It took me awhile, especially to get through the third book, but I've now joined the masses who have read The Hunger Games. I'm not going to review the books--too many other people have, and I have nothing to add--but I do have some reflections on this reading experience.
1. The premise of The Hunger Games is that the powerful Capitol oppresses the districts. It isn't a profound insight, but it occurred to me that for oppressors, there are no authorities or standards. Oppressors remain oppressors because there is no one else they answer to. There are no standards, and there is no rule of law. The goal of an oppressor is to remain in the position of oppressor, so whatever it takes to do that, the oppressor does. For the oppressor, to submit to an authority greater than itself is to give up being an oppressor. This is as true for an individual who seeks to dominate another as it is for a government, like in the novels.
2. As a parent, I probably would not allow a child under high school age to read Hunger Games without parental guidance because there is just too much for immature readers to be distracted by and to misunderstand. The violence of the Hunger Games, the romance between Katniss/Peeta/Gale, Haymitch's drunkeness, the death and destruction of war--I've shuddered a couple of times when I've observed younger-than-teens reading these books without adult supervision. A niece-in-law who is a high school English teacher used the books in her classroom. As a former English teacher, I think that is a great forum for these books because there is much to discuss and learn, and probably most readers (even high schoolers) will miss some of the important themes and critiques without the guidance of a more experienced reader.
3. A society whose highest priority is entertainment will finally entertain itself to death. Author Suzanne Collins captures this well with her Hunger Games, which seem to tell the story of what happens when Survivor meets Lord of the Flies.
4. In Katniss, Collins has created an interesting character whose self-awareness grows over the course of the three novels. Finally, toward the end of the third novel, Katniss sees herself for who she is--as she locks the door of her house, she observes, "The evil thing is inside, not out." And here's a great discussion point for Christian readers. Katniss realizes this about herself, as all of us who are ultimately saved must. When we realize this about ourselves, we recognize that the answer to this problem is not within us but outside of us as we look to Christ for our salvation. So here's the discussion question: What does Katniss do when she realizes that her problem is her evil, disgusting self? Where does she turn for help?
5. I'm not sure I want to see the movie. It seems ironic to me that a book that critiques a society's lust for violence and entertainment would be portrayed in a medium that will be entertaining its audience with violence.
6. A coworker/friend of mine who convinced me to read these books considers the possibility that Peeta is a sort of Christ character. He points out that in each book, in some way, Peeta dies and resurrects, and he sees other parallels. Peeta is also the character who sees Katniss for who she really is--and loves her anyway. Just interesting.
7. People who say that no one should read these books because of the horror of the Hunger Games are missing the point. That a society would be entertained by watching people kill one another for sport is horrific--but it is clear that the author is in no way suggesting this is a positive thing. Just the opposite: she's warning us about where an entertainment-addicted mindset can lead a culture.
8. Christians who bash this novel because it does not live up to Christian standards, because the characters do not behave Christianly, or because the author doesn't always uphold Christian values are treating the book unfairly and superficially. While we need to think Christianly about what we read, and we must be discerning and not allow non-Christian thinking to shape our ideas, we can't expect an author who isn't writing from a Christian perspective to always communicate truth, to always give us characters who make moral choices, and to provide us with a literary world where Christian values triumph.
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