So apparently the movie "The Hunger Games" came out in theaters last night, and apparently it was very good (or so they tell me). People all over the internet and radio are saying the movie was amazing, and so true to the book, and they can't wait for the next installment. Even adults are raving about them, talking about how beautifully written they are and how inspired they feel reading about the adventures of Katniss (the heroine).
But I have a question. And before some of you start groaning, let me assure you I am asking this in all seriousness and sincerity.
What is the message of these books?
Yes, I have read them, and I found them to have entertainment value, but since everyone seems so taken with them I was wondering if I'm perhaps missing some underlying something that makes them so attractive?
So! If you like, I would appreciate it if y'all would comment and let me know your thoughts. :) I'm not trying to start an argument; I am genuinely curious about the series and why it is so popular, even among grown men and women.
~Grace
13 comments:
I honestly don't find Katniss inspiring,by the end of third book she is just downright depressing. Just random sidetrack there. Anyways...
To me, I view HG as mainly a warning. I honestly can see people wanting to watch people fight to the death on reality TV. We already have Survivor, where people have to eat worms and starve almost to death. I can totally see our culture headed I a direction. I think that something big and drastic would have to happen before we reached that point, but we could reach that point. HG shows the brutality of the games and the brutality of us, really.
Second point! I also see HG as essentially an anti-war statement. Spoiler alert, btw. :) The second and third books show Katniss trying to decide between Gale and Peeta. Peeta is obvious this really brave, noble person, really the perfect hero, and Gale is all about starting an uprising and designing various weapons of destruction, Peeta representing hope, and Gale representing war. Katniss ultimately has to decide which she truly loves and is happy with, and through the novels she feels a pull from both sides and it's really hard for her to choose, but in the end (MAJOR SPOILeR) she chooses Peeta. So the books are also about fighting between good and evil, the lure of evil/war (aka Gale), and ultimately choosing what's right.
OK I could go on, we actually just read HG in my AP English class so we covered all of this, lol, but as I am typing on an iPad (which is super hard btw) and it's getting late I shall get off my soapbox. Haha.
(also, have to say...the movie was great, really captured the feel of the book...now if only they had kept the camera still!!! ;)
BTW, you totally posted this for me, didn't you, because you know I can't resist talking about HG. ;)
Agree with everything Camryn said, and with this dude here-http://www.wordonfire.org/WOF-TV/Commentaries-New/Fr-Barron-comments-on-The-Hunger-Games-SPOILERS.aspx
Full of spoilers, but good thoughts, from a CATHOLIC PRIEST, which I think you would like?
But Katniss does indeed choose war: when she joins that rebellion against the Capitol. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly...
Also, does this battle between war and peace include the idea of a just war? My mom was wondering the other day, so I was wondering if any of you had thoughts on that.
Another thought I had was this: Katniss is supposed to be the heroine, right? Somebody the readers are supposed to look up to (Catholic readers included). But instead of facing down the evil she sees before her and refusing to be in the Hunger Games at all, she embraces it, and "goes with the flow" instead of standing strong against it. She's not a true martyr, but a watered-down version. She sacrifices herself to save her sister, but it's the same old tune about the ends justifying the means.
Anyways...I will definitely look at that video Kathleen! Thank you for including the link :)
@Camryn: Lol mayyyyyybeeeee....:) But mostly because I wanted to see what y'all's views were of the series, since we hadn't really discussed them before now.
OK, after thinking about it, I am taking myself out of this Hunger Games discussion.
I am pretty sure we did discuss them. They came up during the HP discussion. Look, I wish you wouldn't bring this up, because I think it just makes everyone kind of stressed out (or at least me). So I'm going to back down as well, not because I think HG is in any way bad, but because I don't want to fight with you.
In passing, yes, but not really pros and cons...However, I'm sorry if my bringing this up was distressing to anybody, and I wasn't trying to pick a fight. I swear. I'm sorry if what I wrote in my last comment made you think I was angry or whatever, because I wasn't. It's true I was having a bit of a bad day when I wrote that...I guess I should know better than to reply to something like this in a bad mood. :P I'm afraid I can't promise not to bring stuff like this up anymore, but I'm truly sorry if it bothers you.
No you weren't rude at all, do not fear, and your last comment was totally fine. It's just that to me, it sounded like you were trying to understand the message of the series, so I told you what I thought it was all about and I left it at that. I didn't know we were going to be talking about "pros and cons". You could pick apart any literary work for things that go against our faith, but in the end, the goal of (most) literary works is that of entertainment...otherwise they do not sell. I don't think that absolutely everything you read/watch has to have a moral, and that everything has to agree 100% with our faith....because ultimately it is used a source of entertainment, not as a source of learning.
My two cents. :) No hard feelings AT ALL. I think we should just agree to disagree about some books/movies/TV/*insert entertainment source here*. :)
Yeah, friends can have different opinions. We don't have to agree and be totally coherent about EVERYTHING. I mean, Grace, you liked the Jonas Brothers. :-) What I'm trying to say is, no hard feelings, we all have our weird quirks.
Sorry I'm just now replying...:P
Okay, I wasn't sure. Y'all seemed to be taking this pretty seriously. ;) I was interested in hearing y'all's thoughts, and I was interested in talking about them with you guys. Guess I wasn't specific enough.
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