Mockingjay

The Hunger Games Trilogy. Truly one of the first series that has grabbed my soul since Harry Potter. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read many books that I’ve enjoyed since HP 7 hit the shelves, but none that have comprised all the elements I believe make a story that will last: characters I CARE about, the inability to put the book down, a connection to the “real” world… Suzanne Collins accomplished this with a post-apocalyptic tale about a dystopia society that actually mirrors a civilization from 45 B.C.

Connection to the real world? Check. I kept feeling a sense of déjà vu while reading this book, since my sophomore English class is starting Julius Caesar at the same time. I’ve been doing research on my own and reading JC in my spare time…just to familiarize myself with the material before my kids get to it. And after I finished “Mockingjay” I kept thinking to myself, “Now wait…what did I just read???” The most bizarre aspect was on Monday a student came up to me after class and asked if there was any connection to the world Collins had created and the acienct Rome we were studying, besides the obvious names (Plutarch, Cinna, Portia, Octavia{us}, Flavia{us}, etc.) The other connections are a blog post of their own…so on we go.

Like most readers, in order for me to classify a book as “good” I need to feel a great connection to one or more of the characters. Collins accomplished this. At the end of “Mockinjay” I’m still trying to decide how I feel about Katniss, but that right there tells me her character is meaningful. I can’t figure out if want to commend her for her endurance, or denounce her for her weakness. Or a little of both. My initial reaction was to condemn the girl from District 12 for her lack of “acceptance of responsibility,” as it were. For me, Katniss spent too much time wallowing in self-pity and morphling and not enough time taking the problems Snow dealt her and facing them head on. I wanted her to take charge. To actually BE the Mockingjay directly, not just indirectly. I understand, of course, that this would have made the story much less interesting and on further reflection I’ve decided this all stems from my hatred of weakness in my own life. Yes, I know weaknesses are not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but I’ve NEVER been one to show them. It makes my stomach roil to see Katniss so passive about showing hers. With talking about them…with breaking down. Which brings to the part of this series I was most able to connect with—being broken. Halfway through “Mockingjay” Katniss realizes how Snow is using Peeta against her. It’s at this point in the novel that what little spark she has left struggles against a wave of angst, hurt, yearning, despair...Struggles to avoid being snuffed out. And it’s not just this new realization that causes such a dramatic

change in our Katniss. It’s the realization that everything she has done or tried to do for GOOD has ultimately been turned against her. Every decision she thought was her own was actually orchestrated by some unseen hand. She even begins to question the validity of her emotions. The scene in the bunker after her realization and the conversation with Finnick are so raw for me. Katniss describes herself that night:

I’m not flailing now, as my muscles are rigid with the tension of holding myself together. The pain over my heart returns, and from it I imagine tiny fissures spreading out into my body. Though my torso, down my arms and legs, over my face, leaving it crisscrossed with cracks. One good jolt of a bunker missile and I could shatter into strange razor-sharp shards. (154)

I get it. Dear Katniss, I understand. Because Broken and I are old friends. And this is where my sympathy for Katniss comes in. It’s not until this scene. These words. When she actually, metamorphically, “breaks” that I get it. I’ve been there. We probably all have at one time or another. And granted..…my encounter with Broken lasted MANY more years than it did for Katniss, but I get it. I get her. I understand her motives. That need to do something, ANYTHING, just so you don’t have to feel so broken. So nothing. Finnick gives Katniss the best advice, in my opinion. He says,

“Better not to give in to it. It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart” (156).

I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s so true. Once you’re gone, finding your way back is like swimming in a sea of morphling.

The best part about the ending of this novel is that Katniss won her OWN war. Yes, we care that Snow and Coin are both gone. We care that the Hunger Games are no longer taking place, we care that Haymitch will always be there for Katniss and that Gale retreats to District 2 because he knows Katniss will never truly be his. BUT the most important battle won is Katniss’ inner conflict. While she may never be fully free of her demons, she has mended. And she lives.

As with any book I love, I will be interested to see how the movie adaptation follows the plot. This is complex story with some gruesome topics. In order for the full impact of the story to be realized I hope director Gary Ross delves into the hard subject matter.