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It should come as no surprise that I'm always on the look out for

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dynamic, engaging, and strong female characters in pop culture

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and the latest fictional female representation that has everyone talking is Katniss Everdeen,

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the dynamic protagonist of the Hunger Games novels written by Suzanne Collins.

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For those unfamiliar with the trilogy, the novels are set in a future dystopian North America,

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in a country called Panem.

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The title of the book is a reference to an annual event organized by the oppressive government

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in which 24 children are selected at random to participate in a televised death match.

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In the Hunger Games, as they’re called, the children are forced to brutally murder one another until only one is left standing.

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For the purposes of this video, I’m going to set aside the fact that some of the analogies Collins is trying to draw

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to reality TV, professional sports, and war begin to fall apart when scrutinized closely.

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I appreciate her attempt to critically comment on social issues,

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I just don’t buy that parents would passively give up their children

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to be slaughtered on national TV without a serious fight.

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The death match as spectacle theme is really only believable

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when the players have been dehumanized or othered by society,

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either as convicts or slaves for example,

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it doesn’t work when it’s just randomly selected children from the general population.

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That said, in this video I’m going to focus mainly on the

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portrayal of Katniss’ character in the first book and the movie adaptation.

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I thought the first The Hunger Games novel, published in 2008 was a captivating, engaging and riveting read

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and I really enjoyed being immersed in the science fiction world that Collins creates.

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If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet [spoilers] fair warning.

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The story follows Katniss, a 16 year old from a poor, coal mining community in district 12.

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She struggles to provide for her family in the absence of her father

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and later to survive the brutality of the Hunger Games.

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She is a tough, no-nonsense, responsible, young woman

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who uses her smarts to support her family in an oppressive, and seemingly hopeless situation.

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Katniss is not reduced to her gender,

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meaning her behaviours and actions aren’t attributed to her being a woman,

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she is not sexualized and she is not objectified in the book.

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Her real world concerns and priorities of family and survival are put in sharp contrast

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to the superficial values imposed on her by the Capitol government

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as she is being groomed for the Hunger Games media spectacle.

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These preparation scenes provide a critique of the beauty industry and also of the decadence of the wealthy

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in contrast to poor and working class districts who can barely afford enough food to feed their families.

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Katniss demonstrates empathy and compassion for those around her including her friends, family,

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and those oppressed and underprivileged in Panem.

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Later in the arena she also builds a trusting and supportive relationship with Rue, the young tribute from district 11.

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Later, when Rue is tragically killed, Katniss treats her death with honor and respect.

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The romance elements of the first book were only slightly grating,

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much of it was Katniss’ uncertainty about Peeta’s feelings for her

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and her confusion about whether he was being genuine or just acting.

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It was clear Collins was setting up a love triangle between Peeta, Katniss and Gale ala Edward, Bella and Jacob.

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This is nothing new in novels targeted at girls and women and I could look past the cliché of it

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since it wasn't central to the plot in the first book.

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Katniss' naivety when it came to dating and relationships make sense

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given her age and her difficult economic, social and family life,

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her naivety and confusion is an understandable part of her character's growth,

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but only in the first part of the trilogy, unfortunately the love triangle takes a much more prominent role in books 2 and 3.

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There’s been some understandable criticism of the rather extreme levels of violence in the novel,

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especially considering it’s marketed to young adults.

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I think this is a fair point however the way Katniss perceives and uses violence makes her somewhat unique.

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Especially in comparison to other so called “strong female characters”

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whose strength often stems from their ability and willingness to use violence.

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Although, Katniss does possess the hunting and tracking skills to survive in the harsh terrain of the arena,

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she remains troubled and disturbed at the idea of personally murdering another human being

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even within the context of the death match.

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Admirably she can’t bring herself to wish death on her opponents or even her enemies.

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Knowing full well that if they remain alive she can never return home.

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These moments illustrate that Katniss hasn’t become completely desensitized to violence and suffering

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even though she’s forced to participate in a horrifically violent system.

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That said, I do wish Collins was more consistent in writing Katniss’ responses to death.

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When Rue is killed the event is written as deeply traumatic and emotional for Katniss.

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Katniss is not made to run off seeking revenge, but allowed to mourn in a really human way.

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We follow along as she struggles through the process of grief.

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She appropriately feels shock, pain, guilt and temporary depression.

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To Collins’ credit, she writes this emotional process as a testament to Katniss’ strength as opposed to a weakness.

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Yet when Foxface is accidently yet tragically killed via poisonous berries, Katniss doesn’t even bat an eye.

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She shows no emotional reaction whatsoever

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despite the fact that this young tribute from district 5, hasn’t hurt anyone during the games.

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Although, Katniss doesn’t have a personal relationship with Foxface, her death

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should still be represented as tragic and upsetting.

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It should go without saying that in reality, violence is

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traumatic and it has very real and lasting consequences for everybody involved.

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So I’m not arguing for stories to be completely free of violence,

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but I am arguing for violence to be portrayed consistently and to reflect its emotional and physical repercussions.

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In a media culture that sensationalizes and glamorizes violence, it’s refreshing to see a character like Katniss,

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react to violence in a more honest and genuine way, at least most of the time.

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I appreciate that Collins doesn’t have Katniss emerge from the arena unscathed.

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She experiences serious physical and emotional consequences and by the end of the games,

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her sense of safety and trust have been shattered.

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When the game makers announce that there can only be one victor after all Peeta throws his knife away in protest

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and Katniss’ automatically assumes that he’s about to attack her, so she loads her bow and aims an arrow at his heart.

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Later when the Capitol doctors are operating on Peeta,

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Katniss has a panic attack, and believes for a moment she’s back in the arena.

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She imagines the medical staff as a pack of muttations attacking her friend.

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These examples are evidence of the delusion and paranoia that Katniss understandably suffers

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as a result of the extreme trauma she experienced during the Hunger Games.

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These scenes help to separate her from many of the so called

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strong female characters in popular culture who just replicate

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the stoic, unemotional, unaffected, macho archetype where somehow they

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go through extreme violence and trauma with no visible effect at all.

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So it's refreshing that Katniss is allowed to go through a period of post traumatic stress

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and that the emotional experience ultimately works to make her a stronger character, rather than a weaker one.

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Some people have been asking is Katniss then a feminist character?

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Because of her compassion, empathy, cunning, resourcefulness and intelligence,

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I think she embodies many feminist values, at least over the course of the first book.

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In my next video I'll talk about the movie in comparison to the book,

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especially in relation to its portrayal of gender and also violence.

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Whenever a novel is turned into a film, there are going to be some major differences,

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and I'll discuss which of those changes were successful and which were not.

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So be sure to check it out.

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The Hunger Games fan art I used in this video was made by these amazing illustrators.

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If you liked this video and want to see more in depth analysis of female characters in popular culture

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please support me and my work by donating today.

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