The Hunger Games & Katniss Part 1: The Novel
-
Not SyncedIt should come as no surprise that I'm always on the look out for dynamic, engaging, and strong female characters in pop culture
-
Not Syncedand the latest fictional female representation that has everyone talking is Katniss Everdeen,
-
Not Syncedthe dynamic protagonist of the Hunger Games novels written by Suzanne Collins.
-
Not SyncedFor those unfamiliar with the trilogy, the novels are set in a future dystopian North America,
-
Not Syncedin a country called Panem.
-
Not SyncedThe title of the book is a reference to an annual event organized by the oppressive government
-
Not Syncedin which 24 children are selected at random to participate in a televised death match.
-
Not SyncedIn the Hunger Games, as they’re called, the children are forced to brutally murder one another until only one is left standing.
-
Not SyncedFor the purposes of this video, I’m going to set aside the fact that some of the analogies Collins is trying to draw
-
Not Syncedreality TV, professional sports, and war begin to fall apart when scrutinized closely.
-
Not SyncedI appreciate her attempt to critically comment on social issues,
-
Not SyncedI just don’t buy that parents would passively give up their children to be slaughtered on national TV without a serious fight.
-
Not SyncedThe death match as spectacle theme is really only believable if the players have been dehumanized or othered by society,
-
Not Syncedeither as convicts or slaves for example, it doesn’t work when it’s just randomly selected children from the general population.
-
Not SyncedThat said, in this video I’m going to focus mainly on the portrayal of Katniss’ character in the first book and the movie adaptation.
-
Not SyncedI thought the first The Hunger Games novel, published in 2008 was a captivating, engaging and riveting read
-
Not Syncedand really I enjoyed being immersed in the science fiction world that Collins creates.
-
Not SyncedIf you haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet [point] fair warning.
-
Not SyncedThe story follows Katniss, a 16 year old from a poor, coal mining community in district 12.
-
Not SyncedShe struggles to provide for her family in the absence of her father and later to survive the brutality of the Hunger Games.
-
Not SyncedShe is a tough, no-nonsense, responsible, young woman
-
Not Syncedwho uses her smarts to support her family in an oppressive, and seemingly hopeless situation.
-
Not SyncedKatniss is not reduced to her gender,
-
Not Syncedmeaning her behaviours and actions aren’t attributed to her being a woman, she is not sexualized and she is not objectified in the book.
-
Not SyncedHer real world concerns and priorities of family and survival are put in sharp contrast
-
Not Syncedto the superficial values imposed on her by the Capitol government as she is being groomed for the Hunger Games media spectacle.
-
Not SyncedThese preparation scenes provide a critique of the beauty industry and also of the decadence of the wealthy
-
Not Syncedin contrast to poor and working class districts who can barely afford enough food to feed their families.
-
Not SyncedKatniss demonstrates empathy and compassion for those around her including her friends, family,
-
Not Syncedand those oppressed and underprivileged in Panem.
-
Not SyncedLater in the arena she also builds a trusting and supportive relationship with Rue, the young tribute from district 11.
-
Not SyncedLater, when Rue is tragically killed, Katniss treats her death with honor and respect.
-
Not SyncedThe romance elements of the first book were only slightly grating,
-
Not Syncedmuch of it was Katniss’ uncertainty about Peeta’s feelings for her
-
Not Syncedand her confusion about whether he was being genuine or just acting.
-
Not Synced. It was clear Collins was setting up a love triangle between Peeta, Katniss and Gale ala Edward, Bella and Jacob.
-
Not SyncedThis is nothing new in novels targeted at girls and women and I could look past the cliché of it
-
Not Syncedsince it wasn't central to the plot in the first book.
-
Not SyncedKatniss' naivety when it came to dating and relationships make sense given her age and her difficult economic, social and family life,
-
Not Synced, her naivety and confusion is an understandable part of her character's growth,
-
Not Syncedbut only in the first part of the trilogy, unfortunately the love triangle takes a much more prominent role in books 2 and 3.
-
Not SyncedThere’s been some understandable criticism of the rather extreme levels of violence in the novel,
-
Not Syncedespecially considering it’s marketed to young adults.
-
Not SyncedI think this is a fair point however the way Katniss perceives and uses violence makes her somewhat unique.
-
Not SyncedEspecially in comparison to other so called “strong female characters”
-
Not Syncedwhose strength often stems from their ability and willingness to use violence.
-
Not SyncedAlthough, Katniss does possess the hunting and tracking skills to survive in the harsh terrain of the arena,
-
Not Syncedshe remains troubled and disturbed at the idea of personally murdering another human
-
Not Syncedbeing even within the context of the death match.
-
Not SyncedAdmirably she can’t bring herself to wish death on her opponents or even her enemies.
-
Not SyncedKnowing full well that if they remain alive she can never return home.
