If you haven’t heard of "The Hunger Games" series, I will just assume that you live under a rock or, maybe you don’t have a Barnes and Noble, a television, Internet or friends. Either way, I want to talk about one of the most important literary series to happen to our generation. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is a series made up of three novels -- also known as a trilogy -- that are about a young girl named Katniss and a revolution that sparks a civil war within their capital. The series is not only made up of three novels but has four movies adapted from them as well. On Thursday, Nov.19, the last installment of the series premiered. It was an emotional ride for me to say the least, as the last movie based on my favorite book series finally played before me. I cried not only because of the many deaths but also because the series was finally over. How can one book series not only have such an effect on me but on so many other people as well?
What people need to understand is how important these books actually are. Although the media only focuses on one thing -- the love story -- it is hard for the readers of the series to skim past the important themes and concepts that Collin’s deliberately added to a story about one young girl. "The Hunger Games" teaches its readers that they may have a unique voice in everything they do. The theme of change is abundant in the series also. "Mockingjay," the third and final novel in the series, shows the continuous theme of change by showing a revolution not just within Katniss as a character but with all of Panem -- the country where they all live. Themes like these are important in a series because it sparks something in the readers who pick up these novels. Yeah, maybe, we can’t start a revolution, but we can get our voices heard. This is extremely important to remember when the new election season is on starting to heat up. You can have your own opinion even if it is not the exact same as everyone around you.
In 2009 right after the first book "The Hunger Games" was published, Suzanne Collins did an interview with James Blasingame for the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. During this interview, Collins made it known that her intention with this book was to bring awareness to the issues that we as a generation are suffering today. When asked if these were intentional, Collins said, “The sociopolitical overtones of 'The Hunger Games' were very intentionally created to characterize current and past world events, including the use of hunger as a weapon to control population.” Collins then later stated, “Tyrannical governments have also used the techniques of geographical containment of certain populations, as well as the nearly complete elimination of the rights of the individual.” What I find so interesting about these quotes from Collins is the fact that her intention was to bring awareness to world problems but as the series got more popular, the less these themes and concepts were talked about. Almost all media outlets talked only of the “love triangle” that the novels involve -- although most readers would argue that there is never a triangle at all but just Katniss trying to stay alive throughout the series.
I am not saying though that these intentions were lost altogether. Almost any fan of the trilogy notices and appreciates the important themes that come from this series. Not only this, but it is also important to notice how many people sparked a fire for reading because of this series. It is one of the most read young adult series in the world. I personally do not think that "The Hunger Games" trilogy will disappear over time. It is a series that will promote change personally and universally for generations to come.
