The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
As the mother of a teenage daughter, the arrival of The Hunger Games, was a welcome one. Our literary journey has been a mix of classic literature and the imaginary worlds of Hogwarts, Twilight and now, District 12 and Panem. Our home is filled with music and art and books. Our respite from comparing universities for my daughter, or my study of and advocacy for women in Sudan, Congo and elsewhere in Africa, centers around the written word and films. We have the strongest affinity for Jane Austen's prose, Herodotus' genius, Nathaniel Hawthorne's depth, and Ovidian's insight into character and moral choices.
The daughter of a journalist and an artist, my tastes are eclectic to be certain. My family placed Kipling in my hands at age three, and for my daughter, it has been much the same. When Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games came into our life last year much of the publicity painted it as a left wing imagining of a dystopian, post-Occupy Wall Street future.
What we found instead was remarkable. A young sixteen year old girl, Katniss Everdeen, struggles with poverty and emotional strife in the wake of her father's death. There are thousands of families in the US Armed Forces that relate quite directly to the loss. Every young person struggles with developing their self-worth and identity. It is a natural course of events.
Katniss is skilled in archery and an expert huntress. She is a creative cook, as are most folks with a small budget. She displays strong maternal feelings towards her fragile, younger sister. Katniss is without guile. She is innocent, just on the cusp of womanhood. Katniss is beautiful but unaware of her beauty. She possesses strong character and is willing to sacrifice herself for her sister, as well as for the greater good.
Katniss is a refreshing departure from the hypersexualized images and caricatures of young women in modern literature and entertainment. The lovely notion a girl can be smart, self-sufficient, a hunter, chaste and worthy of admiration and respect is a lesson worth teaching. Knowing. And living. Every day.
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Apr '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Given that you write so lovingly about the books, I would be eager to read your comments about the movie. John Podhoretz and Ross Douthat were quite effusive. I am looking for a persuasive argument to relay to my wife, not an 'action' fan.
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Adored the film as well, it conveys the essence of the book quite clearly. The young lady who plays Katniss is exquisite. Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, and Lenny Kravitz are superb. I absolutely recommend it. The action isn't gratuitous, it drives the story and a few scenes are truly heartwrenching. Other moments are quite charming, intriguing.
Dec '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
The Young Chauvinist was enthralled with the books. She demanded we pre-purchase the movie tickets the day they became available. She's seen it twice and will talk your ear off about it, given the chance.
I haven't read the books, but took her to the film opening day, and I've got to say, it's all so hopeless. Yes, Katniss is virtuous. But, as Fr. Barron points out in his comments here and here, without God there's no hope of redeeming the suffering. It took me a week to recover from seeing the movie.
Fr. Barron also made an interesting comment about Hunger Games not being violent enough. The film sanitized the violence to get the PG13 rating. I'm wondering what you think about that Elizabeth?
The Young Chauvinist is now hooked on dystopian novels. I hope it's just a phase. I'm not disposed to go around despairing for our future for weeks at a time.
Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
I've not read The Hunger Games, but that heroine sounds a lot like Stephanie Harrington from David Weber's new YA novel A Beautiful Friendship.
There are few characters in fiction that I would call true "role models," but Stephanie Harrington and Tiffany Aching (from Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men and sequels) are two great ones from YA fiction.
If you feel like your kids are grown up enough for more adult fiction (in terms of really bad things happening and deep philosophical questions) both authors have adult sci-fi/fantasy fiction with other strong female role models. Honor Harrington in On Basilisk Station and Granny Weatherwax in Weird Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, and Carpe Jugulum really do a great job of showing the pain and rewards of responsibility.
Jun '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Amy Schley:
There are few characters in fiction that I would call true "role models," but Stephanie Harrington and Tiffany Aching (from Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men and sequels) are two great ones from YA fiction.
Pratchett's Tiffany Aching, now the heroine of five books, is great. Everything by Pratchett is worth reading, and very funny too.
Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
[This commenter felt the reference to Kipling extraneous.]
Edited on April 12, 2012 at 1:44pmApr '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Ms. Blackney certainly paints a very compelling picture of "Hunger Games."
I've made a point of avoiding the series. I do not enjoy dystopian stories b/c they ascribe far more power to evil than it deserves. Orwell's 1984 suffers from the same problem - it presents an evil state as efficient and powerful. This completely contradicts real-world examples such as the Soviet Union; easily one of the most incompetent societies in history. (Yugo anyone?) Dystopian stories also stifle optimism in favor of helplessness and inevitability.
Feel free to correct my assumptions; I'm most certainly judging the book by its cover.
Edited on April 12, 2012 at 10:12amDec '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
[edited as comment this comment was in reference to was edited]
Edited on April 12, 2012 at 3:16pmFeb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
[Edited] Thomas, Why the hostility? Kipling is a fine thing to read to a 3 yo. The topic, by the way, is hers. She was in the process of constructing it when you say she strayed from it.
