The Hunger Games
Connection between the title and the book
The title The Hunger Games refers to the annual competition organised by the Capitol. The Panem
regime gave this name to the bloody competition to remember the time when everyone suffered
from hunger. In addition, with these games, the oppressors celebrate their successful suppression of
the rebellious districts. For the people who live in the oppressed districts, 'Hunger Games' is a cruel
and cynical name. They are starving, and for them, the game is by no means a game.
Main characters
Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl, her mother is a pharmacist, her father died in a mining accident
when she was 12 years old. She also has a sister of 12, Prim. They have a goat and a cat, Buttercup,
which she does not like very much. Katniss and her best friend Gale hunt illegally in the woods every
day to collect food, they are very poor. She has black hair (she usually wears this in a braid), grey
eyes and olive skin. Katniss is often very stubborn, and when she decides something, she sticks with
it. She is not a bad person, but also not a good person. Above all, she is very practical, and she
doesn't let herself be steered with a clod in the reeds.
Peeta Mellark is the male candidate from district 12 to go to the Games. He is the baker's son and
has been in love with Katniss all his life.
Haymitch Abernathy is the mentor of Katniss and Peeta, he also won the Hunger Games once
himself.
Effie Prul is the mentor of District 12 during the Hunger Games, she hopes to be promoted to a
'better' district and she has pink hair. Her motto: "May the odds be in your favor!
Gale Hawthrone is the best friend of Katniss, together they always go hunting in the forest. His
nickname for Katniss is Catnip.
Favourite character
I like the fact that Peeta is in love with Katniss because in the rest of the books they pay more
attention to that. I don't think the book tells you much about Peeta's character and feelings. That’s
why I would like to read the other books, I think Peeta is a very interesting person.
Character development
When Katniss' sister is chosen to take part in The Hunger Games, she has no choice but to take her
sister's place. Prim is the only person on earth she loves unconditionally. Before she knows it, she is
in the Capitol, the state where all the wealthy rulers live. There she has to pretend to be someone
she is not and she is not very good at that. In the arena she has to pretend to be in love with Peeta, a
boy who is really in love with her. If they are allowed to survive together after a threat to commit
suicide, those in power are not happy with her and her brutality. This shows that she accepts that
she has to be someone else in order to survive. Her clever action at the end proves that she is fully
understanding the game.
The most important emotional conflict
At the end, Katniss and Peeta thought they had won because two people from the same district
could win. But then they announced another change in the rules of the game: there can only be one
winner. Katniss and Peeta then argue about who should stay alive, then Katniss comes up with a very
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