The Hunger Games & Katniss Part 1: The Novel
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0:04 - 0:06It should come as no surprise that I'm always on the look out for
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0:06 - 0:10dynamic, engaging, and strong female characters in pop culture
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0:10 - 0:15and the latest fictional female representation that has everyone talking is Katniss Everdeen,
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0:15 - 0:19the dynamic protagonist of the Hunger Games novels written by Suzanne Collins.
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0:19 - 0:23For those unfamiliar with the trilogy, the novels are set in a future dystopian North America,
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0:23 - 0:25in a country called Panem.
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0:25 - 0:29The title of the book is a reference to an annual event organized by the oppressive government
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0:29 - 0:34in which 24 children are selected at random to participate in a televised death match.
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0:34 - 0:40In 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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0:40 - 0:45For 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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0:45 - 0:51to reality TV, professional sports, and war begin to fall apart when scrutinized closely.
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0:51 - 0:54I appreciate her attempt to critically comment on social issues,
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0:54 - 0:58I just don’t buy that parents would passively give up their children
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0:58 - 1:01to be slaughtered on national TV without a serious fight.
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1:01 - 1:04The death match as spectacle theme is really only believable
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1:04 - 1:07when the players have been dehumanized or othered by society,
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1:07 - 1:09either as convicts or slaves for example,
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1:09 - 1:13it doesn’t work when it’s just randomly selected children from the general population.
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1:13 - 1:17That said, in this video I’m going to focus mainly on the
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1:17 - 1:21portrayal of Katniss’ character in the first book and the movie adaptation.
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1:21 - 1:26I thought the first The Hunger Games novel, published in 2008 was a captivating, engaging and riveting read
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1:26 - 1:30and I really enjoyed being immersed in the science fiction world that Collins creates.
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1:30 - 1:35If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet [spoilers] fair warning.
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1:35 - 1:40The story follows Katniss, a 16 year old from a poor, coal mining community in district 12.
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1:40 - 1:44She struggles to provide for her family in the absence of her father
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1:44 - 1:47and later to survive the brutality of the Hunger Games.
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1:47 - 1:50She is a tough, no-nonsense, responsible, young woman
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1:50 - 1:56who uses her smarts to support her family in an oppressive, and seemingly hopeless situation.
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1:56 - 1:58Katniss is not reduced to her gender,
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1:58 - 2:01meaning her behaviours and actions aren’t attributed to her being a woman,
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2:01 - 2:05she is not sexualized and she is not objectified in the book.
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2:05 - 2:10Her real world concerns and priorities of family and survival are put in sharp contrast
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2:10 - 2:13to the superficial values imposed on her by the Capitol government
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2:13 - 2:17as she is being groomed for the Hunger Games media spectacle.
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2:17 - 2:22These preparation scenes provide a critique of the beauty industry and also of the decadence of the wealthy
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2:22 - 2:27in contrast to poor and working class districts who can barely afford enough food to feed their families.
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2:27 - 2:32Katniss demonstrates empathy and compassion for those around her including her friends, family,
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2:32 - 2:35and those oppressed and underprivileged in Panem.
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2:35 - 2:40Later in the arena she also builds a trusting and supportive relationship with Rue, the young tribute from district 11.
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2:40 - 2:45Later, when Rue is tragically killed, Katniss treats her death with honor and respect.
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2:45 - 2:49The romance elements of the first book were only slightly grating,
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2:49 - 2:52much of it was Katniss’ uncertainty about Peeta’s feelings for her
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2:52 - 2:56and her confusion about whether he was being genuine or just acting.
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2:56 - 3:03It was clear Collins was setting up a love triangle between Peeta, Katniss and Gale ala Edward, Bella and Jacob.
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3:03 - 3:08This is nothing new in novels targeted at girls and women and I could look past the cliché of it
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3:08 - 3:10since it wasn't central to the plot in the first book.
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3:10 - 3:14Katniss' naivety when it came to dating and relationships make sense
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3:14 - 3:17given her age and her difficult economic, social and family life,
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3:17 - 3:21her naivety and confusion is an understandable part of her character's growth,
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3:21 - 3:28but 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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3:28 - 3:32There’s been some understandable criticism of the rather extreme levels of violence in the novel,
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3:32 - 3:35especially considering it’s marketed to young adults.
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3:35 - 3:41I think this is a fair point however the way Katniss perceives and uses violence makes her somewhat unique.
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3:41 - 3:45Especially in comparison to other so called “strong female characters”
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3:45 - 3:49whose strength often stems from their ability and willingness to use violence.
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3:49 - 3:54Although, Katniss does possess the hunting and tracking skills to survive in the harsh terrain of the arena,
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3:54 - 3:58she remains troubled and disturbed at the idea of personally murdering another human being
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3:58 - 4:01even within the context of the death match.
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4:01 - 4:05Admirably she can’t bring herself to wish death on her opponents or even her enemies.
