Do you think you could survive on your own in a government made simulation designed to kill you? The Hunger Games is a classic that many people have read, known and loved. This series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and has won about 77 awards.

As of recently it has come back into discussion based on the announcement of a new Hunger Games Movie called “The Ballad of Songbirds.” With the Hunger Games being back on the grid, many people have started to read or reread the books to get a better feel of the intriguing dystopian world.  

The Hunger Games is a well known trilogy that focuses on the dystopian world of Panem. Each year they select one boy and one girl from each district to fight in an arena known as the Hunger Games. The main character Katniss Everdeen had to learn how to survive in a man made arena where 23 people are aiming to kill each other, in an attempt to be the last one left. 

Panem is divided up into 12 districts and Katniss comes from District 12, which only had 4 victors in 74 years. The odds are not in her favor since her mentor Haymitch was a drunk who gave up on trying to get District 12 from winning because so many contestants have died. Katniss volunteered as tribute because her 12 year old sister Prim was picked as a contender. The other contestant on the boys side was Peeta Mellark, the baker’s boy in District 12. Before going to the arena Peeta convinces the crowd he is in love with Katniss in order to help her seem more charming. Now when going into the area Petta and Katniss must work together, against Katnisses protests, to impress the spectators watching in order to get people to sponsor them with gifts that may be the key to their survival. 

This book is a beautiful mix of romance, action, entertainment,and showcases the consequences of a dystopian society. It is brilliantly written and puts the viewer in a constant state of suspense. Additionally, the pace is wonderful and does not have the reader cringing or disappointed. 

Suzanne Collins has skillfully written and portrayed the main character Katniss Everdeen as a strong and powerful woman lead. Katniss’s story reflects that of the archetypal mythical journey, highlighted by Joseph Campbell that describes her hero journey as the book progresses. It was refreshing to not see a book portray the women leads as fragile and submissive like they normally do. The character Katniss is such a spectacular way to represent women in a positive light. Katniss had to rely on herself to survive against everyone else in the games. This has inspired many young girls to stand up for themselves and to do the right thing, no matter the repercussions. 

Collins used the literary techniques of imagery, so when you read the book you are able to create images in your head of the scenes that are occurring. You can picture the hardship, fear, and other emotions that the constants may be feeling and what they are going through during the games. 

Additionally, throughout the book a Mockingjay was heavily used as a symbol of courage and defiance for those in Panem. A Mockingjay is the descendant of former Capital mutt, the Jabberjay. Jabberjays were used during the previous rebellion against the Capital to spy on the Districts and report back. However, the Districts found out about this and started relaying fake information back to the Capital using these birds. This infuriated the Capital so they cut the jabberjays off, stopped making them, and released them into the wild thinking they would die out. However, instead of dying out these previous mutts of the Capital bred with mockbirds and continued to survive and reproduce known as Mockingjays. Katniss was given a mocking jay pin as a symbol of her home and her family, to keep her going and to stay strong throughout the game. By the third book, Katniss was the human embodiment of a Mockingjay as she became the face of rebellion against the Capitol. The Mockingjay has now become synonymous with this trilogy as 

Overall, the Hunger Games trilogy was a series that moved me to tears in several chapters. I genuinely enjoyed reading the trilogy. It was incredibly entertaining and informative. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about the things listed above.