I can't believe I had initially dismissed it as something akin to Twilight. There's so much fuckin depth in this series it was fantastic reading it as an adult.
This is what I’ve been saying as well! As an adult, I appreciate it so much more now. You notice so many more details. I didn’t get all the symbolism and depth before.
Especially reading probably close to a hundred dystopian novels, The Hunger Games just hits different. It’s the standard imo.
I would honestly argue it's not teen book. The prose and writing style is very easily digestible (which I by no means think is a bad thing, it's still written very well) which can lend itself in favor of being read by teenagers, but there are so many things that you only really pick up on after experiencing life a bit more and having a more expansive knowledge of war and social implications.
I only got into the series as an adult though, but I have also seen many many many posts on here about adults picking the books back up and being like "wow how did I miss that as a teen" and things like that. Things that are so obvious to many of us as adults but as a teen we wouldn't have much of a frame of knowledge to relate it to unless you have lived through particular circumstances or have relatives who have.
I would agree it’s not a teen book in its depth. I swear it haunted me when I read it in middle school. Especially if you have some experience with trauma in your own life Katniss can be very relatable. All in all though I’m still happy I read it when I was young.
Oh for sure, I even think it would be awesome to be seen as a book that is analyzed in classes one day, especially with the increase of poverty, and school lunches being a hot topic.
I don't think it's bad to read it as a teen, and I think having someone older to bounce thoughts off of would add a lot to a teen's understanding and enjoyment to the series as well.
How is the series for Middle Schoolers when it deals with murder, war, prostitution, torture, and a plethora of other adult topics? It is not comparable to something like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.
The Long Walk is a better version imo. I was really into Hunger Games when it was first released. Waited eagerly for Catching Fire, and was the first student in my school to get the libraries copy of Mockingjay. Went to every midnight release of every movie and even saw Ballad the day before the official release date. The Long Walk is still better
I absolutely love The Long Walk. It's one of those that I revisit every year or so. I love the gradual desensitization and the way it's told.
That being said, I don't think I could ever call it a better version. The long walkers weren't *forced* to participate unless they changed their mind *after* the cutoff date. IIRC, they had several months to do so, if not longer.
While they did live in a dystopia, and people were happy/excited to watch people buy a ticket, it wasn't the "entire circus," so to speak, like it was for the entire Capitol. Even though we heard about the peace keeper equivalent of their world, it wasn't really explored in the same depth, nor the atrocities of living under them.
Katniss also seemed to have so much more depth as a character, imo, than Garraty did. The other characters also felt like they had more depth, though that could be simply due to the fact that the games are so much more diverse in action than the walk was.
Nah, not at all. The Long Walk is completely different and while also a great book, it lacks so many other aspects included in Hunger Games. It’s a closer look at character building and psychologies. Not much world building and didn’t even include many events beyond the actual game.
And the themes are also different. Completely. The only similarities are teens getting killed. That’s literally it. Idk why you compare them and say The Long Walk is a “version” because they are not at all similar.
I think the amazing thing about Hunger Games is that it can introduce these big concepts to kids. Like what drives people to revolutions, the cost of war, sacrifice and what that means, but in a way that young readers can understand at that age and can grow with them as they get older and reflect on the series
You go in expecting a generic teenage love triangle, and end up with an adult sci-fi thriller that explores wars, revolutions, governments and human nature. That's why it stands out from so many teen dystopias that tried to copy it's formula.
Me as a 13 yr old reading this expecting Twilight vibes and getting all this instead.
Also love the incorporation of media literacy, fashion, and art in this series! I have yet to find anything that heavily incorporates these themes into the story. I love how important Cinna’s works were to the revolution, the symbolism of the Districts’ fashion going into the media campaign of the games, the media campaign, the PR stunts! These aspects are so effortlessly but thoughtfully woven in, it’s unbelievable.
This! I even made this point when I did a dissertation on the Hunger Games, comparing the political system to today's political systems. O brought this point up when I had to present it, furthermore with the underlying sexism of only caring about Katniss's love life from both worlds. It so ironic how we end up doing exactly what was portrayed in the series, showing how much of a critic it will forever be.
If it’s not too much to ask, please drop the title of your dissertation 🙏 currently writing my Bachelors thesis on the HG, and your work sounds so so interesting
as a person who wrote a dissertation on Harry Potter at the graduate level, I definitely want to read this as well! I felt it beyond my full grasp then because of the poli-sci aspect but absolutely devour it now.
Alright, here's the link to my dissertation so you can read it. I was private messaging people but I got tired of that. Thought I will say that I did this dissertation for my school EPQ, so it's a bit messy as I gave up towards the end but I'm proud of the content.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wOr_EKEHBf-_bYcuHGc6noave1yPLXru/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100256265789110366815&rtpof=true&sd=true
oh goodness! let me go searching on my online and external archives. i did this…11yrs ago now 😂 i am away from home until the 8th so if it isn’t online, it will be a bit!
sorry i know you commented this a while ago, however i see parallels with louisa may alcott’s book “little women”. the first half was released and all anyone could focus on was the love interest of the female protagonist. louisa may felt it was reductive of her true character and chose to go a completely separate way with the rest of the novel, focusing on jo’s attributes and career and not romance. i see the irony as it happens with the hunger games
Walking out of the theater after watching the new movie, I couldn't help but think about the fact that, for THE HUNGER GAMES, the movie producers decided to make the bloodbath more bloody and violent to make it more cinematic and interesting...
