1
00:00:03,795 --> 00:00:06,465
It should come as no surprise that I'm always on the look out for

2
00:00:06,465 --> 00:00:10,052
dynamic, engaging, and strong female characters in pop culture

3
00:00:10,052 --> 00:00:14,515
and the latest fictional female representation that has everyone talking is Katniss Everdeen,

4
00:00:14,515 --> 00:00:18,894
the dynamic protagonist of the Hunger Games novels written by Suzanne Collins.

5
00:00:18,894 --> 00:00:23,466
For those unfamiliar with the trilogy, the novels are set in a future dystopian North America,

6
00:00:23,466 --> 00:00:25,067
in a country called Panem.

7
00:00:25,067 --> 00:00:29,404
The title of the book is a reference to an annual event organized by the oppressive government

8
00:00:29,404 --> 00:00:34,284
in which 24 children are selected at random to participate in a televised death match.

9
00:00:34,284 --> 00:00:40,165
In the Hunger Games, as they’re called, the children are forced to brutally murder one another until only one is left standing.

10
00:00:40,165 --> 00:00:45,420
For the purposes of this video, I’m going to set aside the fact that some of the analogies Collins is trying to draw

11
00:00:45,420 --> 00:00:51,218
to reality TV, professional sports, and war begin to fall apart when scrutinized closely.

12
00:00:51,218 --> 00:00:54,471
I appreciate her attempt to critically comment on social issues,

13
00:00:54,471 --> 00:00:57,558
I just don’t buy that parents would passively give up their children

14
00:00:57,558 --> 00:01:00,840
to be slaughtered on national TV without a serious fight.

15
00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,522
The death match as spectacle theme is really only believable

16
00:01:03,522 --> 00:01:06,567
when the players have been dehumanized or othered by society,

17
00:01:06,567 --> 00:01:09,319
either as convicts or slaves for example,

18
00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,490
it doesn’t work when it’s just randomly selected children from the general population.

19
00:01:13,490 --> 00:01:16,660
That said, in this video I’m going to focus mainly on the

20
00:01:16,660 --> 00:01:20,778
portrayal of Katniss’ character in the first book and the movie adaptation.

21
00:01:20,778 --> 00:01:26,112
I thought the first The Hunger Games novel, published in 2008 was a captivating, engaging and riveting read

22
00:01:26,112 --> 00:01:30,215
and I really enjoyed being immersed in the science fiction world that Collins creates.

23
00:01:30,215 --> 00:01:35,095
If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet [spoilers] fair warning.

24
00:01:35,095 --> 00:01:40,475
The story follows Katniss, a 16 year old from a poor, coal mining community in district 12.

25
00:01:40,475 --> 00:01:44,125
She struggles to provide for her family in the absence of her father

26
00:01:44,125 --> 00:01:46,795
and later to survive the brutality of the Hunger Games.

27
00:01:46,795 --> 00:01:50,485
She is a tough, no-nonsense, responsible, young woman

28
00:01:50,485 --> 00:01:55,699
who uses her smarts to support her family in an oppressive, and seemingly hopeless situation.

29
00:01:55,699 --> 00:01:57,648
Katniss is not reduced to her gender,

30
00:01:57,648 --> 00:02:01,358
meaning her behaviours and actions aren’t attributed to her being a woman,

31
00:02:01,358 --> 00:02:04,655
she is not sexualized and she is not objectified in the book.

32
00:02:04,655 --> 00:02:09,702
Her real world concerns and priorities of family and survival are put in sharp contrast

33
00:02:09,702 --> 00:02:13,300
to the superficial values imposed on her by the Capitol government

34
00:02:13,300 --> 00:02:16,595
as she is being groomed for the Hunger Games media spectacle.

35
00:02:16,595 --> 00:02:21,725
These preparation scenes provide a critique of the beauty industry and also of the decadence of the wealthy

36
00:02:21,725 --> 00:02:27,064
in contrast to poor and working class districts who can barely afford enough food to feed their families.

