Mockingjay
discussion
Worst. F**king. Ending. Ever!
Sadly, it seems when someone points out a problem with the ending its only because they skipped over the answer. Whether it was them not recognizing that Peeta was getting better along the way, or missing the part when it explains that Katniss' mom went to district 4? to start a hospital and Gale is in 2 with a 'fancy job'. Or why Gale decided to give Katniss some space. Or the fact that death happens during a war on both sides, and it means loosing characters you may have liked. Or that it written in 1st person about a person running through the streets while being chased by people from both sides of the war... From her perspective things are MOVING FAST aka RUSHED. Its bam bam bam one thing after another no time to stop no time to wait and cry about her fallen comrades. If you stop moving THEY CATCH YOU. I have kids who are 17, 14, & 12, some of whom are in gifted & talented. I have witnessed the difference in comprehension and understanding of the series from the different age levels. And its not all about reading level, but also about maturity. Perhaps the level of writing, subject matter, or literary devices is beyond ones' ability.
Before you complain, make sure it isn't just a case of the Mocking Jay flying over your head! If it did, give it a couple years and try again... you may find its a totally new story.
Mightymoose wrote: "Sadly, it seems when someone points out a problem with the ending its only because they skipped over the answer. Whether it was them not recognizing that Peeta was getting better along the way, or ..."Excellently said.
I agree with a lot of people on this thread that the ending was rushed. Mightymoose, good point that everything was moving quickly for Katniss, but the book wasn't written from her point of view. I found myself wanting to know what life was like in the capitol after coin died. I wanted to get more details about Gale's new job. I wanted to get people's perceptions of the way things ended.When I was reading the first Hunger Games book, I thought of my ideal ending for the series: Katniss kills whoever is in charge (Snow, Coin) and starts her own commune with Peeta and Gale. She chooses both Peeta and Gale instead of just one of them. Unexpected ending, but still happy.
I didn't really like the last book altogether and especially what happen to Peeta,and how he was brainwashed by the captiol. Not to mention how Gale apparently goes off with some other randon woman... WTF? I wanted him and Katniss to a least stay friends like they have been for the past years!
David wrote: "Excuse my "French" in the title, but I can't describe IN WORDS the emotions I felt after concluding the Hunger Games series with Mocking Jay a couple seconds ago! Why did Gale and Katniss have to l..."
That's kind of the point. That's what makes me love this book and Collins so much. She spends the entire making you love the characters and the world she's created, she makes you feel the suspense that Katniss feels.
Then she completely stuns her readers. She left millions of readers, fans, devastated... And I love her for it. She stayed true to her characters and her story and she didn't give two $#?!'s what people thought.
You can say a lot of things about Mockingjay, but you'll still be talking about it, because Collins created a world that makes you think and you will never be able to forget it.
That's kind of the point. That's what makes me love this book and Collins so much. She spends the entire making you love the characters and the world she's created, she makes you feel the suspense that Katniss feels.
Then she completely stuns her readers. She left millions of readers, fans, devastated... And I love her for it. She stayed true to her characters and her story and she didn't give two $#?!'s what people thought.
You can say a lot of things about Mockingjay, but you'll still be talking about it, because Collins created a world that makes you think and you will never be able to forget it.
@Cait- MJ IS written in first person, so if its not from Katniss' pov than to whom does all of the I's and my's refer to? And while I agree with your idea of Kat and her guys staying all together, I doubt the publishers would've allowed polyamory (but kids killing each other savagely in a game is OK. Go figure.) @Hasara- I missed the part about Gale running off with a random woman. Do you happen to remember where that happened or what was going on around that time so I can reread it?
Seriously I wished Katniss killed herself.Would make it an adult ending
I loved the ending. I felt that if there had been a happy go lucky ending to this series it would have ruined it for me. I wish Prim didn't have to die, but I felt that Collins was trying to portray how cruel Coin could be. Katniss, throughout this book had questions about Coin, so once Prim was murdered by Coin using a weapon that Gale helped create, it was plain as day to Katniss what kind of monster Coin could be. I thought it was right for Katniss to end up with Peeta. He was what she needed after everything she had been through. Also, Katniss was a little messed up in the head and Peeta could relate to that. No, it wasn't the 'I will die without you' kind of love, and I was grateful for that. The point of the story for me wasn't a love triangle anyways. It was more about survival and Katniss needed Peeta to survive.
