When the Harry Potter films came to an end, there was a void in my heart that no other book series could fill. I became desolate and convinced myself that never again would I find an inexplicably special connection with the printed word. Never again would I relate to characters so well, laugh and cry at every bit of action, or feel the resonance of the moral conflicts and lessons about humanity in each chapter.
That is, until the day I picked up The Hunger Games.
The recent release of Mockingjay: Part 2, the last installment of the film adaptation of the Hunger Games books, has caused me to reflect on the series's lasting legacy in the world. THG defined the very essence of the dystopian genre for today's generation of readers. It may be classified as young adult fiction -- or even by some as "young adult romance," a title that I find endlessly bothersome because The Hunger Games is so much more than just a love triangle between Katniss, Gale, and Peeta. But the trilogy addresses many complex issues and ideas about society that we grapple with on a regular basis, even if we may not know it. For example, how much influence can one person or system of government have before it escalates to catastrophic proportions? Is it possible to have an balance of power between populations and their political institutions? What makes someone a villain versus a hero? What are the implications of war on an entire civilization of people? These were questions that had never crossed my mind until I read about Panem's totalitarian government and the rationale behind the Games themselves. I had never stopped to consider the severity of very real types of oppression that occur in our 21st-century world until I recognized the tyranny of the Capitol, as well as its devastating effects on the citizens of the districts.
I think Katniss Everdeen is by far the best teenage role model in the entire fictional universe. I cannot explain how important it was for my 14-year-old self to finally be able to look up to a female character who focused on survival and strength instead of boys or drama. Katniss's extreme circumstances as a struggling member of District 12 and, later, a two-time tribute in the Games brought out personality traits in her such as leadership, cynicism, selflessness, determination, perseverance, vulnerability, generosity, defiance, and so many more. Jennifer Lawrence perfectly translated her quiet but fierce energy onto the silver screen and knowing that people of all ages who have not read the books can still watch and learn from Katniss fills me with hope.
President Snow, Alma Coin, Plutarch Heavensbee (who was brilliantly portrayed by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in the Mockingjay films, by the way), and the tributes in the Hunger Games & Quarter Quell were such dynamic characters because they weren't easily categorized. I loved them so much because they served to show audiences that morality is hardly ever black and white. None of them were pure good or evil...they were human. I learned so much about personal relationships from the interactions between Katniss and each person who came into her life.
I could probably write a book (pun intended) just on the symbolism of the Mockingjay, let alone the massive significance of The Hunger Games trilogy. The exhausting, intense, heroic story of The Girl on Fire and the earth shattering rebellion she ignited changed my life. It introduced me to different ways of thinking and opened my eyes to difficult issues like poverty, slavery, war, oppression, and death. It was the motivating factor behind my passion for social justice. It made me more aware of international relations and the nature of the personal connections in my life. By putting paper to pen, Suzanne Collins created a dystopian world that, compared with others that have followed it, is frighteningly only a few steps removed from reality. The Hunger Games has given millions of people, myself included, the curiosity and perspective that we can -- and should -- use to take a step back and reevaluate the society we live in.