37
00:02:27,064 --> 00:02:32,069
Katniss demonstrates empathy and compassion for those around her including her friends, family,

38
00:02:32,069 --> 00:02:35,030
and those oppressed and underprivileged in Panem.

39
00:02:35,030 --> 00:02:40,410
Later in the arena she also builds a trusting and supportive relationship with Rue, the young tribute from district 11.

40
00:02:40,410 --> 00:02:45,499
Later, when Rue is tragically killed, Katniss treats her death with honor and respect.

41
00:02:45,499 --> 00:02:48,710
The romance elements of the first book were only slightly grating,

42
00:02:48,710 --> 00:02:52,214
much of it was Katniss’ uncertainty about Peeta’s feelings for her

43
00:02:52,214 --> 00:02:55,801
and her confusion about whether he was being genuine or just acting.

44
00:02:55,801 --> 00:03:02,683
It was clear Collins was setting up a love triangle between Peeta, Katniss and Gale ala Edward, Bella and Jacob.

45
00:03:02,683 --> 00:03:07,521
This is nothing new in novels targeted at girls and women and I could look past the cliché of it

46
00:03:07,521 --> 00:03:10,148
since it wasn't central to the plot in the first book.

47
00:03:10,148 --> 00:03:13,719
Katniss' naivety when it came to dating and relationships make sense

48
00:03:13,719 --> 00:03:17,056
given her age and her difficult economic, social and family life,

49
00:03:17,056 --> 00:03:20,935
her naivety and confusion is an understandable part of her character's growth,

50
00:03:20,935 --> 00:03:27,692
but only in the first part of the trilogy, unfortunately the love triangle takes a much more prominent role in books 2 and 3.

51
00:03:27,692 --> 00:03:32,405
There’s been some understandable criticism of the rather extreme levels of violence in the novel,

52
00:03:32,405 --> 00:03:34,990
especially considering it’s marketed to young adults.

53
00:03:34,990 --> 00:03:40,621
I think this is a fair point however the way Katniss perceives and uses violence makes her somewhat unique.

54
00:03:40,621 --> 00:03:44,542
Especially in comparison to other so called “strong female characters”

55
00:03:44,542 --> 00:03:48,963
whose strength often stems from their ability and willingness to use violence.

56
00:03:48,963 --> 00:03:53,780
Although, Katniss does possess the hunting and tracking skills to survive in the harsh terrain of the arena,

57
00:03:53,780 --> 00:03:58,055
she remains troubled and disturbed at the idea of personally murdering another human being

58
00:03:58,055 --> 00:04:00,982
even within the context of the death match.

59
00:04:00,982 --> 00:04:05,445
Admirably she can’t bring herself to wish death on her opponents or even her enemies.

60
00:04:05,445 --> 00:04:09,240
Knowing full well that if they remain alive she can never return home.

61
00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:14,036
These moments illustrate that Katniss hasn’t become completely desensitized to violence and suffering

62
00:04:14,036 --> 00:04:18,124
even though she’s forced to participate in a horrifically violent system.

63
00:04:18,124 --> 00:04:23,129
That said, I do wish Collins was more consistent in writing Katniss’ responses to death.

64
00:04:23,129 --> 00:04:27,550
When Rue is killed the event is written as deeply traumatic and emotional for Katniss.

65
00:04:27,550 --> 00:04:33,222
Katniss is not made to run off seeking revenge, but allowed to mourn in a really human way.

66
00:04:33,222 --> 00:04:36,392
We follow along as she struggles through the process of grief.

67
00:04:36,392 --> 00:04:40,563
She appropriately feels shock, pain, guilt and temporary depression.

68
00:04:40,563 --> 00:04:48,058
To Collins’ credit, she writes this emotional process as a testament to Katniss’ strength as opposed to a weakness.

69
00:04:48,058 --> 00:04:53,697
Yet when Foxface is accidently yet tragically killed via poisonous berries, Katniss doesn’t even bat an eye.

70
00:04:53,697 --> 00:04:56,284
She shows no emotional reaction whatsoever

71
00:04:56,284 --> 00:05:00,663
despite the fact that this young tribute from district 5, hasn’t hurt anyone during the games.