Kirby wrote: "Eli wrote: "Kirby wrote: "Rylee wrote: "Anika "Who loves chocolate" wrote: "Prim had to die for many reasons.. Katniss wouldn't have killed Coin if Prim hadn't have died. Gale was responsible for P..."You pretty much just summed up my feelings on the book. Not the best I've ever read, but I enjoyed myself and was entertained and while I'd be happy if Prim and Finnick didn't die, I see the point in it.
Initially I did not like the ending. I recapped everything that happened and then I loved the ending. Controversy endings are great for books in my opinion because it gets people thinking and questioning the book. If the ending was happy and perfect no one would be discussing the ending. Great way not to have a fantasy ending! I also agree with others who stated this last book is not for younger children.
There's a theory that Gale actually died in district 13 and no one wanted to tell Katniss because it would break her.
Alex wrote: "There's a theory that Gale actually died in district 13 and no one wanted to tell Katniss because it would break her."I'd like to hear more about this theory because Gale was alive at the end of the war, he'd helped Katniss prepare for Snow's execution.
Mightymoose wrote: "Alex wrote: "There's a theory that Gale actually died in district 13 and no one wanted to tell Katniss because it would break her."I'd like to hear more about this theory because Gale was alive a..."
so would I because I was under the same impression as yourself Mightymoose
Trimane wrote: "Initially I did not like the ending. I recapped everything that happened and then I loved the ending. Controversy endings are great for books in my opinion because it gets people thinking and ques..."
what age would be 'younger children' (im just askin cuz im 13 in 2 week :p)
what age would be 'younger children' (im just askin cuz im 13 in 2 week :p)
Kristin wrote: "I'm so tired of people getting mad about the ending of this book. ITS A CIVIL WAR!! The ending isn't supposed to be fair or happy, its REAL! War and poverty leave orphans, widows, childless parents..."I'm talking about how she orginized the end. From a literary stand point she messed it up. We aren't talking abou the sadness of it, we are talking abou thow she got LAZY AND SMASHED all the elements of the story, in one shitty ending. God!
Mightymoose wrote: "Sadly, it seems when someone points out a problem with the ending its only because they skipped over the answer. Whether it was them not recognizing that Peeta was getting better along the way, or ..."I'm saying that Collins, her self had poor skills as a author in ending the book, she didn't follow the Climax, Falling Action, ending rule properly. I understand perfectly that she tried to make it real in the scnece you don't have time to mourn fallen comrads when they die. She left so many unanzswerd questions. And THAT has nothing to deal with the realness or any elements on Mockingjay in particular. It has to do with simply ending a book in a "I'm tierd, lets kill this one and blow this one up so I don't have to write new plots for them" kind of way.
To me at least, I didn't notice any questions that are left unanswered; in a way, if there were too many details, it'd come across as being too textbook/formulaic for me. I thought the whole composition was effortlessly natural and contrary to what it might've looked like, was planned meticulously to be presented as such.My only gripe, if I were to be nitpicking, was how "only" the main characters survived that whole tunnel incident. But of course, this is fiction and there'd be no story to tell if you insist on everything being "real" or "logical".
I think i may be the only person who though the end of the serves was perfect...
i still hate the ending, it was too rushed!
Michael wrote: "I agree completely. I loved Hunger Games, thought Catching Fire was a decent sequel, and felt Mockingjay was a total mess.I feel stongly that YA novels, however dark their plots, should end on a..."
All YA books should not end on a positive note. What is that teaching kids? Not everything is a happily ever after scenario in real life. I liked the ending of this book because it didn't end in fairy tale happiness. That's what makes this series stand apart from every other YA series I have ever read. I felt it ended how it was supposed to. The whole story was dark and I felt it ended as happily as it could. If Prim had lived and Katniss ended up with Gale it wouldn't have been as good.
CC wrote: "The only thing I hate about all of this is that Finnick and Cinna died, other than that Im good. I mean for me it's all about the perspective. All of this horrible shit happened to Katniss/everybod..."I wish there was a like button here as there is on facebook cause I could like the crap out of your comment.
I loooooved the books, but the last one could have been so much better and was a dud compared to the other two. I really hated the ending, it was just so bitter that Katniss didn't see Gale or her mother again. She was literally thrust to Peeta, she has no final dillema or anything, it was just so sad. I hate the end.
I loved the first two books, but when i came to this one... i found it really just kind of boring until katniss started training to go take on the capitol. And what was up with Peeta just suddenly returning to himself at the very end? It even wasnt explained or anything, he just snapped back into himself after trying to kill katniss twice?!I think my problem with this book is that it didnt seemed resolved, like it shouldve been 100 pages longer to explain what happened to all the characters.
