Each book is summarized briefly, followed by an analysis on the trilogy as a whole. WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS THROUGHOUT!
"But this book says nothing about Jesus..." You're absolutely correct. The author does not bring this point up explicitly in the books (and for my part I really don't know what the author's worldview is or her understanding of who Jesus Christ is). But it comes out nonetheless, like it would in any dystopian work; and it would be good to point this out when reading it with others (especially your children). Whether it was intentional or not, I think it is very telling that Jesus Christ is not mentioned at all, or even anything resembling the idea of Christ's church. It is in this Christless world of Panem, where the Hunger Games take place, that we get a very good picture of what society truly is like when there is no restraining force of God on earth. Let's consider the story then... [Psst...if you've already read the books, my "Review" of the trilogy as a whole can be found in the Analysis section below (in case you want to save yourself some time).] Summaries
In this book we meet the following characters who have a large role in the overall story:
This book did a marvelous job at laying out the foundation for the trilogy. For a decent review of the plot, I’ll refer you to the Wikipedia article (so if you haven’t read the book you can read more of the plot there). But for the purpose of this review I’ll just say the ending certainly makes you want to move right on to the second book. Since their beginning, the Hunger Games have always only had one victor. However, when Katniss and Peeta find themselves as the remaining two tributes alive, they decide to kill themselves simultaneously rather than let the Capitol win. At the last second, it's announced that this year they will allow two victors. But the damage has already been done. People are now aware that the Capitol is vulnerable to outside influences.
Peeta, being only one of two male victors from district 12 and still having a great desire to protect Katniss as much as he can, volunteers. This leaves Haymitch once again as the coach and mentor to them both, and it puts him in the place of promising to each one that he'll do what he can to protect the other. However, we find out later that Haymitch has a plan all of his own. In this book we meet a few more characters who have important roles:
This book did a great job (I think) of moving the story along in an engaging way. For a decent review of the plot, I’ll refer you to the Wikipedia article (so if you haven’t read the book you can read more of the plot there). But for the purpose of this review I’ll just say that the book progresses quite quickly from Katniss and Gale enjoying their “illegal” hunting together again in District 12, to Katniss and Peeta going on their victory tour throughout Panem, to the announcement of the Quarter Quell twist, right up to when the games begin. Once the games begin you find yourself, like the rest of the characters, trying to figure out what kind of arena they’re in. Thankfully Wiress figures out that it’s a clock. This of course was not simply by design as another way of inflicting terrible misery on the tributes, but we find later that the head gamemaker this year (Plutarch) designed it this way for the main purpose of breaking the arena and escaping with several others from the Capitol to the mysterious District 13. It turns out there were many, many people involved in this plot that served as the official breaking away from and revolt against the Capitol. But this does not come without consequences. Once the arena breaks open through a combination of Beetee’s genius and skill and Katniss’ arrow, Katniss and a few others are rescued, while Peeta and other tributes are captured by the Capitol. The last consequence we hear about in this book, and the reason you’re left again just wanting to immediately proceed to the next is that District 12, where Katniss’ home and family are, no longer exists (although in the next book we find that her mother and sister were rescued in time).
