The Hunger Games: On Moral Ambiguity

I’m only two chapters, covering thirty-three pages, into this book. Even in so short a span, Suzanne Collins has already given a very sophisticated look at the hazy moral lines that exist in the world of Panem. It’s something that she constantly brings up, elaborating on it in small doses at a time, and it’s vitally important, as readers living in a comfort-driven society where everything is conveniently provided for us, for our understanding of the characters.

I’ve heard people complain about, of all things, the fact that Katniss hunts poor, innocent animals for food. What I’ve learned from the past two chapters is that those people are sitting on a moral high horse and don’t understand just how vastly different the culture in District 12 is from 21^st century American culture. Katniss may speak the same language that we do, but she sees and understands the world in ways that someone who has never experienced anything outside of Western society can’t even begin to comprehend.

Trigger warnings: This post contains discussions of violence, murder, starvation, parental neglect and abuse, and abandonment. It’ll be gloomy in general. You have been warned.

The Hunger Games: Chapter 2

Chapter one introduced the entire world as our protagonist knows it, moving from her home to her town to the forests outside of her town and back. It began with Katniss waking up on the morning of reaping day, went through her daily life, provided exposition for the history of her world, and ended with the lynchpin that will move the entire plot forward from thereon out.

Chapter two is little more than half the length of chapter one, but it’s not lacking in purpose; it just has a narrower scope that is explored more deeply. There is some more world-building, but now we’re really getting into character development. Beginning where the last chapter left off and ending with the closing ceremonies for the reaping, the main focuses are on the effects of Katniss’ actions, her past with her family, and her past with the boy who is chosen to be her counterpart in the Games.

Trigger warnings: This review includes mentions and/or discussion about survivor’s guilt, parental neglect, and parental abuse.