Friday, 17 May 2013

The Hunger Games: More Than Just a Story

          The Hunger Games is a science fiction novel that was written by Suzanne Collins. Suzanne Collins hails from the United States of America. The novel stars the female protagonist named Katniss Everdeen. She is a 16 year old resident of Panem. Panem is formerly known as the North American region. The science fiction novel revolves around the political manipulation of The Capitol for the entire duration of the story. The novel also houses the annual event that showcases a televised event of the chosen residents. In this event, the chosen people are required to kill each other until only one of them is left standing.

Theme


          The theme of the science fiction novel revolves around numerous themes. Some of these are comprised of severe poverty, oppression, starvation, and the long term and the short term effects of war on different types of people. Aside from these themes, the novel tackled certain issues that define the struggle of the people to maintain self preservation. This theme was highly evident for numerous instances in the story. Another prominent theme is the fight of the people for their survival. What makes The Hunger Games more complex is the fact that these themes are interlaced with numerous morality issues. These led to the rise of the debates in the forum threads.

Plot


          As for the plot of the science fiction novel, the events took place in a nation consisting of 12 poor districts and a prominent wealthy capitol. Originally, the nation has a 13th district. However, because of an uprising rebellion in the past, this district was destroyed. As a form of punishment, the capitol recruits one male and one female from each remaining district. They will be considered as tributes to the arena. These tributes should be within 12 to 18 years of age. They are selected using the lottery method. For the recent Hunger Games, Primrose Everdeen was chosen as a female tribute. However, her sister, Katniss Everdeen, volunteered to take her place as a tribute for the arena. Peeta Mellark was chosen as her male counterpart. From there, the series of battles for survival ensues.

Publishing


          The initial release of The Hunger Games yielded a deal worth six figures. This is for the three books. The initial printing stint yielded 50000 copies of the novel. Due to increased demands from the audience, the copies sold spike up to 200000. The publishing year was in 2006. Scholastic has been the publishing company ever since. In 2008, the science fiction novel was able to return an ample amount of funds that has triggered the release of the hardbound version of the series. In November 2008, the series has been regarded as among the best sellers.

Criticism


          The critics of the novel received this particular work positively. According to some who have analyzed this story, the plot is brilliant and convincing. The pacing was just right for the flow of the story as well. These experts commended the author for writing a deep and a complex story and character line up that surely left a mark to those who have read the novels.

No comments:

Post a Comment