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| Quarter Quell Tributes (L-R): Finnick Odair and Mags (District 4); Johanna Mason (District 7); Enobaria and Brutus (District 2); Wiress and Beetee (District 3); Gloss and Cashmere (District 1); Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark (District 12) |
A lot of people love The Hunger Games, but a good few also hate it altogether. Personally, I think it's good but flawed. Disregarding the possible plagiarism from Battle Royale and Running Man for the sake of argument, I'd say it is a bold and intelligent commentary on reality TV with a good dash of influence from 1984. I agree with the novels' detractors that its biggest flaw is the main character Katniss Everdeen, whom I think isn't what her fans and promoters think she is. (More on that in a different entry.) Here are some of the other flaws that the books that I think a few tweaks could have made them better:
Prim as Tribute
A pivotal moment in the first book is when Katniss Everdeen volunteers as Tribute instead of her twelve-year-old sister Primrose. While this is a beautiful and haunting moment that cemented Katniss' hero status, her generally hateful attitude throughout the narrative made reading The Hunger Games an immensely unpleasant experience for me.This idea is not mine; I saw it in TV Tropes' YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary/Subjective Opinions) Page for The Hunger Games. In the entry They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot, a Troper suggests that a better story for The Hunger Games is if Prim enters the arena after all and Peeta subsequently protects her throughout the games in order to reunite Prim with Katniss in the end. This can effectively show how much he does like Katniss for real.
Peeta as Hero
This can work even without necessarily changing the story. The story goes as we know it goes, except it is told entirely in Peeta's first person point of view, which I think can make it more interesting. This way, we get to experience how Peeta fends for himself while Haymitch gives all his attention on Katniss. We also get to experience the jealousy Peeta feels when he finds out about this. Most importantly, we get to experience how Peeta fends for himself with his marvelous stage presence and clever nonviolent strategies especially the star-crossed lovers act that he pulls off with Katniss ... all without advice or assistance from Haymitch Abernathy.
This drew me to Peeta when I read the books. He played the games so well despite having zero skill in combat whereas Katniss was an emotionless sourpuss the whole time while being ridiculously lucky. So why not tell the story from Peeta's point of view? It would be extremely interesting to see how he perceives Katniss and the Hunger Games. On that note, we can explore his true feelings for Katniss? If he actually did have a crush on her, he initially doesn't want to take a step further and comes up with the star-crossed lovers act to earn sponsors and be close to his crush before his inevitable death. If he doesn't, it's all a ruse and further advances toward Katniss after the Games is a ploy to manipulate her to take care of him when he becomes incapable of protecting himself. Either way, readers will have a good reason to dislike Katniss: because the author lets them. Unfortunately, Suzanne Collins is apparently too attached to Katniss "Jerk Sue" Everdeen to give us a fuller account of Panem's second rebellion.
Prim as Mockingjay
The first book was good despite all its flaws, but I think it might have been better if Katniss did kill herself after all. Prim's subsequent grief will be her motivation to lead the revolution herself. I am now writing a fanfic to explore this concept.Haymitch in the Quarter Quell
Another Troper in one of The Hunger Games' sub-pages in TVTropes.org points out that Catching Fire might have been more interesting if Haymitch entered the Third Quarter Quell instead of rehashing the Katniss/Peeta sexual tension of the first book. This way, we get to see Haymitch in action and the plot moves much faster as Haymitch knew about the victors' escape plan from the beginning.Katniss's Attitude Adjustment
This can work if the first book stays as it is but give the sequels some major adjustments: specifically to give Katniss the character development suitable for a respectable heroine. If she's anything like Joan of Arc, Katniss will stop pretending she didn't mean to stop the rebellion live up to her title as the Mockingjay.
In the end of the first book, Katniss and Peeta threaten suicide in the Hunger Games arena specifically to show them that "we are not just a piece for their games." So I am mystified that, in the sequels, Katniss suddenly coils up in Catching Fire by attempting to pacify the districts as President Snow asks her to; and in Mockingjay by not wanting to have anything to do with the revolution altogether. Apparently, she behaves like this out of fear. While this is believable and realistic, it defeats the purpose of Katniss becoming a Joan of Arc figure. As this podcast suggests (skip to 8:14; spoilers start at 59:23), Katniss should accept that she did spark a rebellion and must subsequently lead the revolution to abolish the Hunger Games and reform the Capitol. It is what she wants, after all.
A Better Man
I think I share this opinion with a lot of Hunger Games fans who belong to Team Gale: Katniss should have ended up with her childhood sweetheart Gale Hawthorne. Isn't it obvious? Even in the first book, Katniss fantasizes being married to him but is only frustrated that she wouldn't want to have kids if only to send them to slaughter when they reach puberty. In the second book, she is devastated to give up the fantasy altogether in favor of pleasing the Capitol by marrying Peeta. Given that Katniss is consistently hateful and hollow, I didn't get to experience the transition in which Katniss slowly falls in love with Peeta. The whole time this is supposed to be happening, all I saw was Katniss being a needy (i.e. selfish) sort-of girlfriend who gives token acts of kindness out of guilt rather than compassion. In the third book, we witness a muddled love triangle taken out of the pages of Eclipse in which Katniss struggles to come to terms with her feelings toward Gale on top of the burden of being the Mockingjay and being severely guilt-ridden over Peeta being imprisoned in the Capitol.
I think this would have been better if Peeta wasn't forced into the affair and is killed off altogether. I know that sounds cruel, but I just didn't feel anything when Katniss claims that her love for Peeta is "real" all along. We might as well give Katniss what she's always wanted: a peaceful family with her childhood sweetheart.
Now, people, I know there are people who argue that Katniss was never that much interested in either of them. These people like to contest that Katniss is such a strong and independent heroine that she doesn't need Gale or Peeta—unlike Bella! Well, I would like to contest that in the next blog.