-
Not SyncedThese moments illustrate that Katniss hasn’t become completely desensitized to violence and suffering
-
Not Syncedeven though she’s forced to participate in a horrifically violent system.
-
Not SyncedThat said, I do wish Collins was more consistent in writing Katniss’ responses to death.
-
Not SyncedWhen Rue is killed the event is written as deeply traumatic and emotional for Katniss.
-
Not SyncedKatniss is not made to run off seeking revenge and is instead allowed to mourn in a really human way.
-
Not SyncedWe follow along as she struggles through the process of grief.
-
Not SyncedShe appropriately feels shock, pain, guilt and temporary depression.
-
Not SyncedTo Collins’ credit, she writes this emotional process as a testament to Katniss’ strength as opposed to a weakness.
-
Not SyncedYet when Foxface is accidently yet tragically killed via poisonous berries, Katniss doesn’t even bat an eye.
-
Not SyncedShe shows no emotional reaction whatsoever despite the fact that this young tribute from district 5, hasn’t hurt anyone during the games.
-
Not SyncedAlthough, Katniss doesn’t have a personal relationship with Foxface, her death
-
Not Syncedshould still be represented as tragic and upsetting.
-
Not SyncedIt should go without saying that in reality, violence is traumatic and it has very real and lasting consequences for everybody involved.
-
Not SyncedSo I’m not arguing for stories to be completely free of violence,
-
Not Syncedbut I am arguing for violence to be portrayed consistently and to reflect its emotional and physical repercussions.
-
Not SyncedIn a media culture that sensationalizes and glamorizes violence, it’s refreshing to see a character like Katniss,
-
Not Syncedreact to violence in a more honest and genuine way, at least most of the time.
-
Not SyncedI appreciate that Collins doesn’t have Katniss emerge from the arena unscathed.
-
Not SyncedShe experiences serious physical and emotional consequences and by the end of the games,
-
Not Syncedher sense of safety and trust have been shattered.
-
Not SyncedWhen the game makers announce that there can only be one victor after all Peeta throws his knife away in protest
-
Not Syncedand Katniss’ automatically assumes that he’s about to attack her, so she loads her bow and aims an arrow at his heart.
-
Not SyncedLater when the Capitol doctors are operating on Peeta, Katniss has a panic attack, and believes for a moment she’s back in the arena.
-
Not SyncedShe imagines the medical staff as a pack of muttations attacking her friend.
-
Not SyncedThese examples are evidence of the delusion and paranoia that Katniss understandably suffers
-
Not Syncedas a result of the extreme trauma she experienced during the Hunger Games.
-
Not SyncedThese scenes help to separate her from many of the so called strong female characters in popular culture who just replicate
-
Not Syncedthe stoic, unemotional, unaffected, macho archetype where somehow they
-
Not Syncedgo through extreme violence and trauma with no visible effect at all.
-
Not SyncedSo it's refreshing that Katniss is allowed to go through a period of post traumatic stress
-
Not Syncedand that the emotional experience ultimately works to make her a stronger character, rather than a weaker one.
-
Not SyncedSome people have been asking is Katniss then a feminist character?
-
Not SyncedBecause of her compassion, empathy, cunning, resourcefulness and intelligence,
-
Not SyncedI think she embodies many feminist values, at least over the course of the first book.
-
Not SyncedIn my next video I'll talk about the movie in comparison to the book,
-
Not Syncedespecially in relation to its portrayal of gender and also violence.
-
Not SyncedWhenever a novel is turned into a film, there are going to be some major differences,
-
Not Syncedand I'll discuss which of those changes were successful and which were not.
-
Not SyncedSo be sure to check it out.
-
Not SyncedThe Hunger Games fan art I used in this video was made by these amazing illustrators.
-
Not SyncedIf you liked this video and want to see more in depth analysis of female characters in popular culture
-
Not Syncedplease support me and my work by donating today.
-
Not SyncedYou can visit feministfrequency.com/donate
- Title:
- The Hunger Games & Katniss Part 1: The Novel
- Description:
-
Warning: SPOILERS for the first Hunger Games novel
The Hunger Game is one of the most popular young adult novel series' rivaling Harry Potter and Twilight. As the first of its film adaptations was just released in March 2012, readers and audiences have been pleasantly surprised at this fresh, dynamic, young female protagonist. In this video I'll explore Katniss' character in the first novel as it relates to gender and portrayals of violence. Be sure to stay turned for Part 2 where I compare the book to the movie.
To Donation to FemFreq please visit: http://www.feministfrequency.com/donate
For more information, links and a full transcript visit http://www.FeministFrequency.com
COMMENT POLICY: Moderated comments will remain open for 2-4 weeks, after that all comments will be closed on YouTube.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- Feminist Frequency
- Duration:
- 07:27
Emma Luna edited English subtitles for The Hunger Games & Katniss Part 1: The Novel | ||
Emma Luna added a translation |