Just my own thoughts. . .
I started thinking about this book and why I liked it. Well, why do we like books in which everything that could go wrong does go wrong? Simple answer– everyone likes a good story. Katniss, a poor girl who has been taking care of her family ever since her father died, almost forced to fight in place of her beloved sister Prim in a fight no one thought she would come out alive–including herself. This book also throws some love in there with Peeta, and who couldn’t fall in love with Peeta? Well I think anyone could relate to this book, really. I’m sure their are many young teenagers who have lost a parent and who take on a bigger responsibility in their household. What impresses me is that Katniss is a girl. These kind of self-sacrificing situations are usually seen in homes where the eldest boy becomes the father figure, but in this case, Katniss is a girl. She is a strong willed, almost stubborn, independent sixteen year old who sticks up for her family and especially her sister.
I also started thinking about power and the power President Snow has over Panem. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Who made him ruler over fallen North America and how come the capitol puts up with him? While reading the book, anyone can tell he is a corrupt old man. The tributes go to the capitol to get fattened up for the huge slaughter so to speak. Katniss and Petta get all dressed up, and for what? So capitol people find them more appealing? President Snow wants complete power and obviously takes extreme measures to get there. This power concept made me think of The Lord of the Rings. The ring was the symbol for absolute power and anyone with the ring in its possession was in total control. But it almost seemed like the other way around; like the ring had control of the person. No matter if that person wanted to use their power for good or evil, the ring took control of them. If you continue on reading the trilogy of The Hunger Games, you will see that even on the “good side” power causes people to do things they would not normally do, and to stay in power they will do anything.
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