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4:05 - 4:09Knowing full well that if they remain alive she can never return home.
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4:09 - 4:14These moments illustrate that Katniss hasn’t become completely desensitized to violence and suffering
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4:14 - 4:18even though she’s forced to participate in a horrifically violent system.
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4:18 - 4:23That said, I do wish Collins was more consistent in writing Katniss’ responses to death.
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4:23 - 4:28When Rue is killed the event is written as deeply traumatic and emotional for Katniss.
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4:28 - 4:33Katniss is not made to run off seeking revenge, but allowed to mourn in a really human way.
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4:33 - 4:36We follow along as she struggles through the process of grief.
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4:36 - 4:41She appropriately feels shock, pain, guilt and temporary depression.
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4:41 - 4:48To Collins’ credit, she writes this emotional process as a testament to Katniss’ strength as opposed to a weakness.
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4:48 - 4:54Yet when Foxface is accidently yet tragically killed via poisonous berries, Katniss doesn’t even bat an eye.
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4:54 - 4:56She shows no emotional reaction whatsoever
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4:56 - 5:01despite the fact that this young tribute from district 5, hasn’t hurt anyone during the games.
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5:01 - 5:05Although, Katniss doesn’t have a personal relationship with Foxface, her death
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5:05 - 5:07should still be represented as tragic and upsetting.
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5:07 - 5:10It should go without saying that in reality, violence is
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5:10 - 5:15traumatic and it has very real and lasting consequences for everybody involved.
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5:15 - 5:17So I’m not arguing for stories to be completely free of violence,
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5:17 - 5:23but I am arguing for violence to be portrayed consistently and to reflect its emotional and physical repercussions.
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5:23 - 5:30In a media culture that sensationalizes and glamorizes violence, it’s refreshing to see a character like Katniss,
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5:30 - 5:34react to violence in a more honest and genuine way, at least most of the time.
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5:34 - 5:38I appreciate that Collins doesn’t have Katniss emerge from the arena unscathed.
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5:38 - 5:43She experiences serious physical and emotional consequences and by the end of the games,
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5:43 - 5:46her sense of safety and trust have been shattered.
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5:46 - 5:51When the game makers announce that there can only be one victor after all Peeta throws his knife away in protest
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5:51 - 5:57and 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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5:57 - 6:00Later when the Capitol doctors are operating on Peeta,
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6:00 - 6:04Katniss has a panic attack, and believes for a moment she’s back in the arena.
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6:04 - 6:08She imagines the medical staff as a pack of muttations attacking her friend.
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6:08 - 6:13These examples are evidence of the delusion and paranoia that Katniss understandably suffers
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6:13 - 6:17as a result of the extreme trauma she experienced during the Hunger Games.
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6:17 - 6:20These scenes help to separate her from many of the so called
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6:20 - 6:23strong female characters in popular culture who just replicate
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6:23 - 6:27the stoic, unemotional, unaffected, macho archetype where somehow they
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6:27 - 6:31go through extreme violence and trauma with no visible effect at all.
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6:31 - 6:35So it's refreshing that Katniss is allowed to go through a period of post traumatic stress
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6:35 - 6:41and that the emotional experience ultimately works to make her a stronger character, rather than a weaker one.
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6:41 - 6:44Some people have been asking is Katniss then a feminist character?
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6:44 - 6:49Because of her compassion, empathy, cunning, resourcefulness and intelligence,
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6:49 - 6:53I think she embodies many feminist values, at least over the course of the first book.
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6:53 - 6:57In my next video I'll talk about the movie in comparison to the book,
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6:57 - 7:00especially in relation to its portrayal of gender and also violence.
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7:00 - 7:04Whenever a novel is turned into a film, there are going to be some major differences,
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7:04 - 7:08and I'll discuss which of those changes were successful and which were not.
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7:08 - 7:10So be sure to check it out.
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7:10 - 7:16The Hunger Games fan art I used in this video was made by these amazing illustrators.
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7:16 - 7:22If you liked this video and want to see more in depth analysis of female characters in popular culture
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7:22 - 7:24please support me and my work by donating today.
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7:24 - 7:27You can visit feministfrequency.com/donate
- Title:
- The Hunger Games & Katniss Part 1: The Novel
- Description:
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Warning: SPOILERS for the first Hunger Games novel
The Hunger Game is one of the most popular young adult novel series' rivaling Harry Potter and Twilight. As the first of its film adaptations was just released in March 2012, readers and audiences have been pleasantly surprised at this fresh, dynamic, young female protagonist. In this video I'll explore Katniss' character in the first novel as it relates to gender and portrayals of violence. Be sure to stay turned for Part 2 where I compare the book to the movie.
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- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- Feminist Frequency
- Duration:
- 07:27
Emma Luna edited English subtitles for The Hunger Games & Katniss Part 1: The Novel | ||
Emma Luna added a translation |