I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. Collins never lost my attention, and I was able to immerse myself entirely in the story. She wraps up The Hunger Games sufficiently, but she leaves enough loose ends to make me want to read the next book in the series.
That said, I don't really like the ending. I get how Katniss made the Capitol look foolish by threatening to leave them with no victor, forcing them to allow both Katniss and Peeta to escape, but I wish Haymitch had come up with a better solution than "your only defense can be you were so madly in love you weren't responsible for your own actions" (357). Forcing Katniss and Peeta to love each other can't possibly end well. Katniss is unsure of her feelings for Peeta; she can't separate how much of what she said and did during the Hunger Games was real. Peeta, on the other hand, is probably conflicted about whether he still loves Katniss, "It was all for the games.... forget that. I guess the real question is what's going to be left when we get home?" (372). Peeta is incredibly hurt when he realizes that Katniss was mostly acting. But I'm not sure if he's so hurt that he no longer loves Katniss.
Haymitch's "pretend romance" plan can't possibly work. Both Katniss and Peeta are struggling to figure out their true emotions, and it will be impossible for them to sort themselves while at the same time pretending to be completely entranced with one another. At some point, one of them will slip up. Probably Katniss, becasue she doesn't feel as strongly for Peeta, but Peeta could also easily decide to give up the ruse to get back at Katniss for playing with him and his emotions during the Games.
If I were Haymitch, I would have offered this idea: Katniss didn't want to kill Peeta herself, so she convinced him to eat the berries with her, never actually intending to eat them herself: Katniss was trying to trick Peeta into eating the fatal berries. I think that solution could have worked well. It wouldn't be hard for Katniss to talk about how she was pretending the entire time, like when she makes the "1 kiss = 1 pot of broth" comment. The audience would have been appalled, but both Katniss and Peeta would still be alive, and they would not be forced to love each other.
Overall though, I enjoyed reading the book, even though I dislike both of the main protagonists at times.
I strongly agree with Chris. I really enjoyed reading The Hunger Games for many reasons. One, I have never read a book or known of a plot that is similar to this one. The author makes you fall in love with multiple readers. This causes a type of tension and slight addiction to the book. You eagerly want to know what happens next and if what you predicted is true, which leads me to one downside. I do believe that this book is slightly predictable. I have not seen the movie so I didn't know how it ended. After reading the first couple of chapters, I predicted to my group (I said it more as a joke) that they maybe will both survive. I predicted this because the author made it clear that there will be a love connection between the two and it would be ideal for it to work out in the end.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Chrs that there should have been a slightly different strategy designed by Haymitch for the two of them to stay alive. Again, it was very predictable and thought it was almost too pleasing to read. It was very convenient for the Game Makers to announce that "suddenly" there will be two winners to the games. Of course, this was just a strategy to make the "entertainment" in the arena more exciting for the Capitol. They knew that Peetah and Katniss would immediately form an alliance and they would be the last two standing. What wasn't more exciting in the Capitol's eyes than watching two lovers fight until death?
Even though it worked out for Katniss and Peetah to survive in the end, I feel that Collins ended the book in a rush. I think that she skipped many key points and situations that could have unraveled into something bigger. It was very abrupt for the truth to come out and for them to hold hands one last time for the cameras, as if this was the end of their love.
Collins made it clear to the reader that the Capitol did not take this exception of two winners very lightly. Katniss was told to pretend to love him as much as she could for her to stay alive. The ending of the book takes away that intensity by stating the possibility that their love was over now. If after the games they suddenly stopped loving each other, the Game Makers and the Capitol would clearly know that it was for pretend.
I have not read the next books, so maybe Collins revisits that in their future. Overall I did enjoy the book because it was very intriguing to read. I look forward to reading the next in the trilogy.
You're right - the ending of the book does feel rushed. It seems that Collins wanted to finish this segment and move on to the next story rather than draw this one to its natural ending. It's brilliant, what Katniss does, as it requires the Capitol to let them both live, because otherwise they appear heartless and cruel.
ReplyDeleteI also don't know how much I believe Katniss in her commitment to the theory that it's all an act. She is so protective of herself, I don't know if she would ever truly understand if she were in love.