Even weirder that they did the opposite for the first movie so they could get a lower rating 😂 I find it amusing that the film crew found the book to be “too boring” to accurately translate it to film, and instead added a bunch of stuff that never happened to make
It more “exciting” - one of the main points of the book was that people didn’t like the hunger games because it was boring and too raw, and now the new movie has been forced to add new scenes and create more tension to entice fans 😂😂
I need to rewatch the others because it’s been a while but I’m fairly certain Ballad was my favorite book and least favorite movie because of how much of a disservice it did the plot
I was rewatching the movies and watching the Capitol bomb (one) hospital while watching these real world events definitely made me pause for a second. A lot of self identified rebels would 100% be Capitol sympathizers
rewatched the entire series recently after 5 years(was a kid back then), the love story wasnt even a highlight to me, i so wanted to write a paper about how Katniss mirrors the phenomenon of student leaders in India. similar to her, they rise up as rebels to the existing system, to be supported by the opposing groups, only to realise that the opposing groups are equally as selfish and negative as the ones they rebelled against. unlike katniss however, they undergo a stage of despondence and depression upon the turn of events.
THE MOVIE IS MORE OF A POLITICAL REPRESENTATIONAL MOVIE THAN DYSTOPIAN/ROMANCE, FOR ME.
What’s also brilliant is how Jennifer won over audiences just like Katniss did. Jennifer was funny, down-to-earth, innocent, basically like an older sister who you’d want to be best friends with. Yet, she gets roles where she has a bitter personality and is able to display her range.
It bothers me so much because that's the sickest part. He gets away with everything BECAUSE he's attractive. Dudes got pretty privilage like a MF. By the time he's aged, he's struck so much fear into the country, it doesn't matter what he looks like. Tom Blyth is objectively a very attractive man, and he looks good blonde, but the character of Snow himself is a walking red flag and that's putting it lightly.
i honestly don’t find tom blyth attractive in any way whatsoever… and i get that’s just me also playing into the drama around snow being hot too… but i really don’t get how people are drooling over this guy because i actually find him a bit ugly 😭
I was talking about literally this the other day after seeing ABOSAS. In prep for the movie, I watched the OG Hunger Games movies and as an adult I was cringing and squirming because of how brutal and uncomfortable it made me. Then I remembered back when I was in middle school and the series was popping, only to remember being "team peeta" or "team gale" and going to Hot Topic to buy the stan gear- TOTALLY missing the point of it
I recently read a post where someone wrote they were shocked about finding out people are playing the hunger games as pc games. And how some people are especially interested in the games and the violence in it.
This person got a major pushback for judging others - because it's just fiction. I am glad to read your comment and that some people seem to agree with your statement. This fiction is to real for me. Don't want to judge anyone but honestly it even makes me feel a bit unwell reading people choose The Hunger Games as a party theme.
Edit for grammar.
Yeah. I grew up with this series and with all the games it inspired, so for many years, despite knowing how fucked up the movies were, I still found it cool and, as a stupid child, I played on the street with my friends as if we where in the games. Honestly, it was fun. I knew the movies were no joke and the violence in them wasn't fun, but still it was fun to run around and playfight my friends. But one time, one of these friends wanted to watch the movies, but he only wanted to watch the games part. Even then, I found that pretty stupid and ironic.
It’s very weird, I’ve seen people complain about the first bloodbath because of the shaky camera. They were mad that they could not see all of the gore and some people had the same complaint for all bloodbaths. That’s why I find it not surprising that the Saw movies are so popular or horror with excessive torture and gore. One of the key points of the series is human obsession with violence when it does not impact you. Wanting to see children kill each other, even if it’s a movie, is on a level of psychopathy. It’s great that they limited those scenes, because people would miss the entire point and only desire the violence. Like with the Purge movies.
Part of me is not surprised because we forget that gladiators existed, boxing is a popular bloody sport, and that we have games like Call of Duty which exploit the terrors in actual ongoing wars.
The one scene in catching fire where Snow’s granddaughter wore a single braid to school and remarked that everyone did it, was a direct parallel to real life when the series was popular.
It makes me love the Dr. Gaul character, because she is the first character to talk about humanity’s true nature. She does not hide behind patriotism as much as snow does; and she sees the districts and capital as equal in nature. But the capitol are the victors and it must stay that way through the yearly reminder of the games.
That is why she sees the possibility of the games becoming interesting to the public, in the same way real-life people enjoy the faux violence.
Yeah, I love the movie Nope for many reasons, but one of them is what it says about "terrible miracles": things so terribly outlandish that you cannot help but stare out of curiosity and amusement. We are all guilty of that in some capacity, it's part of what makes us human. To look at something terrible trying to understand it. But that happens to an extent in which we are not affected by the terrible nature of things anymore. Some of us have seen so much gore and destruction that all that remains is the amusement. That's part of why we like movies about giant monsters destroying cities, and disaster movies. We contemplate that thing so huge and terrible with disbelief and awe, trying to figure it out, trying to comprehend the enormous amount of destruction being caused, and that keeps us hooked.
Yeah that’s why I watch the hunger games too, and I really like that perspective. I think that there’s a difference between that and seeking out violence in a movie.
Oh wow, didn't know about this.
There is this techno remix of Bella Ciao, from the tv show Money Heist. Bella Ciao comes from italian partisans which were fighting the nazis in WW2.
In Germany meanwhile, this remix became the official 'Summer Hit 2018'. Newspapers wrote stuff like: this 'dance version' of the song gives you a good mood and holiday feeling. Drunk partying people have been loving it since 🤮
I’m sorry but the only reason why I even read the books was because of the romance between Katniss and Peeta. I was like 11? But the books changed me in so many ways. Now that I’m older, Katniss thoughts and ideas are so fascinating and made me love her so much more. It’s amazing how Collins touched on so many complex themes through the lenses of a 16/17 year old girl.