Edited on April 12, 2012 at 1:46pmJun '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Have your read all three of the Hunger Games novels? I ripped through them in one weekend. I liked the first one, questioned the second, and hated the third. By the epilogue — which put a ribbon on things but never quite wrapped them up — I was furious that I had spent that much time with characters that betrayed their original goodness.
Apr '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Katniss Everdeen, a younger version of Sarah Palin.
Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Actually, that was the exact reason I liked the 1997? film of Animal Farm. (Patrick Stewart as Napoleon and Kelsey Grammar as Snowball) Lots of critics panned it for "the tacked on happy ending" but I felt that it did a good job showing the inherent nihilism of totalitarianism and how it must someday collapse.
Aug '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Kipling is awesome for kids! it is on our family's reading list. Coming up with books for my sons was easy - the Ender saga by Orson Scott Card is just one example, but now that my daughter is teaching herself to read I have to find something with a strong female lead. The Honor Harrington series is on her list and I fully intend for her to read Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age (or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer) when she is ready.
Jun '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
As I posted on another thread on the Member Feed, I took the Hunger Games as a mostly conservative parable.
1. Capitol (which appears to have far more people than all the districts combined) is a classic totalitarian oppressor of the districts (which seem almost like a gulag). They take their resources and then their children for the perverse reality show.
2. Capitol is a post-modern culture without God or a transcendent moral code. The love for blood games on TV, the odd clothes, the bizarre hair styles, the Nazi architecture are all evidence of this. This is world controlled by "feeling" as opposed to values and first principles.
3. The heroine (Jennifer Lawrence is perfect) is a classic self-reliant individualist. She's a reluctant warrior, but when she has to, she does it. Family is the center of her life and she has all the good sacrificial instincts of motherhood for her little sister.
Bottom line: Whatever Collins intended, the movie reinforced all of my conservative instincts. In addition, the movie was well made. It could have been a gory blood-fest, but the director was smart enough to imply more than show. Great movie.
Edited on April 12, 2012 at 5:19pmNov '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
I'm constantly after my 14-year-old daughter to read more (she takes tough courses and eschews additional reading), but she devoured The Hunger Games novels & the movie. Given her interest, I felt compelled to read the novels & see the movie. I'm not sorry I did. I thought Collins wrote in mostly clear prose, invested the reader in the characters, stayed away from overtly political or religious points of view (except that oppression and exploitation are bad and fighting tyranny is good.. and it's good to be on guard against it, even in your own camp), showed a progression and focus in the main character's world view, and steered clear of the eroticism that so many authors gratiutiously throw into their novels. Look, it's not Dickens, Austen, or Hugo, but, for its intention, I thought it succeeded admirably and was really kind of wonderful. It got my daughter to read more, after all.
Aside: the soundtrack has some haunting tracks that really re-tell parts of the story. Worth a listen.
Amy, thanks for the recommendations. I'll check into Weber and Pratchett (isn't Ricochet kind of fabulous for stuff like this?!).
Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
What I like most about Pratchett for young readers is his philosophy towards children's literature: "Fairy stories don't tell children that monsters exist; children already know that. They tell children that the monsters can be killed."
One of the recurring themes in Pratchett literature is an almost Randian virtue of selfishness. "It's my brother/ my county/ my family/ my city, and I will fight to defend it because it's mine."
Weber only has one YA novel out, but if your daughter likes history or sci-fi at all, definitely have her check out the "Honorverse." Weber is a bit of a 18th century expert, and he does a really cool job retelling the story of Horatio Nelson and the French Revolution in space. Also, the universe stars telepathic cats and Japanese space Mormons. (Trust me, it makes a lot more sense in context.)
Feb '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
If you dig strong female leads, and like fantasy, I can't recommend The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan enough. Egwene and Nynaeve are two of my favorite characters in all literature.
I also dig the Honor Harrington books, and most stuff by David Weber (although some of his ideas about religion grate on me).
If dystopian fantasy with women (and men!) who bowhunt and save their loved ones from bad guys is the thing for you, try the Emberverse books by S.M. Stirling (there's lots of pagan wiccan stuff, so if that is a turn-off avoid these books) and the flip-side books about Nantucket.
Nov '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
G.K. Chesterton... nice reference.
May '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
tabula rasa: As I posted on another thread on the Member Feed, I tookthe Hunger Games as a mostly conservative parable.
Agreed. In addition to the elements you cite, Katniss complains in the first book that the districts were all disarmed by the Capitol, rendering them defenseless. It struck me when I read it as a significant plug for the second amendment.
Nov '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Not so much fantasy... usually I almost exclusively read nonfiction history, econ, etc. or classic literature. The Hunger Games was a real departure for me. What I liked about it was (other than some of the hokey technology) most of it was believable. The world had gone bad, but it wasn't that far removed from ours. Any recommendations for YA fiction that is good, believable, not too far out, and without gratuitous eroticism? I fear the Japanese Space Mormons, other worlds, ferries, or cat creatures may be a bit much for my daughter and I don't want her to believe The Hunger Games was some sort of anomaly (which I suspect she may). I've tried to get her to read Dickens... my personal favorite... but it's hopeless. Ugh.