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.
