Book Review of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Characterisation and Themes Presented in the Novel
America is experiencing a huge increase in wealth disparity, with,”the wealthiest 1 percent of families in the United States holding about 40 percent of all wealth and the bottom 90 percent of families holding less than one-quarter of all wealth,.”, an issue that Suzanne Collins explores in her novel, The Hunger Games. The action-packed, three hundred seventy-four page, Young Adult Fiction novel follows the female protagonist Katniss Everdeen in an apocalyptic, post-modern society. Katniss sSpends her life providing for her family in “District 12”, the poorest of the 12 provinces ruled by the overarching, totalitarian “Capitol”. As Katniss reaches age 18, she is thrown into a televised fight to the death against 23 opponents for “The Capitol’s” entertainment and as a warning to the districts to stay submissive. Her friends guide her and enemies counter her through her battle for survival.
The novel is exceptionally structured, and communicates the danger of large disparities in wealth and power, as well as the hazard of corruption to the audience through various literary techniques. Collins uses the interaction of Katniss and her companion, Peeta, with the capitol to represent these themes. The duo travels from the poorest section of the nation to the richest within a matter of hours, and fight to return home, showing the obsessive control over the lower class. The synecdoche serves small example of a larger phenomena to communicate this effectively to the audience. Collins also uses symbolism of the. The eerie tones and messages serve as a warning to the audience of the difficulty regaining one’s rights once those rights have been taken by a higher power.
The first person perspective gives a detailed look into Katniss’ thoughts, decisions, and opinions throughout, providing the reader with an in-depth look into her world. This provides the reader with a comprehensive and attention-grabbing look into katniss’ experiences, but leaves the reader guessing the feelings of the other characters as well. This can be, at times, underwhelming. Collin’s use of literary techniques, however, communicate complexities to a broader audience that might not be able to understand without there of. The book also conforms to the common trend of female protagonists in Young Adult fiction. The representation of strong female characters is hugely important in literary works today. The Hunger Games provides an exemplar message to its audience of what to avoid and the consequences that may come in the future without evasion. The plot is captivating, and action based storyline makes the book impossible to put down. The book is a great read that appeals to a large audience by communicating complex ideas through expertly crafted, disentangling, literary techniques.