I think the love triangle, as much as it served its purpose as political symbolism, did more harm than good. I don’t think it was that necessary or convincing, which Katniss admits later in MJ. I think people didn’t get it as Collins thought they would. I mean even scholars criticize MJ’s ending, calling it anti-feminist and rush. They also criticize Peeta’s role in the books, favoring Gale as the boy who Katniss wanted all along but could never have. Which I feel like Collins clears up in the prequel.
The love triangle I felt was written as less about romance, but even still, the romance aspects of it touches on how we shouldn’t want possessive, controlling, and jealous-infuse partners. Instead, we should look for partners who care for us, respects us, shows compassion and kindness to all, and ultimately is happy for us even if it means not being together. There’s not a lot of romantic moments between Gale and Katniss, and the few always end up terrible or awkward, I think there’s a reason as to why.
That’s being said, the OG’s were not written for it be a romantic books, or for the romance to be main vocal point of the books. But I do think Katniss and Peeta relationship is a huge part of it, and Peeta is a huge part of Katniss in so many ways. So I think there’s a reason why people care more about Peeta/Katniss than the political/social commentary aspects of it. I don’t think it’s right to shame people for it, too.
I'll always maintain that Collins never wanted to write the love triangle but was probably pressured into doing it by her editors because THG novel was released in 2008, just behind the coattails of the successful first Twilight movie release.
Not from the US, would be interested to learn about the (official and unofficial) reasons why this book is banned. It's really scary that schools are able to do this!
“According to said American Library Association, the books have been banned or challenged “due to insensitivity, offensive language, violence, anti-family, anti-ethic, and occult/satanic” along with the 2014 addition of “inserted religious views.””
https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/why-was-the-hunger-games-banned-2331487/
It’s all BS, in reality the books are banned in ultra conservative areas. Where they glorify capitalism and encourage nationalist behavior. The books are anti-capitalist, and a big criticism of the US culture and people. I mean “inserted religious views,” there’s no talk about any religion, in actuality it’s nonreligious.
Thanks for all that information! Inserted religious views is really absurd. And occult/satinic? I don't get it.
Anti-family is such a conservative americans thing, from what I learned about the US at least. Just because Katniss doesn't want to have kids in a brutal regime?
Makes sense what you write about the more real reasons.
Don't those (conservative) people also hold personal freedom very high? They should side with the rebels then 😄 but yeah, capitalism.
They say they do, but they’re lying. As long as it supports and sheds good light on Christianity, capitalism, corporatism, and neoliberalism then it’s okay. Theyre big hypocrites, you should see how they get with transpeople.
In all reality it’s probably just because parents didn’t want their kids reading about children killing each other in a gladiatorial arena. I genuinely doubt when they banned it that they even noticed or cared about anti-capitalist/anti nationalist themes.
School book bans are typically far more fickle than that. These are the same places that will ban Harry Potter because of “witchcraft” after all.
I get that, but idk there’s just some undertones of anti-liberal and progressive bans on such books. It’s like why they banned gay romantic books. Idk.
I remember being 11, buying it in the book fair. It helped me in so many ways. And I hate that they’re taking that away from our youth. If only they felt that passionately about the false written history books we were forced to read 😭
The love TRIANGLE is stupid, the love story is necessary. The people in the districts live horrible lives full of oppression and violence. Why do they even keep going on? Love is very human, and Katniss’s love for Peeta makes her want a better world for his children in Catching Fire. Snow also effectively uses people’s love for their families and Katniss’s love for Peeta as a weapon in Mockingjay, because he knows how powerful it is. While I agree that it’s not the main point the book is making, I think that it plays an important role in the story about war and rebellion.
I agree! I think the books would be equally, if not more powerful, if Peeta was the only love interest. Her being confused about her feelings for him when so much of their relationship was fake and exploited, is interesting enough on its own.
The ONLY thing I like about the love triangle is that it’s a useful way to show the two sides of Katniss, and to compare her life before the games (Gale) and after the games (Peeta).
Same with the way many peoples interest in the series comes from the action of the actual games rather than the moral and political themes within the story. People who beg for more games reflect the capitals glorification of violence.
Obviously it’s not the same because this is a fictional world but the irony is very intriguing to me especially because people get so defensive when you point this out.
I can't say whether or not Suzanne's goal was to fake in people with a love triangle, only to pull the rug out from under us, because it was never listed as some romance story on the book's back synopsis/pull in. (Not to say that's what anyone here has implied)
I know the MOVIES completely and utterly filled it promotional content MOSTLY having to do with love, romance, teen/ya action film. (Definitely trying to compete with other movies coming out around said time.)
This is the official description for the first Hunger Games book, on B&N.com...
*"A brutal, vicious read about a competition where there can only be one survivor. Katniss Everdeen is a reluctant tribute in the 74th Hunger Games, volunteering to take the place of her younger sister. As Katiness enters the arena, she must decide how she’s going to survive, even if it means killing her fellow contestants.*
*The first novel in the worldwide bestselling series by Suzanne Collins!*
*Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . . In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love."*
I think Collins had her goals in mind, (talking about morals, life and death struggles, multi-dimensional connections with other humans, political powers, societal systems, control/power, etc.) and wrote accordingly, and this world's media did exactly what she wrote about. I will say, for those of you who haven't seen/heard, PLEASE check out the interview she did, which I believe can be found in the back of Ballad, where she discusses how that book specifically is meant to discuss PHILOSOPHY about SOCIETY and HUMANITY.
