Keyona Davis- Dystopian Novel

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Overall I think that the Hunger Games was a good book. I feel as though I would have enjoyed it more if I had not already seen the movie. Because of this, it kind of made the story a little boring because I felt as though I was reading everything that I watched, plus a little more detail and explanations for things that the movie did not show. I would definitely recommend this book to YA readers, but I would encourage more if they had not seen the movie yet. I didn’t have any questions that pertained to confusion or problems reading the text because it was a pretty easy read. For me, I admire that Collins used a female as the main character who took on some ideally manly situations. That made the book more enjoyable for me. Because she did this, it makes this story one of the perfect dystopian novels, which are usually stories that has females as protagonist.

Because this is a dystopian novel I don’t think I can really say if I agree or disagree with the way that adolescence is portrayed completely. In reality, there are no Hunger Games; however there could be other life obstacles in a young adult’s life that could be somewhat similar that don’t involve the killing and surviving til end for a big prize. For example, one issue that The Hunger Games approaches about adolescence is the way that Katniss has to act as the mother to Prim after her father dies (pg. 15). I think that many young adults are often put into this situation where they have to be that parent figure to younger siblings for whatever the reason may be. Overall, The Hunger Games was a decent book to read. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2016 at 1:49 PM

    Good point on the ideology of bending the gender roles in the novel. Katniss does take on a male role in her family after her father dies. She becomes the provider when she hunts for her family and provides what meager money she can. I do think that somehow you can see modern adolescents struggling with their own version of The Hunger Games. You're right, children don't fight and kill one another here, but people struggle often with identity and feel like society often kills what is in them, taking away their individuality and their voices. And it often does happen that children become the parental figures for other children. I'm not sure what you mean by females as protagonist adding to the "perfect dystopian novel." Maybe add a bit more to that thought. Good writing though!

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  2. Ms LopezSeptember 6, 2016 at 7:52 PM

    I like how you mentioned that Katniss had to take on the responsibility of taking care of Prim when her father died. I also think about how she mentions in the book that she doesn't feel like she can trust her mother to some extent, not to fall back into a depression. I think Katniss having resentment toward her mother was very realistic and I agree that some kids do have to grow up quickly when a parent dies or leaves and they have to care for their younger siblings.

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  3. UnknownSeptember 6, 2016 at 11:02 PM

    I agree that I too would have enjoyed it more if I had not seen the movie. The book is very detailed; although, having seen the movie it was easier for me to get the imagery. I think what makes the novel great is that it's not only for adolescents; however, the characters are in the age range and their feelings/emotions are relatable.

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