72
00:05:00,663 --> 00:05:04,626
Although, Katniss doesn’t have a personal relationship with Foxface, her death

73
00:05:04,626 --> 00:05:07,295
should still be represented as tragic and upsetting.

74
00:05:07,295 --> 00:05:10,213
It should go without saying that in reality, violence is

75
00:05:10,213 --> 00:05:14,509
traumatic and it has very real and lasting consequences for everybody involved.

76
00:05:14,509 --> 00:05:17,136
So I’m not arguing for stories to be completely free of violence,

77
00:05:17,136 --> 00:05:23,476
but I am arguing for violence to be portrayed consistently and to reflect its emotional and physical repercussions.

78
00:05:23,476 --> 00:05:29,565
In a media culture that sensationalizes and glamorizes violence, it’s refreshing to see a character like Katniss,

79
00:05:29,565 --> 00:05:34,237
react to violence in a more honest and genuine way, at least most of the time.

80
00:05:34,237 --> 00:05:38,282
I appreciate that Collins doesn’t have Katniss emerge from the arena unscathed.

81
00:05:38,282 --> 00:05:42,787
She experiences serious physical and emotional consequences and by the end of the games,

82
00:05:42,787 --> 00:05:45,665
her sense of safety and trust have been shattered.

83
00:05:45,665 --> 00:05:51,170
When the game makers announce that there can only be one victor after all Peeta throws his knife away in protest

84
00:05:51,170 --> 00:05:57,104
and Katniss’ automatically assumes that he’s about to attack her, so she loads her bow and aims an arrow at his heart.

85
00:05:57,104 --> 00:06:00,030
Later when the Capitol doctors are operating on Peeta,

86
00:06:00,030 --> 00:06:03,928
Katniss has a panic attack, and believes for a moment she’s back in the arena.

87
00:06:03,928 --> 00:06:08,057
She imagines the medical staff as a pack of muttations attacking her friend.

88
00:06:08,057 --> 00:06:13,020
These examples are evidence of the delusion and paranoia that Katniss understandably suffers

89
00:06:13,020 --> 00:06:17,404
as a result of the extreme trauma she experienced during the Hunger Games.

90
00:06:17,404 --> 00:06:19,948
These scenes help to separate her from many of the so called

91
00:06:19,948 --> 00:06:23,201
strong female characters in popular culture who just replicate

92
00:06:23,201 --> 00:06:27,497
the stoic, unemotional, unaffected, macho archetype where somehow they

93
00:06:27,497 --> 00:06:31,126
go through extreme violence and trauma with no visible effect at all.

94
00:06:31,126 --> 00:06:35,046
So it's refreshing that Katniss is allowed to go through a period of post traumatic stress

95
00:06:35,046 --> 00:06:40,844
and that the emotional experience ultimately works to make her a stronger character, rather than a weaker one.

96
00:06:40,844 --> 00:06:44,014
Some people have been asking is Katniss then a feminist character?

97
00:06:44,014 --> 00:06:48,643
Because of her compassion, empathy, cunning, resourcefulness and intelligence,

98
00:06:48,643 --> 00:06:53,231
I think she embodies many feminist values, at least over the course of the first book.

99
00:06:53,231 --> 00:06:56,735
In my next video I'll talk about the movie in comparison to the book,

100
00:06:56,735 --> 00:07:00,030
especially in relation to its portrayal of gender and also violence.

101
00:07:00,030 --> 00:07:03,950
Whenever a novel is turned into a film, there are going to be some major differences,

102
00:07:03,950 --> 00:07:07,662
and I'll discuss which of those changes were successful and which were not.

103
00:07:07,662 --> 00:07:09,664
So be sure to check it out.

104
00:07:09,664 --> 00:07:16,187
The Hunger Games fan art I used in this video was made by these amazing illustrators.

105
00:07:16,187 --> 00:07:21,509
If you liked this video and want to see more in depth analysis of female characters in popular culture

106
00:07:21,509 --> 00:07:24,137
please support me and my work by donating today.

107
00:07:24,137 --> 00:07:26,780
You can visit feministfrequency.com/donate