants and winners truly want the fame, attention, and power that the exposure gives them. One thing that we know is true about the young adult readers and fans of the film is that they do not seem to mind the bleak storyline and emotionally disturbing ending that the book has. Rather than seeing the events unfolding from “The Hunger Games” all the way to “Mockingjay” as a warning about the deterioration of American society into a devil may care pool of people, the young adult readers instead choose to focus on the “serious, engaging, transformative work going on in YA literature” (Wilson, 2013). It is important to note that “The Hunger Games”, just like its magical counterpart “Harry Potter” is a coming of age story. However, the coming of age does not refer solely to the character of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, it also refers to the deterioration of innocence at The Capitol and the need for political and social change in Panem. As an educational tool, “The Hunger Games” makes for a very interesting study of the quest for power, the effective use of propaganda, the dawning of war time in Panem, which then leads the reader to a deeper understanding of the underlying social issues such as the use of “power and propaganda, trauma and recovery, war and compassion” (Wilson, 2003). All topics which our current society is having to deal with since the Obama administration cannot seem to get on the same political page as the GOP, or even meet them halfway. The result is that our society is being manipulated through power and propaganda by the people in a position of authority while the rest of society needs to find a way to deal with the problem of trauma and recovery. In the movie, chaos ensues in District 11 while Katniss and Peeta are on the “Victor's Tour”. civil war has broken out because the districts no longer wish to allow The Capitol to have any hold over them. The desire of the people to be free of the situation have made them more sensitive to the issues pertaining to people in life who have proven that there can be a future for their nation provided the current leadership is sensitive to their needs. Which in this case, was not what happened. The people of The Capitol are desentisized to the violence and death that occurs at the arena in the same way that our society has come to be desensitized by the gory murder solving cop shows, the bitchiness of people on survival shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race, and the tailor made for television romances as seen on Keeping up with the Kardashians. There is nothing real about all of these shows but the mere fact that we are turned into voyeurs who gain enjoyment by watching these kinds of shows reminds us why the people of the Capitol are detached from the goings-on within the arena and yet can stay in rapt attention as they eagerly await the results. In effect, the readers and moviegoers are asked to consider the following: “Since when did we as a society begin to take pride in watching the equivalent of bloodsport in television?” And more importantly, “Why are we as a people so fascinated by frenzied violence and reality television?” As study of real society, it would seem that the viewers from The Capitol and “The Hunger Games” all have a knack for mixing reality with illusion in order to form a new mindset. Let us face it, our media, just like the one depicted in the book and more realistically in the movie, has a fascination with the question of reality vs. illusion owing to the media's interest in manufactured reality. Why are people drawn in by the book and film when the concentration should be on the effects of the portrayed events upon the social, emotional, and mental mindset of the people involved in the games itself? To compare it to the real world scenarios, the advent of reality shows has blurred the line between reality and fiction for the viewers, in the same way that the games was considered nothing more than a passing program for the entertainment of those in the Capitol. In our society, the young adults are also caught up in the same predicament as they tend to believe the storylines in reality shows and emulate the style in public, thus causing a degree of reality show based drama in their real lives. Just like any war veteran, Katniss Everdeen can be viewed as a hero who was given a homecoming in her district. But she has been affected by the atrocities of war so much that she is no longer the same girl who left District 12 to enter the arena and fight for her survival. It was fascinating to read how Ms. Collins effectively portrayed the effects of PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder through Katniss and Peeta. Although Katniss seemed to have been affected by the PTSD. It is her unique ability to explain the atrocities of war to the young adults that helped make The Hunger Games a much enjoyed and sought after book and movie. The Hunger Games is more than just a highly engaging piece of Young Adult literary fiction. It is also the template by which young adults can learn about the atrocities of life without being too traumatized by it. Ms. Collins chose to portray her story in such a way that the setting and story may be fictional, but its portrayal is not. That is why the story was able to effectively handle what would have ordinarily been believed to be an explosive or taboo topic sich as “hunger, forced labor, child soldiers, and the sex trade” (Simmons, 2009). By discussing the topics in an independent environment, students are forced to reasses the way they conduct themselves in public. I believe that through an open discussion of the events and situations portrayed in both the book and film, society will be able to make the younger generation understand that these violent acts are not an acceptable part of any society and that it is important that their generation advocate the need for change in the political and social leadership arena of our current society. The Hunger Games should be a source of inspiration for the young adults of today that will encourage them to “stand up for injustice and brutality in the hopes of creating a better world and better human race” (Simmons, 2009). The world of The Hunger Games is similar in all respects to the world that young adults move in within the real world. Rules for the youth are usually “arbitrary, unfathomable and subject to sudden change within a brutal social heirarchy “ (Curwood, 419). In the real world, young adults can also expect the same kind of rule implementation upon them as implemented by their parents. Therefore, with any luck, The Hunger Games can even help to narrow the generational gap between parents and children as the child can now ask questions as to the reasons behind their treatment and help troubled children make peace with their parents. It has been said that Katniss Everdeen is the most accurate portrayal of a teenager in any of the Young Adult novels that have been recently published. Simmons (2009) explains that: “Katniss Everdeen seems the most real. She is oxymoronic with her uncertain impulsivity and her role as a leader and a pawn. She is strong and brave... but fragile to the point of breaking. Her black and white sense of right and wrong, betrayal and loyalty, is a trait of youth; as she matures, she is introduced to the ambiguity—the gray—of human nature.” For most of the teenagers