Being the third book there aren’t a whole lot of new characters to introduce, but there are a couple that need mentioning:
For a decent review of the plot, I’ll refer you to the Wikipedia article (so if you haven’t read the book you can read more of the plot there). But for the purpose of this review I’ll just say that while it took some time and some really graphic violence to get there, the end was definitely worth the wait. During the first half, as the reader you’re really left wondering which is worse, the tyranny of the Capitol or the tyranny of District 13. They’re both very similar. And you find toward the very end, the presidents of both are very much alike, including their view on humanity and that the ends justify the means. Although Katniss at first has has a great ambition to kill President Snow, through the witnessing of the warfare just before his capture, and some interviews afterwards, she discovers how much President Coin is like him, and actually how she’s probably worse. She does, in fact, discover that it was through President Coin’s plan, not President Snow's, that her beloved sister Prim was killed in action. This forces Katniss into a tough situation. Katniss had made a deal with Coin that she would be the one to execute Snow at his capture. But upon realizing what Coin had done to her sister (and the fact that her remedy for the problem was to have “one last” Hunger Games), Katniss realized something else. Snow would die regardless, but that would leave Panem in the hands of just another tyrannical dictator. So at the public execution of Snow, Katniss instead kills Coin. Katniss fully believes to be killed for this action, but instead is given immunity based on psychological reasons. Instead of execution, she is simply sent back to District 12 in her "victor house" where she witnesses the district being built up again and restored. In the epilogue we find that Katniss and Peeta eventually marry and have children of their own. Analysis For an entire trilogy that makes no mention of Christ, faith in God, the need for Divine help, life after death, final judgment for unrepentant sinners not saved by a Divine deliverer, or any other necessary components to a Christian worldview, this series was certainly amazing in its depiction of at least two categories of Christian doctrine: total depravity and common grace. While you could argue for that fact that in the end, if it's truly a Godless world in this work, then the characters have no real way to decide what is truly right and wrong, who are truly the good guys and bad guys, and what is truly the moral or just versus immoral and unjust decisions and actions. President Snow and President Coin could very well be the exact same and tyrannical rulers, but without God there is no way to say dogmatically that tyranny itself is morally wrong. But that point can be made in so many other stories (like Watchmen, or any of the X-Men stories), that I'll be taking a different approach to this review. Let's just assume that despite no philosophically substantiated reasons, in the world of Panem and the Hunger Games, there really are universally binding laws of morality and justice. And now let's move on to more interesting features of these stories from a Biblical analysis. Probably the best way for me to analyze the story of the trilogy is to look at some the main characters and some of their plot points. Gale: Gale is a great friend to Katniss and clearly wants it to be more than friends eventually (and Katniss herself feels the same at times, though she seems almost always confused by the situation). While his loyalty to Katniss (and her family for that matter) are tremendously commendable, Gale has an interesting view of humanity that we must also take into account. Early on in the story when Katniss is going to be in the Hunger Games, Gale tells her that she can do it (kill the other tributes) and that it can't be much different that hunting. Well, that should be a point of contention for the Christian at the start. Killing humans is very different from killing animals (see Gen. 9:3, 6). According to Scripture, humans should only be killed out of self-defense when killing is the last resort (Ex. 22:2), or when they have committed a capital offense (Ex. 21:12, 15-17, 22-23, etc.), or in just warfare (Deut. 20:13). But to equate killing animals with killing humans on such a broad level as Gale does, is to speak directly against God's Word in that man is made in the image of God and so should not be looked on as the same as killing animals, which He has given to His image-bearers for food (Gen. 9:3, 6). Gale does a tremendous amount of good throughout the story. He is very loyal in taking care of Katniss and her family, even while having to pretend to be her cousin as he watches Katniss and Peeta have a public, media-expanded romantic relationship. But for all his good, it's precisely because of his low view of the dignity of man that in the end he inadvertently keeps Katniss from ever being able to love him romantically. The Bible instructs us even in the realm of warfare. And one of the rules is to kill combatants only and to neglect killing civilians or women and children (see. Deut. 20:10-14). But Gale ignores these rules (in Mockingjay) as he helps Beetee develop weapons that would detonate a second time, thus killing innocent people for the greatest amount of impact. It was these very weapons that proved to be the demise of Katniss' innocent sister. When we treat human life