In this part of my review, I'm going to delve specifically into the character of Katniss and why Catching Fire and Mockingjay suffer unfairly from Reader Expectation vs. Character Reality.
When I began reading Catching Fire, I found myself becoming frustrated. The Hunger Games has the potential to be a high-politics war epic, full of intrigue and leaders who step up to urge the citizens of Panem to victory.
And yet, and yet, Susan Collins has cornered herself into writing this story from a first-person perspective.
Readers do not get to see the battles in the other districts or fully understand the motives of the leaders of the rebellion or the Capital. Because of the first-person writing style, we only experience events Katniss experiences, and more than that, we only get to understand these events from Katniss's point of view.
Katniss's POV is one of--if not the most--inappropriate means to narrate the war between the districts and the Capital. Katniss know nothing about war, but instead of exploring District 13 and its war efforts, Katniss instead rejects becoming involved at all, thus disabling the reader from doing the same.
I was frustrated because I wanted more details about the war. I was tired of putting up with Katniss's inner demons: her distrust of everyone, her mental instability, her callous and unfeeling remarks. I wanted Katniss to "get over it" and become involved in the war effort.
In short, I was falling victim to Reader Expectation vs. Character Reality.
And when I realized that, I had another realization: The Hunger Games is not about the war or who is victorious in the end.
What is it about? Check out the rest of the review after the break.
The Hunger Games trilogy is not about war. It is not about the individual districts. In a way, it's not even about the horrors of the Capital or the (at best) questionable righteousness of the rebellion and its leaders.
The Hunger Games is, ultimately, a brutally realistic and honest portrayal of how nearly anyone would act when physical survival takes precedence over mental stability and comfort.
The Hunger Games is about a young girl who has experienced more sorrow and difficulty in her life than anyone should have to endure. Although the Capital is powerful and feared, Katniss's day-to-day life is more focused on simply putting food on the table for a family she can't afford to love dearly but does anyway. Every day she watches fine men enter horrible conditions in the mines; some, like her father, do not return. She is selfish because she has to be; there is no reason for her to think loftily or to some higher power or purpose. Her life is not about idealisms or dreams. Her life is about survival for herself and those she loves.
When Katniss has a mental breakdown and seemingly proves herself to be an unreliable narrator through her haze of paranoia and medication, readers tire of her. They want to put the story in someone else's hands. They want to move on, get on with the "story"--the battles, the Capital, the preparations of the districts. Katniss is unpleasant. She is on the verge of insanity. She is incapable of giving readers the details they naturally crave in what should be, in their minds, an epic tale of rebellion and war against an oppressive and cruel government.
As open rebellion rages against the Capital, however, readers cannot expect Katniss to act any differently than she has in the past. In the end, Katniss does not care who wins. No matter what happens, she will always be concerned with one thing: survival. Amidst manipulative leaders and questionable decisions on both sides, Katniss embodies realism's slap in the face to the reader who dares to think that humans are as strictly black-and-white good-and-evil as we like to pretend.
Our literature is full of people who bravely step up to challenges that change the course of history and fate forever. From ancient classics to fantasy stories to superhero comic books, readers have come to expect the protagonist of a story to fulfill the role of "hero," whether instantly or through a journey.
You guys have been good, so here's a picture of Katniss and Gale to break up the text for you. Don't worry, we're almost done.
Katniss, however, is not that protagonist. And when readers expect her to be (or become) a selfless heroine, they doom themselves to frustration.
Reader Expectation vs. Character Reality stems from us wanting to believe the best in ourselves: bravery, selflessness, virtue. We write characters who embody these traits to reinforce their existence and inspire ourselves that we, too, could be that heroic.
Readers must also remember, however, that while those idealisms have their place, it is important to recognize true human nature. Though some of might be capable of leading an army, most of us have only a handful of people we would honestly die to protect.
And in a way, that honesty shows the true strength of Katniss's character.
She is a survivor. She endures unspeakable horrors of death and torture, war, corrupt leaders, and somehow manages to save her humanity and as many of her loved ones as she possibly can. Whatever happens in Panem, whatever happens in the districts, it is safe to say that Katniss has Earned Her Happy Ending, or as happy as possible given the circumstances.
When we look at The Hunger Games with this in mind, suddenly the whole perspective of the trilogy changes, and a lot of frustrations people have with the series lose some of their bite. Are there other problems, perhaps, with The Hunger Games? Certainly, as there are with any books or stories.
Many of the complaints concerning The Hunger Games, however, stem from Reader Expectation vs. Character Reality. Katniss is not completely "likable," but this does not make her a "bad" character, nor does it make The Hunger Games a "bad" trilogy. Rather, The Hunger Games offers numerous ideas for its readers to ponder about the human heart and human endurance... if these readers are willing to suspend their predispositions and accept the trilogy--and Katniss--as they are, and not as readers wish they were.
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