I'm currently reading Mockingjay, which for those of you who live in huts and never see society, it's the final installment of a young adult trilogy called The Hunger Games. I absolutely LOVED the first book. It has been drawing parallels to Twilight, which I can understand--the same demographic is reading it furiously, forgoing laundry to finish it late into the night. The biggest parallel I can see is although Twilight and The Hunger Games are both fantastic stories, they're not very well written as novels. I can see this book unfurling as a film, each scene, each character. I picture a younger Megan Fox as Katniss, Hunter Parrish as Peeta, and I don't care about Gale, because I think he's a weak character with zero development. But Hugh Laurie for Haymitch all the way!
The second book was all right, though not as gripping as the first book. And that leads me to the third book, which literally puts me to sleep every night. The last time I was attempting to read something this tedious was Ender's Game, and I quit after about a week of this.
I'm so sick of whiny, apologetic female characters. Sure, Katniss is strong physically--she's a hunter, an archer, and kind of badass. But what's up with her feeling undeserving of love, relationships, victory? Katniss seems to be the perfect feminist character--she's cunning, she's brave, she's rebellious, and her emotions are rolling but in check. So why is she constantly self-deprecating to the audience, explaining all her moments for self-sacrifice when she's not motivated by charity or love?
It's like reading Bella all over again--whining, moaning, "not special," undeserving. What's wrong with a physically strong character who is also resolve in her self-worth? Katniss's power isn't in rebellion, rallying the Districts together to create a revolution--that's the team around her that set her up to appear that way, through luck. Her power is negation.
Just was thinking last night as I went to bed how tiring it must be to apologize for living all the time. I'll let you know in three weeks when I finally finish Mockingjay.
Yawn.
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1 comment:
Okay, so if I'd gone back to where I left off instead of going backward, I'd know that mockingjay IS the hunger games thing. And I still have zero interest, now that I know more. Because I agree with you: one of the most beautiful female characters ever written is Lizzie Bennett, of Pride and Prejudice, precisely because she IS powerful...but not in a kick-ass kind of way. She knows herself through and through, and she's comfortable with who she is...comfortable enough to admit that sometimes she screws up, but she's still a take-her-or-leave-her lady. I...hate...weak...heroines. If she's going to be a pansy-ass, she'd better have REALLY good reasons for it. And if she's going to be strong and self-contained, she'd better have a reason for that, too.
Admittedly, we are all a bunch of different people stuck in one mind and body...but they have to interact and work together. If they don't (at least in a book), the character must needs be nuts. But most of the time, she's Bella, and it makes me want to scream.
So no hunger games for me. Thanks for confirming that for me.
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