as expendable, there will always be consequences to pay. For even when we ignore God, this is still His universe that operates under His authority and laws. Point of Admonition: Suffice it to say that even with the cruelty of the Hunger Games (and most people who read this book would see the utter horror of the Hunger Games), as it encourages children to kill children and gets amusement out of the death of innocent victims, America already has an even greater horror in the abortion industry. By the 75th Hunger Games there were a total of 1,736 innocent deaths (1,679 per year, plus 24 extra for the double tributes in the 2nd Quarter Quell, plus 22 for the 74th games due to there being two victors, plus only 11 deaths in the 75th since the games were abruptly ended). Yet modern day America murders (viciously) over 3,000 innocent children per day (we're only up to the 41st anniversary of the "legality" of abortion, and over 56 million kids have been murdered)! The Hunger Games are indeed a most horrendous form of cruelty and depict human depravity for what it is. But realistically it's almost nothing compared to our "sophisticated" and "enlightened" society that already is in existence in America via our mass brutal murders through abortion. But that's what happens when society as a whole has lost its understanding of the dignity of man. And even "good guys" like Gale can succumb to such views. Peeta: Peeta is pretty much the hero from start to finish. While having no real relationship to Katniss at the time, he gives her food to keep her and her family alive during particularly dreary times in District 12. While he's prepared to kill in the Hunger Games out of self defense (it's interesting that he never strategizes to mount an attack other than just kill before he himself is killed), his main concern is always to protect Katniss, even if it means he himself will be killed in the process. Before Katniss has the solution to both of them dying at the end of the first book, he tells her to kill him so that she can survive, go home the victor, and take care of her family. There is a dark period for Peeta though (as there comes for all of us), which comes out under psychotropic drugs that the Capitol administers to him during his capture. Under the influence of these drugs he tries to kill Katniss, believing that she is the true enemy and is going to kill him. But even then Peeta works very hard at trying to fight off the effects of the drugs and to discover what is real and what is not. He maintains a high view of the dignity of humanity throughout the story, even to the point of rejecting the idea of "one last" Hunger Games (only this time using children from the Capitol), because it is never right to punish the innocent for the sins of the guilty - especially innocent humans. It's a very joyful thing when it is Peeta who ends up marrying Katniss and having a family with her. And that takes us to Katniss. Katniss: Katniss is a very complex character. Her views on the dignity of humanity seem to swap back and forth between those of Gale's and those of Peeta's. For instance (Gale's view), even when she's making an alliance with Rue (a girl in the 74th Hunger Games who reminds her of her sister), she thinks to herself that though it will be hard, she'll have to kill Rue in the end. I don't believe she would have, had it come to that. She actually kills someone else while trying to protect Rue (although Rue dies nonetheless). But her thought process is like Gale's at that point regardless. Yet she also gets very upset with Gale when she finds him helping Beetee develop double detonating weapons that would kill innocent parties (a view that Peeta would have regarding the dignity of humanity). At the very end, you think she's succumbed to Gale's view in that she votes for "one last" Hunger Games. She says she does this for the sake of Prim. Well, she does vote that way for the sake of Prim, but in a very unexpected way. Throughout the story her coach and friend Haymitch continually reminds her, "Know who the enemy is." And while given the opportunity to vote for or against this last Hunger Games, her yes vote leaves the final decision with Haymitch. It is here where she says the test of how truly alike they think will be evaluated. She says, "Yes...for Prim." Haymitch, understanding what she intends to do, votes yes as well. That brings us from Katniss the teenage girl with conflicting thoughts on the dignity of humanity to Katniss the war strategist with a resolved sense of courage, self-sacrifice, and morality. Knowing that President Coin would announce the yes vote for the last Hunger Games herself, right before the execution of President Snow, Katniss had it planned from when she said, "Yes...for Prim." She didn't want one last Hunger Games; she wanted the opportunity to kill the next Panem President who is in favor of any Hunger Games at all, just like the previous one. Katniss was not only seeking justice for her sister's murder (and the others who were killed in the same bombing), but she was protecting Panem from a second President Snow. She saw how President Coin operated the lives of everyone in District 13. And with the announcement of her idea to have yet another Hunger Games, Katniss could see that executing Snow would simply be replacing one cruel dictator with another. You see, the reason Katniss was ever in the Hunger Games to begin with was because Prim's name was chosen, and she decided to volunteer herself so that Prim wouldn't