I feel like she only ended up with Peeta because he returned to Victor village, and Collins made it seem like if it was Gale that came back instead Katniss may have chosen him. And about Gale... there was literally only less than a paragraph that explained what happened to him, and it was a distant, devoid of all emotion paragraph, which ticked me off because he was such an important loveable character who kept Katniss in line. And her mom... she was just kind of blipped out of oblivion halfway through the book and then abandoned her daughter at the end when she needed her the most?
I guess overall im not really bellyaching about HOW it ended so much as the WAY it ended. If collins wanted to kill off 85% of her characters at the end of the book, be my guest. But at least do it in a way that doesnt seemed rushed, almost like she had a set amount of pages and took too much time explaining the interworkings of district 13 and now has to rush the end because shes going to run out of room. For someone who wrote such a beautiful, original piece of work such as the hunger games i guess i was just hoping for an amazing ending no
matter how sad it wouldve been.
Let me just say it outright: the ending didnt have much of an effect on me because it was badly executed. DISAPPOINTED
Ashley wrote: "Michael wrote: "I agree completely. I loved Hunger Games, thought Catching Fire was a decent sequel, and felt Mockingjay was a total mess.I feel stongly that YA novels, however dark their plots, ...
All YA books should not end on a positive note. What is that teaching kids? Not everything is a happily ever after scenario in real life. I liked the ending of this book because it didn't end in fairy tale happiness. "
I didn't say that all YA stories should end happily-ever-after. Tragic things happen in life and literature often mirrors this. But within the darkness and gloom there is always room for some hope and compassion. If novelists leave this out of the ending, some readers may be left feeling empty and lost, as this thread clearly demonstrates.
Jenn wrote: "...I don't care whether Katniss end up with someone - Peeta/Gale, I just wished she ended up as strong and determined as she was in the first. "I agree, I hated to see Katniss so broken and worthless. Although I agree with Kristin's comment as well that it made sense as an ending, it kind of bothered me how from the very beginning, Mockingjay was just the long, drawn-out story of Katniss being used by the (Capitol and District 13) government and her slowly devolving into madness. It's realistic, but it's not that interesting as a storyline. Who wants to see their fiery heroine break down into a state of mental debilitation?
While I get that Katniss had every right to react that way, I have a LOT of respect for Gale and his resolve to keep going. I hope he didn't just go for some cushy job, but that he took a real position enforcing justice within the government so that nothing like what happened ever occurs again--a role I would have liked to see Katniss in, had she not, as I said before, devolved into madness.
Or if Katniss could not rebuild herself into a valuable human being, at least let her kill herself. Was that never a viable option?
David wrote: "Cause Collins ended the book in a hasty, and sloppy manner that made me and other readers feel puzzled at the end."That is really the perfect way to put it. Who died and who lived I didn't find too bad, just the overall rushed manner of it.
Two entire books were about a month long games process, and the third book is about an entire months long rebellion. It really just felt thrown together to me. Very disappointing third book in an otherwise brilliant series.
I LOVED the ending to Mockingjay. I loved Mockingjay in general! The problem is that people wanted a nice, lighthearted ending where they lived happily ever after and everything was fine. However, the reality is that the series is about war and rebellion and so in my opinion, the ending to Mockingjay was an amazingly realistic ending to the series. After everything that happened in the series, OF COURSE Katniss and Peta would be damaged and broken on the inside. Prim needed to die for Katniss to kill Coin. Finnick's death was horrible but also just added to the war theme of the book. The point of Mockingjay was to devastate us and it so clearly did!
This is what I loved about it. It was a heart wrenching and tragic yet (what I found) somewhat peaceful end to an awesome trilogy.
Brianna wrote: I agree, I hated to see Katniss so broken and worthless... I have a LOT of respect for Gale and his resolve to keep going. I hope he didn't just go for some cushy job, but that he took a real position enforcing justice within the government so that nothing like what happened ever occurs again--a role I would have liked to see Katniss in, had she not, as I said before, devolved into madness.Please tell me you're joking.
From the top: in the space of a little over 2 years, Katniss was forced to fight and kill in a gladiatorial arena twice, watch people she grew to like murdered, had to play at loving Peeta for the cameras to get aid from sponsors (despite maybe loving another man), keep up that charade so ALL of her friends and family got to live, found out she was the symbol of a rebellion, led said rebellion to the overthrow of a government, watched MORE of her friends die, watched the person she loved most in the word (as well as the person she went to the Hunger Games to save in the first place!!!) killed by the same weapon her "boyfriend" created, executed a major political figure... and you don't think that staying alive and semi-sane is good enough?!?
