Why is the Hunger Games so popular with teens?
Yesterday, I did several Hunger Games interviews. I decided to post a few excerpts here and will provide links to the complete interviews (which are much more extensive) as soon as they're online. ------------------------------------
The power of The Hunger Games is in its messages, and in book form, in the power of its writing.
First, teens are acutely aware of bullying, harassment, shows of status, and the power of adults over their lives. Those of us who are adults can easily remember what all of these things feel like—and depending on our professions, we may still experience some of them from time to time.
As President Snow says in the film, "Hope is the only thing more powerful than fear."
Teens must hope that the future will be better. Parents must hope that the future will be better. In today's world, everyone's worried about jobs, health care, housing, education, and simply survival. Will our children be able to survive in today's world, much less tomorrow's world?
The Hunger Games brings these fears and these hopes into full focus.
Second, both teens and adults are acutely aware of the division of "haves versus have-nots," that is, the 1% of people who control all the riches and the 99% of people who increasingly struggle to provide for their families.
The Hunger Games brings this division into full focus.
Third, both teens and adults want to be true to themselves. We want to feel free to express ourselves freely, and in real life, much of what we say and do feels stifled to the point of claustrophobia. God help us if we say the wrong thing. God help us if we displease the wrong person. A huge theme in The Hunger Games is "to thine ownself be true." Katniss and Peeta both struggle with this issue against the backdrop of a reality television program in which they must fight to the death. Will Peeta stop being himself? He wonders. Can Katniss pretend enough in front of the cameras to win sponsors? She has to try really hard to do it.
Fourth, absolute power corrupts. When adults stifle teens too much or try to control their every move, teenagers don't like it at all. Nobody likes to be told what to do all the time. Nobody likes to be under anyone else's thumb. In The Hunger Games, the Capitol has complete power over everyone. In the first novel and movie, it's President Snow and his cronies, and later in Mockingjay, it's President Coin.
And fifth, it seems there are no boundaries to human cruelty and human caring. Again, we all know this as a truism. It never ceases to amaze us when somebody—a stranger or even a close friend—turns on us out of the blue, attacks and harasses us for seemingly no reason, maybe out of selfish motivations or greed or… fill in the blank, folks. As with the Capitol, there are no boundaries to human selfishness and cruelty. As for kindness, Katniss and Peeta are both supreme examples of the best we can be as humans. Katniss takes care of Rue in the Games. Peeta's willing to sacrifice himself to save her life, and vice-versa. This is true kindness, and it never ceases to amaze us in real life when someobody—even a stranger—goes out of his or her way to make our lives a tiny bit better.