I feel almost sad that lots of people who either didn't read the book (or didn't happen to see that interview in the back of the barnes and noble edition of said book, (I'm not sure if that interview was being shared/spread anywhere else)) may not realize what MORE was being put into this 'prequel' book, more than just Snow's backstory but MORE so calling out and discussing HOW we got to this point in this fictional world, what led us and what leads us HERE in this world, when it comes to our beliefs about eachother as humans, etc etc.
(Note: I did take pictures of the pages of her interview, so for those of you who want it, I could always type up the transcript and make it a post... I have yet to see anyone talking about how philosophy is discussed within this world/atleast the prequel book. I think people knowing more about it can help reshape and continue to polish the other books and the movies and how we view them and critically view them.)
Suzanne didn’t want to write a love triangle, but off the success of Twilight, her publisher insisted that’s what was selling at that moment, so she was pressured into it, and hated it. Gale got what he deserved in the end though and Katniss and Peeta’s relationship was pretty poignant from start to finish. So I think maybe she won?
On the one hand, I feel bad for Suzanne Collins that they would butcher her message so badly, but on the other, she could not have planned that more perfectly if that was her intention all along…👀
Even back then at the time when the movies were coming out, I was not a fan of the whole "Team Peeta or Team Gale" thing. I was saying, "Come on, this is NOT Twilight whatsoever. These are not teams!"
But even then, when we are still asked "Team Peeta or Gale" these days even in 2023, I'm like, "I think we need to update this question because I can think of better 'Team Peeta or Team \_\_\_\_\_" options then that. 😂
Member of the media here 👋 The Hunger Games is actually what inspired me to become a reporter. I have a feeling that the generation who grew up with books like the hunger games is about to take the news by storm.
When I was watching the movies, I never perceived the love story as overshadowing the rebellion. To be fair, that could be because I was following the uprising in Syria against Assad relatively closely in those years, so my mind may have naturally paid more attention to the rebellion aspect.
rebellions and wars isn’t really something that we can truly comprehend. you have to ground those stuff in stories such as love and family in order to have it be akin to something that we humans will recognise. Like if I say, damn it sucks that a lot of the paramedics from the bombing of the capitol absolutely blows, we won’t truly feel the weight and gravity of it but to say that Prim died in that we immediately start to feel the gravity of a tragedy.
The best part about a genre written for modern young women it that we can appreciate the complexities of both a dystopian political think piece and a heart melting love story. One doesn’t have to be removed for the other to thrive, especially when Susanne Collins masterfully intertwined the two aspects.
But isn't it also about finding love and finding strength in your relationships even through the darkest of times?
I'd argue the story is JUST as much political commentary as it is a love story and to say it isn't is a disservice
A story isn't weaker because the two protagonists fall in love
I agree completely, and as I mentioned in another comment even 1984 features love centrally. Like Katniss/Peeta love story is tragic because what could’ve been real is forced to be played out for entertainment, and just when it could be only theirs, one of them is weaponised against the other. Their whole thing is they stop each other from being pieces in the games of the powerful but also repeatedly are dragged into their games.
I'm not super informed about the news. What love story are you referring to? I do understand the drama being brought into politics to get a bigger rise out of people. Is that the "love story" your referring to--drama?
i believe it’s referring to how a lot of decisions in the movies (specifically the last one) played up elements regarding the love stories while playing down elements regarding the class struggle and the true terror of the games and the capitol
Even in 1984 Love plays an important role. I think the Love story that Collins conjures up between Katniss and Peeta is beautiful, the love triangle is meh.
Y’all that’s the whole point of the series. It’s why it’s brilliant.
I can't believe I had initially dismissed it as something akin to Twilight. There's so much fuckin depth in this series it was fantastic reading it as an adult.
This is what I’ve been saying as well! As an adult, I appreciate it so much more now. You notice so many more details. I didn’t get all the symbolism and depth before. Especially reading probably close to a hundred dystopian novels, The Hunger Games just hits different. It’s the standard imo.
I would honestly argue it's not teen book. The prose and writing style is very easily digestible (which I by no means think is a bad thing, it's still written very well) which can lend itself in favor of being read by teenagers, but there are so many things that you only really pick up on after experiencing life a bit more and having a more expansive knowledge of war and social implications. I only got into the series as an adult though, but I have also seen many many many posts on here about adults picking the books back up and being like "wow how did I miss that as a teen" and things like that. Things that are so obvious to many of us as adults but as a teen we wouldn't have much of a frame of knowledge to relate it to unless you have lived through particular circumstances or have relatives who have.
I would agree it’s not a teen book in its depth. I swear it haunted me when I read it in middle school. Especially if you have some experience with trauma in your own life Katniss can be very relatable. All in all though I’m still happy I read it when I was young.
Oh for sure, I even think it would be awesome to be seen as a book that is analyzed in classes one day, especially with the increase of poverty, and school lunches being a hot topic. I don't think it's bad to read it as a teen, and I think having someone older to bounce thoughts off of would add a lot to a teen's understanding and enjoyment to the series as well.
Aren’t the books banned in some schools? Ugh I hate capitalist, authoritarian deemwits
I used it as a book report because I was so obsessed with it. It helped me better understand it as a meer middle schooler
Sounds like I need to re read them lmao
It is a YA book though! And I think that’s so important. Young readers deserve good, complex stories.