Do yourself a major favor: go and read The Long Walk (it's short... should only take a couple of days), right to the end, and explain how Katniss is "weak" or "mad" in comparison.
Like I said before: after the mess Collins made with "Mockingjay," the ending was THE ONLY PART of the book that made any sense to me.
Bill wrote: "Brianna wrote: I agree, I hated to see Katniss so broken and worthless... I have a LOT of respect for Gale and his resolve to keep going. I hope he didn't just go for some cushy job, but that he to..."
O.o
O.o
All throughout, I kept telling myself how annoying Katniss got (reminded me of the stupidity that Bella did throughout the series). And I also must say, I never felt annoyed with Harry for the things that he did. With Katniss though, she was sad and depressed the entire book. Any normal person would feel that way, but I really thought that Katniss was supposed to be a role model, to show what a strong woman is supposed to be not what an average woman is like. Instead she turned out to be whinny and annoying (aka Bella).I also agree about Gale, I was on his side since the beginning of the series and not once did I think that Peeta was the right one. Don't get me wrong, I loved Peeta's compassion and kindness and I thought he was a great character and a good friend for Katniss (after all, they were in the Hunger Games together [twice]). But Gale was a strong rock in her life. He protected her and her family as if they are his own. She admitted it herself in CF that anything other than Gale is unthinkable. She couldn't detach him from what happened to Prim because it may have been his bomb? In that case, how can she detach Peeta from the rebellion (and all the deaths that followed) if it is because of him that she thought of the berries? I just think that Gale got unfair treatment. He sacrificed his life to rescue Peeta, risked not making it underground so that he can grab Katniss's memorabilia in 13 and stood by her side no matter how hard it was for him and that's what he gets?
Actually, while reading the book, I thought that Gale would be killed off and Katniss would be too guilty to end up with Peeta because she would be thinking about Gale. As much as I wouldn't have wanted to see Gale die, I think it would have reminded Katniss of how precious he really was to her. I also thought that she would be the leader of the post-rebellion Panem, after all, she knew what it was like to experience hardship because of the Capitol and she should be able to contribute in planning a new society. Instead, she was too sad and depressed and never really got to explain why she killed Coin. The whole ending was just so off. She needed to stand up and say that Coin used everyone so she can rise to power and she should have embraced the role as leader (with help from Plutarch, Haymitch and the others). Maybe Cinna should have been found alive to help motivate her as well.
I also agree about Finnick, he never got a fair ending either. He suffered enough and should have been allowed to have more happiness. OR if he would die, let him die a noble death and not just be thrown into the death pool along with the others.
I understand why it happened but I was sad when Prim died, not because of my attachment to the character but more because of the pain that Katniss would experience. I'm sure Collins wanted to demonstrate the irony of Katniss's volunteering to take her place in the HG.
Overall, I just must say that I wasn't very satisfied with the book. Katniss wasn't given fair treatment by Collins because she didn't live up to our expectations as a strong woman.
Ps: did she really vote in favor of a final Hunger Games FOR Prim? Sounds pretty good to me, why not end the reign of the Capitol by making more innocent children die for the sins of the predecessors? Sounds legit to me...
Anika "Who loves chocolate" wrote: "Prim had to die for many reasons.. Katniss wouldn't have killed Coin if Prim hadn't have died. Gale was responsible for Prims death so Gale knew that Katniss wouldn't be able to forgive him for tha..."But what about the fact that Gale wasn't really responsible, he had a n idea for a trap, they were at war after all and they needed his expertise on killing the enemy. No way in hell did he intend for Prim to be the one killed. In fact, he spent the entire series feeding and protecting Prim. I think it was silly of Katniss to end a long friendship with Gale because he was "responsible". Katniss then is responsible for destroying District 12 and forcing Gale to watch children burn to death (as he explained in the book). But I don't see Gale holding that over her head. I don't mean that in a rude way against you, I just don't think that Gale was at fault.
Chace wrote: "All throughout, I kept telling myself how annoying Katniss got (reminded me of the stupidity that Bella did throughout the series). And I also must say, I never felt annoyed with Harry for the thin..."
wow! i completely agree!
wow! i completely agree!
HATED THE ENDING! i was really happy that peeta and katniss came together, but it was soooooooooo rushed. s. Collins did great in the other books building up the relationship of katniss and peeta, then she destroyed the whole thing! then, a sentence on the last page of the real book part was " peeta and i grew back together" NO! expand a little make us happy! come on. i rather have her end up with gale if that meant it was more interesting! plus the epilogue didn't really explain what happened to peeta, katniss, and everyone else. Oh Suzzane why die out on the most important part! But, it was the best series of books i had ever read... EVER!