have to go. She put herself into the Hunger Games "...for Prim." And she wanted to end the Hunger Games for the very same reason - to protect Prim and all the other innocent children of the future Panem. So when the time came, she knew President Snow would die regardless of what she did. What she also knew was that not everyone was aware of the merciless tactics President Coin employed while leading the rebellion - including using Capitol ships to bomb innocent children, of whom Prim was just one. In one last attempt at self-sacrifice Katniss raised her bow and shot an arrow into Coin, killing that last tyrannical dictator of the story, "...for Prim" and all she represented. This might be seen as wrongful killing. Shouldn't Coin have gotten a trial, etc.? Perhaps. But it's also difficult in a time of war. And sometimes deceit in a time of war is necessary (and from a Christian point, a God-sanctioned strategy, e.g. Josh. 8:1-8; even if the time of war is not known to all, e.g. Judg. 4:17-23). It was really breathtaking to see Katniss develop as a character. To see her on the one hand substitute herself (a Christ-like attribute) for her sister Prim, only to later see her having little scruples about killing other innocent parties, but then later seeing her have the resolve to sacrifice herself again (as far as she knows) for the sake of an entire nation. It was also enjoyable to see her grow from not wanting to ever marry and have kids knowing that one day they could be selected for the Hunger Games, to eventually marrying the hero Peeta and having kids with him, showing the ultimate triumph of good over evil and that life can be redeemed and restored (the obvious dissatisfaction with this is that those truths are not depicted in light of Christ's work - but it was good to see an affirmation those truths nonetheless). Final Thoughts/Conclusion: No, Jesus Christ was not mentioned at all, nor anything having to do with the Christian faith. Yet in reading this story we can see the realities of several Christian doctrines. Total depravity abounds. Even in the one place that is not controlled by the evil Capitol government, District 13 is still caught up in the same tyrannical slavery. It has a different form to be sure, but it's slavery nonetheless. And the ruler of District 13 is no less cruel and evil than the ruler of the rest of Panem. Along with that you have the very fact of the Hunger Games - this to be sure is an indication of the depravity of man, when he can offer up children to the death simply for "lessons" or sport or entertainment (even if a lesson needs to be learned or remembered, it should never be done with the formula of punishing the innocent for the sins of the guilty). Substitution is exalted. While no one is dying to pay the price of personal sins on behalf of someone else, there is definitely much substitutionary work that is praiseworthy throughout the story. After all, Jesus said plainly, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13). Katniss substitutes herself for Prim at the initial tribute-reaping that starts the story. Peeta constantly is laying down his life (or attempts at almost every turn) for the sake of Katniss. Mags (a character in the second book) substituted her life to save Finnick, Katniss, and Peeta. And Katniss gives up her life (so she thinks) at the end of the story in order to save Panem from an even more evil President Snow, President Coin. The triumph of good is anticipated. There is a lot of death and violence and war throughout the books, but through them all the reader is continually expecting the triumph of good over evil. And we are not let down. The beauty of it all is that there is a great redemption of the world, and it's seen through Katniss' view on marriage and children. Throughout the book she expresses her desire to never marry and have children for fear that they would be reaped as tributes for the Hunger Games. At the end, she is married to Peeta, the one who constantly offered up his life for her own; and they have two kids. This is, by all accounts, a wonderful ending marking the redemption of Panem. Good has triumphed over evil; restoration is accomplished, and families are established - blessings of God indeed. That Jesus is not mentioned is sad. Because it is only through Him that ultimate and lasting restoration will truly be realized (Rev. 21:1-4). And if you don't know Jesus as the Savior of your life, then I urge you get to know Him, as He is the only way to eternal life. But even if you know Him, and you recognize the flaw of this story not having Him as the ultimate Redeemer, the points above (among others that I hope you find) are certainly ones to think through and point out to your children as you read this story and stories like them. Use them to point your audience to Christ, and so redeem the time and culture of our day. You can even make a good game out of it, like recognizing the Biblical themes and concepts in the book and the parts that neglect a Christian worldview. After all, "there are much worse games to play."* *If you haven't read the book you won't recognize the sentiment behind this statement. But at the end of the third book as Katniss is reflecting on how to move on with her life (as a wife and a mother), she talks about playing a game where she tries to remember every good thing that she has seen someone do. And the book ends with her statement that "there are much worse games to play."
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