hunger games

This Friday the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins' bestselling novel, "The Hunger Games," will release in theaters across the nation and many theaters are showing the movie on every screen in the house at midnight. The reason this movie is projected to be so successful is because the novel is a compelling work so only suited for those who enjoy a love story like certain vampire books, but "The Hunger Games also has appealing elements for those of us who enjoy a good game of Call of Duty or a good explosion filled war movie.

I recently read, The Hunger Games, and absolutely loved it. It was a quick read and quite the page turner. I really liked how the story was violent, sinister, and slightly twisted. Teenagers running around killing each other doesn't seem like a good idea, but oh boy, did it make a great book. However, I think the fact that this dystopian book is such a huge success says something about our culture. I don't know why, but we as a society really seem to enjoy the violent dog eat dog story lines.

Sometime during the summer of last year, Suzanne Collins became my hero. And while I would love to say that all along I believed in the power of her world, this is certainly not the case. I honestly believed I would hate the book. I hated The Giver and despised A Wrinkle In Time. In the midst of soaking up vitamin D rays and spending hours in front of the television, who would want to delve into a dystopia with a sick fascination for televised human massacre? As it turns out, I did.

I read the first book in a single day. And I was hooked.

The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in a dystopian society on the  North American continent.  In the series, the themes of loss, confusion, war, and hope.  All of these are shown through the life of Katniss as she fights to survive sick games put on by the authoritarian government and the ensuing rebellion that she helps spark.  The theme of hope is strong throughout the series as Katniss and then the rebellion try to create a better future for themselves.  Symbolism is very strong in the books as the government’s failures become symbols for the rebellion, the leader of the government is described as looking like a snake, and the Katniss is portrayed as the current state of the rebellion at several times.