Charlotte wrote: "The one thing I didn't like was the way Collins kind of brushed off Katniss and Peeta's reconciliation. Prim died for a reason and I didn't really care about the whole Gale thing."Finally, SOMEONE understands
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! I hated the ending 2 but I LOVED the rest of the series but the end messed it all up :(
O.o Trust me... I went really easy on her. I was tempted to let fly with guns blazing, but it seemed like overkill.
Chace wrote: "All throughout, I kept telling myself how annoying Katniss got (reminded me of the stupidity that Bella did throughout the series). And I also must say, I never felt annoyed with Harry for the thin..."
1) Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. Did you seriously just compare Katniss to Bella? No. Katniss had her flaws (I don't even particularly like her) but you cannot seriously sit there and say she's just like Bella. Katniss goes through a lot through out the series, so yeah, she kind of has a right to complain a bit. If there's one thing Katniss isn't, that's helpless, which is the only way I can really explain Bella.
You can't really compare Katniss to Harry either. Harry was created to be a role model. He was your classic hero. He has strong sense of right and wrong (of course, he always does the right thing). He's a bit conflicted and may even have a bit of a dark side, but he'd never act on it. He always puts everyone before himself and always does the righteous thing. Your typical "good guy".
Katniss on the other hand, was created to be real. She makes mistakes. Morals only go so far. She wasn't meant to a role model. She's just a girl, who was thrown into the lion's den and told to survive.
2) I think him getting blamed for the bombs is total crap. Yes, he (possibly) created, but he didn't drop them on Prim. You can't blame Smith & Wesson because someone shot your brother, this is no different.
I decided that I didn't like him, when he asked Katniss to run away with him the second time. Like, he basically says: "Screw our friends. Screw our country. Let's bounce."
3)The ending was so abrupt and random.. I loved it.
I don't really understand what Collins was trying to do with Gale just basically falling off of them map, but honestly? I don't like Gale, so I didn't really care what happened to him.
Half of me hates that Katniss and Peeta got together and half of me loves it.
I hate it because, I love Peeta. Katniss acts like she's settling and I really don't feel like she really loves him. Peeta deserves so much better than that.
I love it, because that's how so many marriage's are today. I'm kind of getting tired of stories constantly ending with the main character being in this perfect relationship, with the perfect guy. The realism makes me love it.
4) People, loved ones, die randomly in wars everyday. His meaningless death, was so important, because of realism.
5) I don't think it was just the irony. To me Prim represents all of the good and innocence that wars destroy.
6) You can say a lot of things about Katniss, but after everything she's suffered throughout the books, how can you say she wasn't strong?
7) There are a lot of theories as to why Katniss voted for another Hunger Games. I think most people say, it was to get closer to President Coin, but, the only person who really knows is Collins and, for the time being at least, she isn't divulging any information.
1) Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. Did you seriously just compare Katniss to Bella? No. Katniss had her flaws (I don't even particularly like her) but you cannot seriously sit there and say she's just like Bella. Katniss goes through a lot through out the series, so yeah, she kind of has a right to complain a bit. If there's one thing Katniss isn't, that's helpless, which is the only way I can really explain Bella.
You can't really compare Katniss to Harry either. Harry was created to be a role model. He was your classic hero. He has strong sense of right and wrong (of course, he always does the right thing). He's a bit conflicted and may even have a bit of a dark side, but he'd never act on it. He always puts everyone before himself and always does the righteous thing. Your typical "good guy".
Katniss on the other hand, was created to be real. She makes mistakes. Morals only go so far. She wasn't meant to a role model. She's just a girl, who was thrown into the lion's den and told to survive.
2) I think him getting blamed for the bombs is total crap. Yes, he (possibly) created, but he didn't drop them on Prim. You can't blame Smith & Wesson because someone shot your brother, this is no different.
I decided that I didn't like him, when he asked Katniss to run away with him the second time. Like, he basically says: "Screw our friends. Screw our country. Let's bounce."
3)The ending was so abrupt and random.. I loved it.
I don't really understand what Collins was trying to do with Gale just basically falling off of them map, but honestly? I don't like Gale, so I didn't really care what happened to him.
Half of me hates that Katniss and Peeta got together and half of me loves it.
