Hope Pierce - The Hunger Games

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   All in all The Hunger Games was an interesting read. Now that being said, this was not my initial reaction when beginning the book. I had read this book a couple of years ago, way before they got popular and made a movie out of it, and at the time I thought it was really boring and I didn't understand the plot at all, so I gave up on the trilogy. Then the movie came out and it piqued my interest, and I ended up liking the movie better than the book. When I began reading it for the second time for this class, my initial thoughts were the same. I still felt that it was boring and I knew that I wasn't going to enjoy reading it, but I stayed with it and after part one the story picked up and I got into it. I actually comprehended the text and the story, and it was a good read. Many people that I talked to said that watching the movie before reading the book messed up their reading experience. This is usually true for me as well, but with this particular novel having watched the movie before actually helped me relate to the text and understand certain sections. Having a scene from the movie run through my head while I was reading a correlating section helped me make connections that enhanced my reading experience.
   I can't say that I think that this book deliberately and accurately depicts adolescence. I don't know if it's because it is a dystopian novel or what but it just not our reality. But I do see a correlation with having to go through a lot of struggling during adolescent years. In our world kids don't go out and literally kill other kids in order to survive, but they do have to face bullies and hardships that can have a positive or a negative impact on their lives, and sometimes even fatal. Also there is a great deal of identity crisis during this novel. For Katniss it's her finding out more about herself and seeing that there is more to her than just being a provider for her family. She is reminded that she is a girl- one who has feelings. For Peeta it is more of him trying to hold on to his identity. He says ""I don't know how to say it exactly. Only…I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?...I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not" (142).
   In the end, I can say that I enjoyed this book and it has me considering reading the other two books in the trilogy!



Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 6, 2016 at 8:30 PM

    Hope, I'm totally with you when you say you like the movie better than the book. I kind of wished I read the book first though and maybe it wouldn't have ruined my reading experience. I agree though that the text did allow me to comprehend things that the movie may have skipped over, and I also felt as though I was watching scenes from the movie while reading. I actually plan to re-watch the movie because of this so I can piece everything together. Your quote that you use from Peeta is interesting and also may possibly be an element of irony. He wants to die as himself yet I'm unsure as to whether or not Peeta actually knows who he is.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 8, 2016 at 1:42 PM

    I agree with both you Hope and Keyona about the movie having a lot to do with me comprehending the novel. I on the other hand like the novel. Even though it took a while to pick up I feel like it described things fully that made it more interesting to me. I enjoy both the movie and the book.

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  3. UnknownSeptember 8, 2016 at 1:42 PM

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