Reading Wish List

Paradise Lost by John Milton
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Angelfall by Susan Ee
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Crime and Punishment  by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Blog 4: Hero reflection

 It seemed like every time I saw a book talk, President Snow was elected best villain. After that fact was hammered into my head, I decided that I would succumb to the group and read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I had never taken interest with the novels, however I have watched the first two movies. Overall, I was a little disappointed with the novel, because it didn't simply live up to all the hype. However something, or someone, that stands out to me it the main protagonist: Katniss Everdeen.

Katniss Everdeen is the definition of an anti-hero. She comes from an extremely poor district, sacrifices herself to save her sister, and struggles throughout the whole story with the idea of killing other tributes. All of these put together, and it's not hard to that Katniss isn't perfect. However, she tries to overcome these odds, and eventually does.

Suzanne Collins was smart with the attributes of Katniss Everdeen. Here you have a girl, whose family is shattered, lives in poverty and must face an oppressive government. All of these combined makes for an extremely relatable character for the youth of America. Among all of us, there are usually family issues, to which Collins takes advantage of and establishes your connection early on. The oppressive government and living in poverty connects with the teenage feeling of always being trapped, or never being able to get ahead. With the construction of Katniss Everdeen as protagonist, the novel becomes a revered classic among teenagers and young adults.

Katniss is able to display bravado despite her personal flaws throughout all of the story. A primary example is actually found within the very beginning of the novel: The Reaping. The Reaping is portrayed as this scheduled event of dread, and is always on the front of everyone's mind. When Prim is called, she shows so much courage by raising her voice and taking her place. I don't believe she even hesitated. Of all the things that Katniss is, a coward she is not.
Another example of personal struggle throughout the novel is her struggle with the idea of taking others’ lives. This is especially true when it comes to Peeta. Katniss, in the beginning, she doesn't know whether to trust Peeta, for she has to kill him. However, Peeta did stop Katniss and her family from starving. So she is stuck in this internal battle of "Do I trust the man who saved my family and me, or will he just kill me as soon as I get in the arena?”

There is also a sense of humbleness and self-deprecation with Katniss. While Haymitch was interviewing her about any certain skills that she has that may help her odds within the game, she denies any particular skill. If Katniss saw more in herself, she might have flaunted her skills with a bow, and her particular hunting skills. This dialogue is very important, because not only does it show Katniss' humbleness, but it also shows that Peeta is willing to stick up for Katniss. He interjects with "She's excellent" (Collins 98), correcting Katniss when she says she simply does well with a bow.

Katniss Everdeen is the textbook definition of an anti-hero, but she is a very well-constructed anti-hero. Collins is able to create a character that connects so well with today's youth that other areas can avoid scrutiny due simply to the fact that the reader wants to continue her journey. I believe that if Katniss wasn’t as well developed as she was, I would have given The Hunger Games a much lower personal score. After all, the main protagonist is the most important part of a story.

Book 2 Trailer link

Book 2 Trailer: No Country for Old Men

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