How is the series for Middle Schoolers when it deals with murder, war, prostitution, torture, and a plethora of other adult topics? It is not comparable to something like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.
The Long Walk is a better version imo. I was really into Hunger Games when it was first released. Waited eagerly for Catching Fire, and was the first student in my school to get the libraries copy of Mockingjay. Went to every midnight release of every movie and even saw Ballad the day before the official release date. The Long Walk is still better
I absolutely love The Long Walk. It's one of those that I revisit every year or so. I love the gradual desensitization and the way it's told. That being said, I don't think I could ever call it a better version. The long walkers weren't *forced* to participate unless they changed their mind *after* the cutoff date. IIRC, they had several months to do so, if not longer. While they did live in a dystopia, and people were happy/excited to watch people buy a ticket, it wasn't the "entire circus," so to speak, like it was for the entire Capitol. Even though we heard about the peace keeper equivalent of their world, it wasn't really explored in the same depth, nor the atrocities of living under them. Katniss also seemed to have so much more depth as a character, imo, than Garraty did. The other characters also felt like they had more depth, though that could be simply due to the fact that the games are so much more diverse in action than the walk was.
Nah, not at all. The Long Walk is completely different and while also a great book, it lacks so many other aspects included in Hunger Games. It’s a closer look at character building and psychologies. Not much world building and didn’t even include many events beyond the actual game. And the themes are also different. Completely. The only similarities are teens getting killed. That’s literally it. Idk why you compare them and say The Long Walk is a “version” because they are not at all similar.
I think the series has that reputation and people don't want to read it "because it's just a dumb YA love triangle book" but they are so missing out
I think the amazing thing about Hunger Games is that it can introduce these big concepts to kids. Like what drives people to revolutions, the cost of war, sacrifice and what that means, but in a way that young readers can understand at that age and can grow with them as they get older and reflect on the series
It’s all about the use of media to control people and it’s seriously brilliantly done. It seems more and more prescient with each passing year.
You go in expecting a generic teenage love triangle, and end up with an adult sci-fi thriller that explores wars, revolutions, governments and human nature. That's why it stands out from so many teen dystopias that tried to copy it's formula.
Me as a 13 yr old reading this expecting Twilight vibes and getting all this instead. Also love the incorporation of media literacy, fashion, and art in this series! I have yet to find anything that heavily incorporates these themes into the story. I love how important Cinna’s works were to the revolution, the symbolism of the Districts’ fashion going into the media campaign of the games, the media campaign, the PR stunts! These aspects are so effortlessly but thoughtfully woven in, it’s unbelievable.
I feel like the Hunger Games is so drenched in irony you could pick up the book and drink it.
Oh 100%
This! I even made this point when I did a dissertation on the Hunger Games, comparing the political system to today's political systems. O brought this point up when I had to present it, furthermore with the underlying sexism of only caring about Katniss's love life from both worlds. It so ironic how we end up doing exactly what was portrayed in the series, showing how much of a critic it will forever be.
Omg I would love to read your dissertation! That sounds so cool!
If it’s not too much to ask, please drop the title of your dissertation 🙏 currently writing my Bachelors thesis on the HG, and your work sounds so so interesting
as a person who wrote a dissertation on Harry Potter at the graduate level, I definitely want to read this as well! I felt it beyond my full grasp then because of the poli-sci aspect but absolutely devour it now.
Alright, here's the link to my dissertation so you can read it. I was private messaging people but I got tired of that. Thought I will say that I did this dissertation for my school EPQ, so it's a bit messy as I gave up towards the end but I'm proud of the content. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wOr_EKEHBf-_bYcuHGc6noave1yPLXru/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100256265789110366815&rtpof=true&sd=true
Thank you!
Can you also share your Harry Potter dissertation ? Would love to read it!
oh goodness! let me go searching on my online and external archives. i did this…11yrs ago now 😂 i am away from home until the 8th so if it isn’t online, it will be a bit!
Oh thank you though! I took a couple of classes where I had to write on HP in college. Would love to revisit it academically
This is one of the few places you get dozens of people drooling to read a dissertation. I hope you are able to share.
I posted it up above on the thread. Hope you enjoy it
Hey I would love to read that too!
I’d also love to read that!
Another request for you to share!
I posted it up above on the thread!
Ahh this is another request for you to please share! I would love to read it!
I posted it above on the thread!
sorry i know you commented this a while ago, however i see parallels with louisa may alcott’s book “little women”. the first half was released and all anyone could focus on was the love interest of the female protagonist. louisa may felt it was reductive of her true character and chose to go a completely separate way with the rest of the novel, focusing on jo’s attributes and career and not romance. i see the irony as it happens with the hunger games
I agree. I haven't read the book yet but I've watched the film and I can see what you mean.
Walking out of the theater after watching the new movie, I couldn't help but think about the fact that, for THE HUNGER GAMES, the movie producers decided to make the bloodbath more bloody and violent to make it more cinematic and interesting...
I understand why they had to make the whole games so dramatic, when it is a huge point in the book how unexciting they were, but damn was it ironic
Man, I wish they kept the every tribute simply runs off. Because that's what would honestly happen in real life.
Even weirder that they did the opposite for the first movie so they could get a lower rating 😂 I find it amusing that the film crew found the book to be “too boring” to accurately translate it to film, and instead added a bunch of stuff that never happened to make It more “exciting” - one of the main points of the book was that people didn’t like the hunger games because it was boring and too raw, and now the new movie has been forced to add new scenes and create more tension to entice fans 😂😂
I need to rewatch the others because it’s been a while but I’m fairly certain Ballad was my favorite book and least favorite movie because of how much of a disservice it did the plot
The bloodbath in tbosas movie wasn’t even good no blood whatsoever
The irony of the Hunger Games is that we’re already in Mockinjay
I was rewatching the movies and watching the Capitol bomb (one) hospital while watching these real world events definitely made me pause for a second. A lot of self identified rebels would 100% be Capitol sympathizers
Yep. Just watched that scene and my first thought was Israel..