today, coming of age for them will be heavily influenced by The Hunger Games trilogy as the books continue to mimic real life for teenagers in very trying times. What is nice about having “The Hunger Games” trilogy around to refer to is that Ms. Collins already dealt with the problem of being able to properly explain the events in the book in relation to real life settings. Violence has now become almost all but a part of the lives of young adults and yet they understand very little about the catalysts for such events and how violence dominates the world that we live in. As a social commentary, the 12 districts of Panem can very well represent the lowest bracket of our society who keep the rest of the nation running by keeping their nose to the grindstone and making sure to churn out the needs of the more affluent states. The Capitol of Panem could very well be a stand in for the events that are unfolding in Washington and New York where the government protects the rich and affluent while neglecting the lower income bracket of the society. There is a violence involved in this scenario that most young adults are not privy to but can be introduced to it through the study of the Hunger Games trilogy. While other authors would choose to romanticize life in order to preserve the innocence of their readers, The Hunger Games does exactly the opposite of that. Ms. Collins disagreed with her author when she was asked to rewrite the scene of Prue's death because she refused to shield the young adults from the truth of war (Dominus 2011). Ms. Collins also asks the readers and viewers to stop and take notice of the appearances of her characters in relation to their real life counterparts. Katniss definitely shows off how much looks can be deceiving and important to the survival of a person. In the story, Katniss is forced to wear several masks in order to hide her true feelings. In the first book, she pretended to be in love with Peeta in order to keep them both alive in the arena. By the second book, she is wearing the mask of a woman protective of her family and friends and conscious of the fact that their lives are in her hands. Then in the third book, where she becomes the Mockingjay, a symbol of hope for the rebellion, the face that she wears is one of weariness and desperation. This is a direct take off from the way that we all wear different masks in our lives in order to get what we need or provide what is needed from us. The Hunger Games is also an effective study of how our society uses deceit in order to gain advantages. When the story starts off, Katniss, just like any young woman, is unable to deceive anyone. Her lying abilities are so bad that even President Snow saw right through her act of love with Peeta. Yet by the end of the story, we see a more confident, decietful Katniss who, as any other young woman would agree, finally learned to use her sexuality and intellect to her advantage. After Peeta is recovered by the rebels from the Capitol after Katniss has her nervous breakdown upon seeing Peeta on television, we are asked by Ms. Collins to step back and recall what it is that we understand about love and trust and then throw it out the window because that is most likely not what she was thinking. Rather, we see Peeta trying to come to his senses by playing a game of “Real or Not Real”. To me, this is a direct study of the way that we as a society cannot find a way to completely trust one another. Even when the reason to give your complete trust to a person is clearly presented. With Peeta, he was brainwashed into forgetting his love for Katniss. While he doubted Katniss every step of the way after he was recovered, she on the other hand continued to trust that even though she lost his love, he was still the same helpful and trusting man she fell in love with. Within our society, this translates into the way that we cannot even allow the slightest sign of trust to be visibly seen for fear of being abused by others. The Hunger Games is more than just a book about a fictionalized country called Panem and the punishment that they meted out to the districts that dared to distrupt the peaceful state of affairs in the land. It is an in-depth study of how the world that we live in is filled with lies and deceit. We are merely actors playing out roles set for us in the hopes that we too will find happiness later in life. Just like our own reality, the family of Katniss is forever separated by the negative experiences that each of them have had along the way. In the case of Katniss and her mother, the deciding factor was the death of her sister. The actions that she took to avenge her sister's death is what further drove her and her mother apart. Unfortunately, that particular aspect of the story was not dealt with very much even though it would have served a purpose to observe and study. It is important for us to understand as a society that even though we can be extremely hurt by the people around us, it is important to forgive. This is a lesson that Katniss missed throughout the narrative of her story and also what weakend the thought that after everything that happened during the war, the last thing Katniss would want would be a return to the old ways. That is also a lesson that our society has a hard time accepting. The fact that forgiveness must be freely given in order to set the spirit of one free is something that should constantly be enforced within our society if we are to achieve a somewhat Utopian place for all of us to live in. I will be one of the first to admit that The Hunger Games seems to be quite a violent piece of literature. But that is what makes the book a successful fictionalized account of our reality. The drive of Ms. Collins to keep the book as true to the atrocities of war as she could has turned “The Hunger Games” into an excellent source of additional study and discussion among the members of our society. The Hunger Games is the one book that has effectively portrayed the real life problems of the other children. As a study of between the relation of social media and the internet, it is highly important that the young adults who read the book will have the patience to help the new person reading the story to understand how realistic the storyline is and how sweet the resolution to the problem was. Sources Curwood, J. S. (n.d.). The hunger games: literature, literacy, and online affinity spaces. jensc.org. hensc.org. Retrieved from http://www.jensc.org/wp- content/uploads/2013/09/Curwood-Literature-Literacy-and-Online-Affinity- Spaces.pdf Dominus, S. (2011). Suzanne Collins war stories for kids. Magazine. New York Times. Retrieved from http://ghostofthetalkingcricket.squarespace.com/storage/ suzanne_collins_war_stories_for_kids.pdf Pharr, M. (2012). Of bread, blood, and the hunger games: Critical essays on the Suzanne Collins trilogy. Google Books. google.com. Retrieved from http://www.google.com.ph/books? hl=en&lr=&id=n7rCt8Ee5QsC&oi=fnd&pg=PA80&dq= The+Social+Impact+of+The+Hunger+Games+by+Suzanne+Collins&ots= ICOksYXnm9&sig=qJB6Q2u7COvZ4ViRi7KE5KTivBA&redir_esc=y#v= onepage&q&f=false Simmons, A.M. (2012). Class on Fire: Using the Hunger Games Trilogy to Encourage Social Action.Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(1), 22– 34. doi: 10.1002/jaal.99 Wilson, L. (2013). The girl who was on fire. Google Books. google.com. 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