1 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It should come as no surprise that I'm always on the look out for dynamic, engaging, and strong female characters in pop culture 2 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the latest fictional female representation that has everyone talking is Katniss Everdeen, 3 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the dynamic protagonist of the Hunger Games novels written by Suzanne Collins. 4 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 For those unfamiliar with the trilogy, the novels are set in a future dystopian North America, 5 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in a country called Panem. 6 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The title of the book is a reference to an annual event organized by the oppressive government 7 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in which 24 children are selected at random to participate in a televised death match. 8 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In the Hunger Games, as they’re called, the children are forced to brutally murder one another until only one is left standing. 9 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 For the purposes of this video, I’m going to set aside the fact that some of the analogies Collins is trying to draw 10 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 reality TV, professional sports, and war begin to fall apart when scrutinized closely. 11 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I appreciate her attempt to critically comment on social issues, 12 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I just don’t buy that parents would passively give up their children to be slaughtered on national TV without a serious fight. 13 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The death match as spectacle theme is really only believable if the players have been dehumanized or othered by society, 14 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 either as convicts or slaves for example, it doesn’t work when it’s just randomly selected children from the general population. 15 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That said, in this video I’m going to focus mainly on the portrayal of Katniss’ character in the first book and the movie adaptation. 16 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I thought the first The Hunger Games novel, published in 2008 was a captivating, engaging and riveting read 17 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and really I enjoyed being immersed in the science fiction world that Collins creates. 18 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet [point] fair warning. 19 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The story follows Katniss, a 16 year old from a poor, coal mining community in district 12. 20 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 She struggles to provide for her family in the absence of her father and later to survive the brutality of the Hunger Games. 21 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 She is a tough, no-nonsense, responsible, young woman 22 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who uses her smarts to support her family in an oppressive, and seemingly hopeless situation. 23 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Katniss is not reduced to her gender, 24 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 meaning her behaviours and actions aren’t attributed to her being a woman, she is not sexualized and she is not objectified in the book. 25 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Her real world concerns and priorities of family and survival are put in sharp contrast 26 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to the superficial values imposed on her by the Capitol government as she is being groomed for the Hunger Games media spectacle. 27 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 These preparation scenes provide a critique of the beauty industry and also of the decadence of the wealthy 28 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in contrast to poor and working class districts who can barely afford enough food to feed their families. 29 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Katniss demonstrates empathy and compassion for those around her including her friends, family, 30 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and those oppressed and underprivileged in Panem. 31 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Later in the arena she also builds a trusting and supportive relationship with Rue, the young tribute from district 11. 32 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Later, when Rue is tragically killed, Katniss treats her death with honor and respect. 33 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The romance elements of the first book were only slightly grating, 34 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 much of it was Katniss’ uncertainty about Peeta’s feelings for her 35 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and her confusion about whether he was being genuine or just acting. 36 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 . It was clear Collins was setting up a love triangle between Peeta, Katniss and Gale ala Edward, Bella and Jacob. 37 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is nothing new in novels targeted at girls and women and I could look past the cliché of it 38 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 since it wasn't central to the plot in the first book. 39 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Katniss' naivety when it came to dating and relationships make sense given her age and her difficult economic, social and family life, 40 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 , her naivety and confusion is an understandable part of her character's growth, 41 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but only in the first part of the trilogy, unfortunately the love triangle takes a much more prominent role in books 2 and 3. 42 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 There’s been some understandable criticism of the rather extreme levels of violence in the novel, 43 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 especially considering it’s marketed to young adults. 44 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think this is a fair point however the way Katniss perceives and uses violence makes her somewhat unique. 45 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Especially in comparison to other so called “strong female characters” 46 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 whose strength often stems from their ability and willingness to use violence. 47 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Although, Katniss does possess the hunting and tracking skills to survive in the harsh terrain of the arena, 48 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 she remains troubled and disturbed at the idea of personally murdering another human 49 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 being even within the context of the death match. 50 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Admirably she can’t bring herself to wish death on her opponents or even her enemies. 51 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Knowing full well that if they remain alive she can never return home. 52 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 These moments illustrate that Katniss hasn’t become completely desensitized to violence and suffering 53 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even though she’s forced to participate in a horrifically violent system. 54 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That said, I do wish Collins was more consistent in writing Katniss’ responses to death. 55 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 When Rue is killed the event is written as deeply traumatic and emotional for Katniss. 56 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Katniss is not made to run off seeking revenge and is instead allowed to mourn in a really human way. 57 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We follow along as she struggles through the process of grief. 58 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 She appropriately feels shock, pain, guilt and temporary depression. 59 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 To Collins’ credit, she writes this emotional process as a testament to Katniss’ strength as opposed to a weakness. 60 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yet when Foxface is accidently yet tragically killed via poisonous berries, Katniss doesn’t even bat an eye. 61 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 She shows no emotional reaction whatsoever despite the fact that this young tribute from district 5, hasn’t hurt anyone during the games. 62 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Although, Katniss doesn’t have a personal relationship with Foxface, her death 63 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 should still be represented as tragic and upsetting. 64 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It should go without saying that in reality, violence is traumatic and it has very real and lasting consequences for everybody involved. 65 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I’m not arguing for stories to be completely free of violence, 66 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I am arguing for violence to be portrayed consistently and to reflect its emotional and physical repercussions. 67 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In a media culture that sensationalizes and glamorizes violence, it’s refreshing to see a character like Katniss, 68 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 react to violence in a more honest and genuine way, at least most of the time. 69 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I appreciate that Collins doesn’t have Katniss emerge from the arena unscathed. 70 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 She experiences serious physical and emotional consequences and by the end of the games, 71 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 her sense of safety and trust have been shattered. 72 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 When the game makers announce that there can only be one victor after all Peeta throws his knife away in protest 73 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and Katniss’ automatically assumes that he’s about to attack her, so she loads her bow and aims an arrow at his heart. 74 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Later when the Capitol doctors are operating on Peeta, Katniss has a panic attack, and believes for a moment she’s back in the arena. 75 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 She imagines the medical staff as a pack of muttations attacking her friend. 76 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 These examples are evidence of the delusion and paranoia that Katniss understandably suffers 77 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 as a result of the extreme trauma she experienced during the Hunger Games. 78 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 These scenes help to separate her from many of the so called strong female characters in popular culture who just replicate 79 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the stoic, unemotional, unaffected, macho archetype where somehow they 80 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 go through extreme violence and trauma with no visible effect at all. 81 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So it's refreshing that Katniss is allowed to go through a period of post traumatic stress 82 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and that the emotional experience ultimately works to make her a stronger character, rather than a weaker one. 83 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Some people have been asking is Katniss then a feminist character? 84 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Because of her compassion, empathy, cunning, resourcefulness and intelligence, 85 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think she embodies many feminist values, at least over the course of the first book. 86 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In my next video I'll talk about the movie in comparison to the book, 87 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 especially in relation to its portrayal of gender and also violence. 88 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Whenever a novel is turned into a film, there are going to be some major differences, 89 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I'll discuss which of those changes were successful and which were not. 90 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So be sure to check it out. 91 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The Hunger Games fan art I used in this video was made by these amazing illustrators. 92 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you liked this video and want to see more in depth analysis of female characters in popular culture 93 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 please support me and my work by donating today. 94 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You can visit feministfrequency.com/donate