THE GOOD
The Hunger Games trilogy is a relevant read for teens coming of age in an era when technology is revamping warfare. Panem is a grim picture of what the future might hold if this trend is left unchecked. The prosperous, high-tech Capitol uses little hand-to-hand combat, opting instead for long-distance weapons like muttations, genetically-engineered animals that are trained to kill, but only after a little psychological torture. They also utilize pods, defense mechanisms that can do anything from trap unsuspecting passerby in barbed nets to grind up humans like chicken. These weapons provide maximum enemy casualties without putting the home team at risk. (Sound familiar?)
The way Suzanne Collins depicts the brutal reality of war is perfect—not so gruesome that it gives kids nightmares, but heavy enough to show that taking lives in the name of war is no trivial thing. It also encourages young people to consider a question many adults shrug off: Is war ever the right answer?
THE BAD
People have criticized The Hunger Games for being too much like the Twilight series. But be honest: Twilight was less infuriating. At least Stephanie Meyer didn’t sucker readers into thinking that Bella is some brave heroine. You know she is an airhead with an unhealthy sexual orientation from the start. Katniss, on the other hand, can use a bow. She is a hunter, a rebel who sneaks past the district boundaries to keep her family fed, savvy enough to not only get herself but also a maimed Peeta out of the arena alive. She has all the makings of a revolutionary.
At the end of Catching Fire, however, it turns out she’s just a pawn that the real ringleaders have been using to rally the districts. She was left totally in the dark. After they do reveal their game plan, they ask her to be their leader, but she’s not calling any shots.
All she needs to do is stand in front of a camera and look pretty.
OK, I know she actually has to look angry and act war-like on camera. And I’m aware that she’s only chosen as the Mockingjay because of the gumption she showed in the first arena. But still, for a story about a girl who starts a revolution, neither she nor any of the other female characters are great role models. Johanna is crazier than Katniss (granted, it’s for legitimate reasons like being tortured for months), Katniss’s mother basically abandoned her children a few years before, and Coin is a power-hungry youknowwhat. What empowering women.
AND THE UGLY
Katniss Everdeen is a class-A idiot.
Instead of maximizing what leadership potential her Mockingjay position does have, she acts like a child. It seems like all she can do is scream, wallow, and (sort of) follow orders.
When opportunity literally falls in her lap via a Holo (a “glorified map” reserved for squad leaders), she does take action, leading the charge to assassinate President Snow. But this isn’t some grand display of bravery. She only wants to fulfill her own immature lust for revenge, placing others’ lives at risk in the process.
And then there’s the whole love triangle. Katniss is the stereotypical female, stringing two suitors along as she pleases because she’s too dumb to make up her mind. Peeta is sweet, but Gale is a real man. Whatever shall I do?
She’s Scarlett O’Hara minus the Southern gowns.
Katniss ultimately rejects Gale because his disregard for human life may or may not have led to Prim’s death. But later, Katniss approves of Coin’s idea to hold one more Hunger Games with the government’s children as punishment. Then she executes Coin without even asking someone else’s opinion much less giving her a fair trial. So much for the value of life.
She winds up with Peeta, but it doesn’t feel like she chooses him. It more like he’s the last one standing. She even compares him to a dandelion. Is there really no other flower to choose besides the weed that lawn enthusiasts wipe out with chemicals every spring?
Maybe that’s realistic, that experienced adults instead of a 17-year-old lead a nation to freedom. Maybe it’s sensible to settle for a man who understands you even if you’re not in love. Maybe it’s natural to go insane when you lose everything. But young people, especially girls, need a real heroine. They need someone who can set personal trouble aside to focus on the task at hand. They need someone who holds out for the best guy even if that means she’s alone. They need someone who can battle in a man’s world and win.
If I ever have a daughter, The Hunger Games trilogy is going on the list of books I’d prefer she not read, right after Snow White.