I hate it because, I love Peeta. Katniss acts like she's settling and I really don't feel like she really loves him. Peeta deserves so much better than that.
I love it, because that's how so many marriage's are today. I'm kind of getting tired of stories constantly ending with the main character being in this perfect relationship, with the perfect guy. The realism makes me love it.
4) People, loved ones, die randomly in wars everyday. His meaningless death, was so important, because of realism.
5) I don't think it was just the irony. To me Prim represents all of the good and innocence that wars destroy.
6) You can say a lot of things about Katniss, but after everything she's suffered throughout the books, how can you say she wasn't strong?
7) There are a lot of theories as to why Katniss voted for another Hunger Games. I think most people say, it was to get closer to President Coin, but, the only person who really knows is Collins and, for the time being at least, she isn't divulging any information.
The only reason I didn't like the epilogue is because Katniss seemed so sad. Years have passed after Prim's death, and she even has kids with Peeta, but still, she can't get over the pain caused by her loss of Prim. I know that it's a little unfair to be angry at her for that, but I think she should've moved on, even for just a little bit. Even if it's just for her kids. And I liked how the ending showed more flaws in Katniss's character. I hate those perfect characters who have no faults. And the decision with another Hunger Games just further showed the contrast between Katniss's and Peeta's characters, which even in the beginning, has been strongly implied.Anyway, you might want to join this awesome group: Erudite Readers. If you'll join, can you do me a favor? Please mention that I invited you. Thanks guys! :)
I regret starting Mockingjay, started off bad and ended worse quite pleased I won't ever have to re-read it again! Such a shame as the other books were really good and fast-paced!
Wow. Okay. Um, I think everyone just needs to take a step back and think about it. When I first read Mockingjay, I was angry, I was upset and I was furiously sure that I did not like the book. But in hindsight, and in re-reading the entire trilogy several times, I can honestly say that the series really couldn't have ended in a better way. The first two books were leading up to this: A full scale war. And that's exactly what this book was.By the sounds of it, most of you were looking for a nice neat ending. But that's not what war is. War is destruction and chaos, it's messy and irrational. And unfortunately, Prim had to die. Without it, nothing would have changed. And everything needed to change for the series to end properly.
There was a lot of emotion when Prim died honestly, you just didn't see it. Katniss loved Prim more than anything, I think everyone can agree on that. So when Prim died, she went into a state of numbness, I guess you'd call it. It wasn't that she wasn't sad, it was that she simply refused to feel anything at all. She couldn't. Prim was the reason for all of it, the reason Katniss became the mockingjay. The idea of everything they went through being meaningless, which is how Katniss viewed it, was too much to bear. And so she receded into her numb stage. Eventually though, she does snap out of it and there is nothing but raw emotion when she does. So, yeah. There was emotion when she died.
As for Peeta, because a couple of people seem to think that he just magically changed back to how he was. No. He didn't. He struggled horribly trying to piece together what was real and what wasn't. It was a long and confusing journey in which he slowly, piece by piece got back part of who he was. But in all honesty, by the end, he wasn't even the person he was.
Coin died quickly because they wanted it over. They didn't want revenge or to make her suffer. They wanted it to end. They wanted the war, the Hunger Games, the suffering, the pain to be over. That's all they wanted, and that's what her death brought. Well, in theory it did.
Hell, after reading all these comments, I'm wondering if some of you even read the book. The ending may have not been satisfying or the fairy tale happy ending that some of you were looking for, but it was real. An that's what made it good. Because it was real, they survived and now they have to bear the burdens and the scars for the rest of their days.
I regret absolutely nothing about reading the books and I love the ending, as hurtful and awful as it is. I wouldn't change a thing.
Ciao.
I though the ending had a bittersweet taste to it, but I liked it. I liked that Katniss and Peeta could start a life together, like they should have. Prim dying did make me sad and pissed, but we have to think war has casuallities and it was always a possibility of any of the leads dying. :/
Anika "Who loves chocolate" wrote: "Prim had to die for many reasons.. Katniss wouldn't have killed Coin if Prim hadn't have died. Gale was responsible for Prims death so Gale knew that Katniss wouldn't be able to forgive him for tha..."I agree with your comment overall but I do think that regardless of Prim's staying alive, Katniss would have ended up with Peeta. Maybe it would have taken longer for her to make up her mind, but in the line in which she expalins why she went for Peeta, Prim's death is not mentioned at all nor the fact that she couldn't forgive Gale.
Maybe she's in a rush. A deadline to meet or something. :)The ending - (and I'm referring to how it is written ) is not preented well. The very thing that makes it boring. I mean they survive right? So atleast there should be flicker of hope in the end. It's kinda blunt ending.
