After watching The Hunger Games for the second time thanks to some generous friends last night, I finally feel comfortable talking about the narrative of the story. When I first read the book, I felt i needed to push some argument forward about it, and the second viewing of the movie seems to have pushed me over the edge.
Spoilers...duh.
Much like Twilight and The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games will more than likely be made into to films (and possibly rebooted as well). I fully realize that my understanding of the book may come at a disadvantage due to my gender, so there is also something that I could be completely missing in the story (however, that is your job to tell me when I am wrong). I must also mention that I have only read the first book of the series.
My issues mostly revolve around the character of Catniss. While the jarring narration of The Hunger Games trilogy does take a sometime to get accustomed to, the audience is subjected to every thought that Catniss has. Every emotion, feeling, or philosophical quandary is in full view of the reader. While the reader gets to know Catniss on a level unparalleled to any other character, she still feel just as hollow as a Twilight female character. Maybe this is done so that the reader can identify with the character of Catniss easier (it is a young adult novel). I will say that she is fully fleshed out, and outside of survival, Catniss does not have any genuine emotion (outside of Rue being killed).
The character of Catniss seems to be a reaction to the environment around her, making her emotions and thought a construction in order for her to survive. Her relationship with Peeta is something that happens out of necessity, and is pushed forward due to her time away from Gale (think that is his name). Catniss seems to not have any strong emotions towards anyone outside of her family. She develops a hatred for the Captial during her time in the hunger games (like you do), however she plays the part of the caring mother instead of the teen lover.
What I am trying to get at is Catniss motivation really. I know that she is forced into a hole as to what she needs to accomplish and how that is to be done. However, emotions such as love and caring are quickly thrown out as it is obvious how Catniss feels about making new friends to try to win over people. She does this with the aid of Peeta, who being genuine in his feelings becomes more of a meat shield and someone else to take care of. Gender roles do seem to be flipped, however that does not mean that Catniss needs to be as cold hearted or educationally dead towards everyone else because she is in the situation that she is in (granted being forced to kill 24 other people while living in the crap hole that in District 12 in Panem seems to be something not to be to happy about).
I think what this boils down to is how Catniss is viewed by others. While to most, she is hailed as a positive female role, she does have some major flaws. Doing what is necessary in order to survive does not make someone a hero, it makes them a survivor, which is what Catniss is. After the death of her father, she took up his mantle and started taking care of her family (which is completely fine). However, she is still in that mind set at the end of the book and the end of the movie. She seems to be looking out for only herself and her survival so that she can begin to provide for her family again (again, completely fine). Just do not sell me on the idea that Catniss is in love with the male interests in the books. It is to clear (at least to me), that Catniss is out for herself and herself alone (growing up in a post apocalyptic where the government controls everything will do that to you). Which again, is completely fine, because it teaches that women should not be dependent on other in order for them to be happy. This mindset does alienate the character of Catniss in more of a warning rather than an example to follow.
...Also seeing Jennifer Lawrence fake smile has got to be one of the most awkward things that I have seen on screen.
-TE
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