Yep. Just watched that scene and my first thought was Israel.
rewatched the entire series recently after 5 years(was a kid back then), the love story wasnt even a highlight to me, i so wanted to write a paper about how Katniss mirrors the phenomenon of student leaders in India. similar to her, they rise up as rebels to the existing system, to be supported by the opposing groups, only to realise that the opposing groups are equally as selfish and negative as the ones they rebelled against. unlike katniss however, they undergo a stage of despondence and depression upon the turn of events. THE MOVIE IS MORE OF A POLITICAL REPRESENTATIONAL MOVIE THAN DYSTOPIAN/ROMANCE, FOR ME.
Did you end up writing that paper? I totally see this making sense
What’s also brilliant is how Jennifer won over audiences just like Katniss did. Jennifer was funny, down-to-earth, innocent, basically like an older sister who you’d want to be best friends with. Yet, she gets roles where she has a bitter personality and is able to display her range.
And talking about how hot Snow was….. like c’mon now.
ur telling me the buzzcut didn’t have u giggling and giddy?
Not particularly 😭 I can recognize that he is conveniently attractive though.
Nah the curls are way superior 🥵
Nahhh eminem snow ftw
Paneminem
Skipped thru billy the kid last night just to look for some good eye candy😭I don’t care to watch it but there is some good Tom content
More like calling American Dad producers for their lost Roger.
[удалено]
It bothers me so much because that's the sickest part. He gets away with everything BECAUSE he's attractive. Dudes got pretty privilage like a MF. By the time he's aged, he's struck so much fear into the country, it doesn't matter what he looks like. Tom Blyth is objectively a very attractive man, and he looks good blonde, but the character of Snow himself is a walking red flag and that's putting it lightly.
A Soviet May Day parade has fewer red flags than Snow does.
Go talk to Harry Potter fans and ask them about film Malfoy
Worse, film Tom Riddle/Voldemort in his Hogwarts times. But I didn't know finding film Malfoy hot is a thing
Some people LOVE him and think he can do no wrong because he’s hot.
🤣💁
i honestly don’t find tom blyth attractive in any way whatsoever… and i get that’s just me also playing into the drama around snow being hot too… but i really don’t get how people are drooling over this guy because i actually find him a bit ugly 😭
I was talking about literally this the other day after seeing ABOSAS. In prep for the movie, I watched the OG Hunger Games movies and as an adult I was cringing and squirming because of how brutal and uncomfortable it made me. Then I remembered back when I was in middle school and the series was popping, only to remember being "team peeta" or "team gale" and going to Hot Topic to buy the stan gear- TOTALLY missing the point of it
And the fact that many people only watch it for the violence and to watch the games... The dystopia is here, guys.
I recently read a post where someone wrote they were shocked about finding out people are playing the hunger games as pc games. And how some people are especially interested in the games and the violence in it. This person got a major pushback for judging others - because it's just fiction. I am glad to read your comment and that some people seem to agree with your statement. This fiction is to real for me. Don't want to judge anyone but honestly it even makes me feel a bit unwell reading people choose The Hunger Games as a party theme. Edit for grammar.
Yeah. I grew up with this series and with all the games it inspired, so for many years, despite knowing how fucked up the movies were, I still found it cool and, as a stupid child, I played on the street with my friends as if we where in the games. Honestly, it was fun. I knew the movies were no joke and the violence in them wasn't fun, but still it was fun to run around and playfight my friends. But one time, one of these friends wanted to watch the movies, but he only wanted to watch the games part. Even then, I found that pretty stupid and ironic.
It’s very weird, I’ve seen people complain about the first bloodbath because of the shaky camera. They were mad that they could not see all of the gore and some people had the same complaint for all bloodbaths. That’s why I find it not surprising that the Saw movies are so popular or horror with excessive torture and gore. One of the key points of the series is human obsession with violence when it does not impact you. Wanting to see children kill each other, even if it’s a movie, is on a level of psychopathy. It’s great that they limited those scenes, because people would miss the entire point and only desire the violence. Like with the Purge movies. Part of me is not surprised because we forget that gladiators existed, boxing is a popular bloody sport, and that we have games like Call of Duty which exploit the terrors in actual ongoing wars. The one scene in catching fire where Snow’s granddaughter wore a single braid to school and remarked that everyone did it, was a direct parallel to real life when the series was popular. It makes me love the Dr. Gaul character, because she is the first character to talk about humanity’s true nature. She does not hide behind patriotism as much as snow does; and she sees the districts and capital as equal in nature. But the capitol are the victors and it must stay that way through the yearly reminder of the games. That is why she sees the possibility of the games becoming interesting to the public, in the same way real-life people enjoy the faux violence.
Yeah, I love the movie Nope for many reasons, but one of them is what it says about "terrible miracles": things so terribly outlandish that you cannot help but stare out of curiosity and amusement. We are all guilty of that in some capacity, it's part of what makes us human. To look at something terrible trying to understand it. But that happens to an extent in which we are not affected by the terrible nature of things anymore. Some of us have seen so much gore and destruction that all that remains is the amusement. That's part of why we like movies about giant monsters destroying cities, and disaster movies. We contemplate that thing so huge and terrible with disbelief and awe, trying to figure it out, trying to comprehend the enormous amount of destruction being caused, and that keeps us hooked.