I had no idea what she was doing with the end of the book!WTH! OK I can deal with nearly all of Katniss's little 'star' squad dying as the get to the capital (I was sooooo sad when Finnick died!) but then what......
you think Gale get's captured, an the idiot that Katniss has become FORGETS to shoot him (of course I'm glad she didn't now I know how it ended up) but if Gale was not going to make for THAT, I would hate Katniss. Next everything is getting so serious, the rebels are fighting, the peace makers are fighting, and I guessed Snow was going to kill all those children! It was so dramatic and I had no idear how Katniss would stop....any of this, and what do you know it......SHE DOSEN'T!!!!!
Prim dies.......*cry a little inside*
What happens from there, is literaly the worst pool of words cobbled together to resemble a story I have ever read!
Yes I'm glad Coin died, they stopped Snow and of course there had to be some heartache aat the end of this book but.........WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT!
The reason, I think, that I really hated it was becaue.........
we lost Katniss.
That brave heroine we all loved (maybe not all of us) in the second and first book was gone. Dealing with losing Prim, basically drove her mad.....it broke her. For me though, that character was never re-built. I swear to God I would have liked it better if Katniss actually DIED.
Not only though, was Katniss's ending bad, Gale was jst cut off and left in District 2 (I don't blame him for Prim's death) a few people go back to District twelve (not many names there) and did they ever have those final Hunger Games?
We don't know!
Because the author left everyone with huge question marks hanging over their heads thinking what the hell has happened here?
The ending, it can be said, is one of the most important parts of a book, it can shape your entire veiw on it. A rushed ending leaves you with question, a boring ending leaves you're last thoughts of the book dull. They have to be planned carefully, all angles observed and spoken for. Suzzanne I've got to say...............
You just ruined it.
You F***ing ruined it.
David,I couldn't have said it better myself. When I finished this book, I was so angry, but mostly about how things ended with Gale and Katniss. I hated that he is turned into some kind of war mongering psychopath who will do anything, ANYTHING, to win what he thinks is the right side of the war. The Gale in the first book would not have been treated this way in the end. I still believe that Katniss and Gale make a much better pair than Katniss and Peeta ever would. I also hated how Katniss just ends up deciding to finally love Peeta and have his kids...she SETTLES!?! I get that she is heartbroken over the death of her sister, but she doesn't even seem happy at the end. Like she just finally decides that Peeta is better than no one, so she might as well breed. It was totally anti-climactic and disappointing. Well put.
Angie
Despite, what everyone says I found this book as amazing as the others. It had some weaknesses,of course, but I think the whole idea of Katniss being the symbol of rebellion was well played out. I loved her duallity of feelings and her distrust on the rebels. The whole book was meant to have an epic ending. I was sad that Finnick died. He was one of the best characters in the book and the part about his character was my favourite of all. All that he endured thanks to Snow's tyranny and his tender love for Annie...Made him a better character.
Unlike some say, I do think Katniss chose Peeta because she liked him best. If she really wanted Gale, she'd have gone after him and if she wanted to be alone she would. She says the one she won't survive without would be Peeta,but I don't think that's literally what she meant. I think Peeta was someone who she loved purely and I think they'd been through too much together to be separated. As for Gale, he wasn't really her back up. Finnick ended up being more.
And honestly, I don't see her doing for Gale half the things she did for Peeta.
Yes, Prim's death was unnecessary and FInnick's death, too...But we must see that Collins was trying to show us that war is not fair. It doesn't choose fairly.
And I couldn't disagree more about Katniss. I think she was herself throughout the whole series and to be honest, the fact she couldn't cope with many things in the book, only show how she is such a complex and intriguing character.
Heaven wrote: "Chace wrote: "All throughout, I kept telling myself how annoying Katniss got (reminded me of the stupidity that Bella did throughout the series). And I also must say, I never felt annoyed with Harr..."I guess the main reason that I would compare Katniss with Bella is her behavior. Of course, Bella crumbled the second Edward left town BUT Katniss spent the majority of the last book being numb and depressed. Of course she's been through a lot and it's perfectly understandable. Not listening to what others say and making grand last minute decisions is something that Bella did too and it didn't exactly add to her charm. I still think Katniss is better than Bella but there are similarities.
