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Katniss Everdeen is a Sociopath and The Capital Sucks Runny Eggs: Imbibing the Grape Coolaid of the Literary World

3/30/2012

8 Comments

 
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She doesn't look sexually clueless, does she? Doesn't look all that hungry either.
I began by badmouthing "The Hunger Games" at work, calling it shallow, unoriginal, and completely undeserving of the praise showered upon it by all the bored housewives and Harry Potter junkies that seem to love it, amongst so many others.  My remarks were met with outrage and condescension; I seem to have destroyed my credibility with the entire accounting department comprised of lonely middle-aged blonde ladies who, I'm guessing, read only the most popular tripe to hit the fad shelves, a couple books a year.  It's not that I didn't like "The Hunger Games," at first.  I did begin, after the first 100 pages, by drawing comparisons with "Ender's Game," and, after a regrettable Facebook post in which I stated this fact, received an unusual number of comments saying things like: "Alright, you caught my attention with the Ender reference. I may have to sacrifice my long run of book avoidance..."  I must apologize.  I am so sorry.  Please forget what I said.  Don't bother with this book!

I only thought of "Ender's Game" because "The Hunger Games" involves a child protagonist in a dystopian society of the future thrust into a "game" of sorts that holds bitter consequences the protagonist fails to fully understand.  And I only read "The Hunger Games" because of my experience with the Harry Potter series in which I originally turned my nose up at, feeling a series written for children and with such mainstream popularity was probably not for someone like me, but with Mr. Potter I was forced to eat my disparaging sentiments and came to fully enjoy all seven of the Harry Potter books.  I thought, maybe, "The Hunger Games" would be like that.  I was wrong.

The only thing remotely interesting about "The Hunger Games" is the fucking Mocking Jay.  Besides that, it is a blatant ripoff of Koushun Takami's "Battle Royale" ('99), mixed in, if we're being generous, with messy dollops of King's "The Long Walk" and "The Running Man."  I mean, the story is exactly the same as "Battle Royale," minus any sort of character depth or psychological importance.  The writing is poorly edited and uninspiring; it jumps and sputters along awkwardly.  Katniss, our 16-year-old protagonist, is emotionally dull, somehow completely unaware that of all the boys around her who like her.  She goes through the second half of the book kissing and sharing a sleeping bag with a boy named Peeta and manages to not have a single romantic or emotional feeling, thinking it's all just a game.  The world, Panem,  is somewhat bleak, but not fully realized--I have a hard time believing these games where children are randomly selected to kill each other have gone on for 74 years and only now are people thinking of revolution and parents becoming outraged.  Is it possible no one has ever volunteered to take the place of their sibling before Katniss decided to?  Not likely.

I could go on, but I'll stop myself there.  If you can take "The Hunger Games" at face value, without thinking about things too much, you may enjoy the series--many have, after all.  My argument is only for the critical thinker, the seeker of literature like the tasting of fine wines, someone who, having tasted "The Hunger Games," might grimace, and exclaim, "Why, surely this is no wine.  This is grape Coolaid!"

8 Comments
sarah jennings
3/30/2012 11:04:43 am

Like your caption for what's-her-name's photo.....
I believe you'd enjoy reading the New Yorker film reviews,
by the way.

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Sean
1/28/2013 12:13:01 pm

I have to agree. I found the book to be good, so long as you didn't think to hard about anything it touched. It's like an action movie with lots of set ups for juice physiological, philosophical and science fiction goodness but it fails to do anything but describe the killing and fighting. Katniss isn't a Mary Sue like Bella Swan, but she is a generic copy off an actually good and strong character. She hardly makes and definitive actions herself, instead others force her down the path and she just happens to survive. Then, after that she goes crying to the boy she "doesn't like" then goes to share a bed with him for half the story with lots of sexual "but I don't like him... right?" overtones that take what could have been an amazingly deep book about humanity and morality and turned it into a pitfight with some Twilight inspired romance thrown in.

Of course, it is also important that this is a novel written for kids. I am a young adult, and as a kid myself I read a young adult level. It's important to realize that this is a book not written for serious readers, but that being said a kids book such as Harry Potter was able to stay very adult when it needed to while appealing to children which is its strength.

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Keith Deininger link
1/30/2013 12:58:24 am

Some good points, Sean! I have to admit, I read the entire book cover to cover and I haven't done that with every book I pick up, even the ones I think I really want to read before I start them. I do think it's important to have some perspective on a book like this, that is so popular. I've found that most of those who rave about how awesome it is don't read very many books.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. It's fun to rant and rave a little, as long as it's all in good fun. ;)

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Kirk
7/28/2014 08:36:48 am

I really think you should read this blog. It's a detailed deconstruction of all 3 Hunger Games books, chapter-by-chapter, and will do nothing but validate you so, so much:
http://dragon-quill.blogspot.com/2011/06/hunger-games-ch1_1.html
http://dragon-quill.blogspot.com/2011/07/catching-fire-ch1.html
http://dragon-quill.blogspot.com/2011/08/mockingjay-ch1.html

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Kirk
7/28/2014 08:38:12 am

This site is another favorite:
http://readingwithavengeance.tumblr.com/post/45884754583/katniss-fans-shouldnt-look

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Kirk
7/28/2014 08:38:18 am

This site is another favorite:
http://readingwithavengeance.tumblr.com/post/45884754583/katniss-fans-shouldnt-look

Reply
Kirk
7/28/2014 08:38:29 am

This site is another favorite.
http://readingwithavengeance.tumblr.com/post/45884754583/katniss-fans-shouldnt-look

Reply
Adrian
2/6/2017 05:53:59 pm

So how is Katniss sociopathic? I don't think she's a sociopath.

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