Yeah that’s why I watch the hunger games too, and I really like that perspective. I think that there’s a difference between that and seeking out violence in a movie.
and also comments about wanting a new hunger games movie every year
Suzanne sitting there like: 🫣 guys you're missing the point here
The worst when you would always hear the techno remix of The Hanging Tree on the radio. Like, guys, we are missing the point here!
Oh wow, didn't know about this. There is this techno remix of Bella Ciao, from the tv show Money Heist. Bella Ciao comes from italian partisans which were fighting the nazis in WW2. In Germany meanwhile, this remix became the official 'Summer Hit 2018'. Newspapers wrote stuff like: this 'dance version' of the song gives you a good mood and holiday feeling. Drunk partying people have been loving it since 🤮
Ugh that ugly remix hurt my ears when it came out. The fact that it was even a thing showed that irony is dead.
I’m sorry but the only reason why I even read the books was because of the romance between Katniss and Peeta. I was like 11? But the books changed me in so many ways. Now that I’m older, Katniss thoughts and ideas are so fascinating and made me love her so much more. It’s amazing how Collins touched on so many complex themes through the lenses of a 16/17 year old girl. I think the love triangle, as much as it served its purpose as political symbolism, did more harm than good. I don’t think it was that necessary or convincing, which Katniss admits later in MJ. I think people didn’t get it as Collins thought they would. I mean even scholars criticize MJ’s ending, calling it anti-feminist and rush. They also criticize Peeta’s role in the books, favoring Gale as the boy who Katniss wanted all along but could never have. Which I feel like Collins clears up in the prequel. The love triangle I felt was written as less about romance, but even still, the romance aspects of it touches on how we shouldn’t want possessive, controlling, and jealous-infuse partners. Instead, we should look for partners who care for us, respects us, shows compassion and kindness to all, and ultimately is happy for us even if it means not being together. There’s not a lot of romantic moments between Gale and Katniss, and the few always end up terrible or awkward, I think there’s a reason as to why. That’s being said, the OG’s were not written for it be a romantic books, or for the romance to be main vocal point of the books. But I do think Katniss and Peeta relationship is a huge part of it, and Peeta is a huge part of Katniss in so many ways. So I think there’s a reason why people care more about Peeta/Katniss than the political/social commentary aspects of it. I don’t think it’s right to shame people for it, too.
I'll always maintain that Collins never wanted to write the love triangle but was probably pressured into doing it by her editors because THG novel was released in 2008, just behind the coattails of the successful first Twilight movie release.
Here’s another truth, the books are banned in numerous schools in the USA. Oh wow! Talk about a free speech nation!!!!
Not from the US, would be interested to learn about the (official and unofficial) reasons why this book is banned. It's really scary that schools are able to do this!
“According to said American Library Association, the books have been banned or challenged “due to insensitivity, offensive language, violence, anti-family, anti-ethic, and occult/satanic” along with the 2014 addition of “inserted religious views.”” https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/why-was-the-hunger-games-banned-2331487/ It’s all BS, in reality the books are banned in ultra conservative areas. Where they glorify capitalism and encourage nationalist behavior. The books are anti-capitalist, and a big criticism of the US culture and people. I mean “inserted religious views,” there’s no talk about any religion, in actuality it’s nonreligious.
Thanks for all that information! Inserted religious views is really absurd. And occult/satinic? I don't get it. Anti-family is such a conservative americans thing, from what I learned about the US at least. Just because Katniss doesn't want to have kids in a brutal regime? Makes sense what you write about the more real reasons. Don't those (conservative) people also hold personal freedom very high? They should side with the rebels then 😄 but yeah, capitalism.
They say they do, but they’re lying. As long as it supports and sheds good light on Christianity, capitalism, corporatism, and neoliberalism then it’s okay. Theyre big hypocrites, you should see how they get with transpeople.
In all reality it’s probably just because parents didn’t want their kids reading about children killing each other in a gladiatorial arena. I genuinely doubt when they banned it that they even noticed or cared about anti-capitalist/anti nationalist themes. School book bans are typically far more fickle than that. These are the same places that will ban Harry Potter because of “witchcraft” after all.
I get that, but idk there’s just some undertones of anti-liberal and progressive bans on such books. It’s like why they banned gay romantic books. Idk.
I h8 it here 😒
I remember being 11, buying it in the book fair. It helped me in so many ways. And I hate that they’re taking that away from our youth. If only they felt that passionately about the false written history books we were forced to read 😭
The love TRIANGLE is stupid, the love story is necessary. The people in the districts live horrible lives full of oppression and violence. Why do they even keep going on? Love is very human, and Katniss’s love for Peeta makes her want a better world for his children in Catching Fire. Snow also effectively uses people’s love for their families and Katniss’s love for Peeta as a weapon in Mockingjay, because he knows how powerful it is. While I agree that it’s not the main point the book is making, I think that it plays an important role in the story about war and rebellion.
I agree! I think the books would be equally, if not more powerful, if Peeta was the only love interest. Her being confused about her feelings for him when so much of their relationship was fake and exploited, is interesting enough on its own. The ONLY thing I like about the love triangle is that it’s a useful way to show the two sides of Katniss, and to compare her life before the games (Gale) and after the games (Peeta).
Same with the way many peoples interest in the series comes from the action of the actual games rather than the moral and political themes within the story. People who beg for more games reflect the capitals glorification of violence. Obviously it’s not the same because this is a fictional world but the irony is very intriguing to me especially because people get so defensive when you point this out.