2) I think with Gale (and Katniss) they were brought up with the idea of survival. They both had to do what they needed to protect their families. Even Katniss admitted to Peeta on the roof before the first Hunger Games that she can't afford to think about things that are beyond the survival of her family. So when Gale wanted to run, it was for preservation reasons which was the custom in their world. Other than Peeta, the town watched Katniss and her family almost starve to death. I loved Gale, his love for his family and Katniss was unconditional and they had a long friendship (even the word friendship isn't enough to describe their relationship) and then he ended up in District 2 never to be heard from again? That's not fair.
3) Good point about Peeta. I guess Katniss did not really leave much of her thoughts to her love life throughout the series and it makes sense that she wouldn't become a hopeless romantic by the end of the series. She needed a companion and Peeta was there.
4) You're right about that, everyone dies. I do think that if Finnick died, his death should have been more important than what it was. Maybe it's my "Hollywood" glasses that like main characters but I just wanted to see a more noble death from him (if he was to die). But you're right, as far as realism goes, it definitely makes sense.
5) Good point about Prim. I mostly thought about it as an irony thing. I'm not one of those people that hates the fact that Prim died, I like the twist and the sadness of it all adds to the greatness of the series. It makes sense that it just shows us how destructive war is. The whole series is about how innocent children suffer.
6) It's not that I don't think that Katniss isn't strong, I just wish she was stronger. That maybe all the horrible things that happened should have given her strength to become a great leader, beyond the promos of the Mockingjay. As I said, it's perfectly understandable that Katniss would fall apart after everything that happened but I guess I wanted more for her. I get it, most people would fall apart after this but Katniss is not most people.
I have many problems with this book, but ill just point out a few..The way Prim died was ridicules! Since nothing is ever EXPAINED properly... I guess we're suppose to just assume Katniss's mom is a total idiot who lets her precious daughter Prim go into a war zone...She may not be the #1 mom ... but yeah i don't think so. Not buying it. At the same time its hard for me to believe that Prim would go off without telling her mom in the first place. I wasn't even attached to Prim and this aggravated me! Then there is Finnick..my beloved Finnick :( Katniss and her team could've stayed back in district 13, eating milk soaked bread, and the same outcome would've happened; therefor, Finnick wouldn't have died for a POINTLESS mission!If Katniss could've somehow assassinated Snow during the process then maybe I would've accepted Finnick dying for a Nobel cause. errr ok so the ending.. Very Vague. I wanted to know more about the aftermath concerning the new government system and the districts etc.. but noo. It's left open for way to much interpretation. Emotional book yes. But that doesn't automatically make it a good one in my opinion.
I think you have to look at the books in the context for which they are written.Prim death: It is important to point out that these characters do not exist in our realm but in a future existence where children fight each other to the death, it is televised and watch from birth to their death on a yearly basis. It is also mentioned that the children do not have normal childhoods and are expected to start work from an extremely early age to help support the family. The children do not play and run around being children, they are raised to be enslaved by the machine. For Prim to be in the middle of the war makes perfect sense because in this world, she is not a child but a cog in the machine.
Parents: The parents feed their child but they never really truly raise their children to be free thinking individuals. They are raised to exist and try to survive the best that they can. I don't think that Prim's mother would have a say into where her daughters are sent, no matter what side she was on.
Katniss: She is a reluctant hero. The path that she was on was not chosen by her, it was thrusted at her and no matter what she tried to do, she really was not in charge of her own destiny. She never had total free choice except during key moments, ie taking Prim's place, standing up for Gale's during his torture, having a part in the war itself. She did not want to be the symbol of the resistence, she was chosen.
She wasn't very good at making decisions on a whole and most of the ones she did make, had dire consequences on those around her because she made them without thinking. They were made from the gut or on a whim to various results.
Snow and Gale were more than happy to place the Capitol children and make them play in the Hunger Games if they should win. It was also in their prime interest to kill as many and enslave the Capital populations in pretty much the same way that they were enslaved themselves creating a paradox in their logic, starting the whole situation over again but with new people in power, doing what the previous leader had. This would have made the world no different than what had occur.
Katniss saw this and commented on this a couple of times within her narrative. This is when her feelings for Gale started to change because through his good intentions, he because a war monger that lead down a dangerous road.
This leading to the ending with Peeta. This is actually a natural ending that she didn't really chose for herself. It is a path that she once again fell into. Katniss just accepts her fate and does what she has to do making her a reluctant hero throughout the trilogy.
She is still a strong woman character who plays the part well and at the end she is doing what needs to do to survive. I think it is also to note that she does have a child with Peeta, something she said that she would never do. This proved two things, one that she was in love with Peeta and a decision she actually made for herself.
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Totally agree with you.