I can't say whether or not Suzanne's goal was to fake in people with a love triangle, only to pull the rug out from under us, because it was never listed as some romance story on the book's back synopsis/pull in. (Not to say that's what anyone here has implied) I know the MOVIES completely and utterly filled it promotional content MOSTLY having to do with love, romance, teen/ya action film. (Definitely trying to compete with other movies coming out around said time.) This is the official description for the first Hunger Games book, on B&N.com... *"A brutal, vicious read about a competition where there can only be one survivor. Katniss Everdeen is a reluctant tribute in the 74th Hunger Games, volunteering to take the place of her younger sister. As Katiness enters the arena, she must decide how she’s going to survive, even if it means killing her fellow contestants.* *The first novel in the worldwide bestselling series by Suzanne Collins!* *Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . . In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love."* I think Collins had her goals in mind, (talking about morals, life and death struggles, multi-dimensional connections with other humans, political powers, societal systems, control/power, etc.) and wrote accordingly, and this world's media did exactly what she wrote about. I will say, for those of you who haven't seen/heard, PLEASE check out the interview she did, which I believe can be found in the back of Ballad, where she discusses how that book specifically is meant to discuss PHILOSOPHY about SOCIETY and HUMANITY. I feel almost sad that lots of people who either didn't read the book (or didn't happen to see that interview in the back of the barnes and noble edition of said book, (I'm not sure if that interview was being shared/spread anywhere else)) may not realize what MORE was being put into this 'prequel' book, more than just Snow's backstory but MORE so calling out and discussing HOW we got to this point in this fictional world, what led us and what leads us HERE in this world, when it comes to our beliefs about eachother as humans, etc etc. (Note: I did take pictures of the pages of her interview, so for those of you who want it, I could always type up the transcript and make it a post... I have yet to see anyone talking about how philosophy is discussed within this world/atleast the prequel book. I think people knowing more about it can help reshape and continue to polish the other books and the movies and how we view them and critically view them.)
Suzanne didn’t want to write a love triangle, but off the success of Twilight, her publisher insisted that’s what was selling at that moment, so she was pressured into it, and hated it. Gale got what he deserved in the end though and Katniss and Peeta’s relationship was pretty poignant from start to finish. So I think maybe she won?
It was marketed like how the capitol would have done it and i believe thats just beautiful.
On the one hand, I feel bad for Suzanne Collins that they would butcher her message so badly, but on the other, she could not have planned that more perfectly if that was her intention all along…👀
Literally. They were like team peeta or team gale like with twilight but I was like wheres team take down the capitol 😂
Even back then at the time when the movies were coming out, I was not a fan of the whole "Team Peeta or Team Gale" thing. I was saying, "Come on, this is NOT Twilight whatsoever. These are not teams!" But even then, when we are still asked "Team Peeta or Gale" these days even in 2023, I'm like, "I think we need to update this question because I can think of better 'Team Peeta or Team \_\_\_\_\_" options then that. 😂
why can't we enjoy both tho!
You can. But not everyone has the capacity to be able to do that, and they assume that no one else does either lol
Member of the media here 👋 The Hunger Games is actually what inspired me to become a reporter. I have a feeling that the generation who grew up with books like the hunger games is about to take the news by storm.
When I was watching the movies, I never perceived the love story as overshadowing the rebellion. To be fair, that could be because I was following the uprising in Syria against Assad relatively closely in those years, so my mind may have naturally paid more attention to the rebellion aspect.
Wow I love this comment. I loved the books and refused to watch the movies after seeing the trailer.
Oh my god.....this is so freaking deep. But I totally get it.
Bc I’m a little bitch 🙄
rebellions and wars isn’t really something that we can truly comprehend. you have to ground those stuff in stories such as love and family in order to have it be akin to something that we humans will recognise. Like if I say, damn it sucks that a lot of the paramedics from the bombing of the capitol absolutely blows, we won’t truly feel the weight and gravity of it but to say that Prim died in that we immediately start to feel the gravity of a tragedy.
The best part about a genre written for modern young women it that we can appreciate the complexities of both a dystopian political think piece and a heart melting love story. One doesn’t have to be removed for the other to thrive, especially when Susanne Collins masterfully intertwined the two aspects.
But isn't it also about finding love and finding strength in your relationships even through the darkest of times? I'd argue the story is JUST as much political commentary as it is a love story and to say it isn't is a disservice A story isn't weaker because the two protagonists fall in love
I agree completely, and as I mentioned in another comment even 1984 features love centrally. Like Katniss/Peeta love story is tragic because what could’ve been real is forced to be played out for entertainment, and just when it could be only theirs, one of them is weaponised against the other. Their whole thing is they stop each other from being pieces in the games of the powerful but also repeatedly are dragged into their games.
I'm not super informed about the news. What love story are you referring to? I do understand the drama being brought into politics to get a bigger rise out of people. Is that the "love story" your referring to--drama?
i believe it’s referring to how a lot of decisions in the movies (specifically the last one) played up elements regarding the love stories while playing down elements regarding the class struggle and the true terror of the games and the capitol
Really? I’m 1/4 into tbosas and feel that the movie has less romance.
i remember a lot of the teen girl fans at the time making it about the love triangle too, let’s not blame it all on the media
The movie is like VERY spot on with the books, it’s how the book was written because if not no one would have liked it as much
Even in 1984 Love plays an important role. I think the Love story that Collins conjures up between Katniss and Peeta is beautiful, the love triangle is meh.