Do you think people understand the messages of the books?

[Alice]

Please do not underestimate younger readers. I agree some may read only for the entertainment factor but me- and my friends- are all rather bookish and have had several discussions about the deeper meaning of the novel- however, it's frightening somewhat how people lap up the violence and keep coming back for more- rather like the people in the Capitol?

[Paleyellowstar]

I agree with you Chloe. I read the books and that was one thing, I was horrified by the killing but my mind was only able to imagine so much. When I saw it in the movie theatre though I was sick to my stomach. I thought they did a good job of being true to the book but I could never watch that movie again. I'm not even sure I could see Catching Fire or Mockingjay.

And I'm not sure who said it, but I agree that Collins' books are a comment on our current society. Maybe we don't have Hunger Games, but we do have an increasing obsession with plastic surgery and reality tv. She just made a caricature of us.

[Cora]

Paleyellowstar said, ... And I'm not sure who said it, but I agree that Collins' books are a comment on our current society. Maybe we don't have Hunger Games, but we do have an increasing obsession with plastic surgery and reality tv. She just made a caricature of us. ..."

This is a good analysis, and one of the reasons books to movies can be tricky. In addition to plastic surgery and reality tv, we have a shrinking middle class and little hope for the poor in our country. In other countries, the poor as as desperate as they are in Hunger Games; First World Nations aren't always generous or helpful toward them.

[Julia]

hunger games is stupid, just think of ur loved one forced to kill others. and get killed. I might have a heart atack

[Ms.]

Eml wrote: "Do you think people understand the messages Collins was trying to teach, or do you think the books are just a form of entertainment? For me, the books showed a lot of deep meaning, but the more peo..."

Most people aren't smart enough to see the message. Read Brave New World. That one has a huge message in it, if you can figure it out(like I did), you can figure out Hunger Games.

Hunger Games is showing us how the government is actually using us. How rebellion and war might be one of the only answers in destroyed world.

We are heading towards that pit of decay, no one has noticed it, but I see it clearly.

Obsession over technology. How people are getting easier to trick. How people can easily be owned(Read Animal Farm by George Orwell).

We are being lead into a fictional world like every dystopian has told us about.

Be careful.
Be VERY careful these days.

Cause if this happens and one of us turns out to be a hero-like symbol...
IT WON'T BE EASY.

If this sounds unrealistic, go ahead and challenge me! I have all the evidence.

Good luck, my fellow readers.
May you figure out the messages of ALL books.

~Jovana

PS The government is very similar to the ones in the books. People don't make governments look evil in books for no reason(hidden message in that sentence.)

[Steph]

Alice wrote: "Please do not underestimate younger readers. I agree some may read only for the entertainment factor but me- and my friends- are all rather bookish and have had several discussions about the deeper..."

Yeah, not all younger readers read for nothing but the entertainment factor but a lot do. I'm a younger reader myself and I don't. I think the reasons the books are so good is the important message, not just the action/romance. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one!

[Fiver]

Not to go hating on anybody, but...

I don't think Collins has a message. I think most people who enjoy Hunger Games (and especially its sequels) are no better than the citizens of Panem: not concerned with the deeper ideas, simply excited at seeing a little girl in violent danger. I'll stick to better dystopian arena fiction (House of Stairs, Ender's Game, etc).

But that's just me.

[Danielle]

I agree completely. I don't think that societies should be praised for these actions. I feel like people don't realize that Collins is reflecting on our society; how cruel we are to one another and vicious in everyday; We are in our own Hunger Games but we don't realize it. We do terrible things to one another but we don't even realize our own brutality when it's portrayed in a novel.
It's not only our brutality but the influence of media and images and the government on us and what that does to our morals and control of ourselves.

[Steph]

Thank you
somebody who really understands the concept of The Hunger Games

[Teresa]

Caroline wrote: "Based on previous comments, I would definitely say no. Most of the comments feature themes like "be grateful for what you have", "love story analysis", etc. Collins was mostly trying to convey to t..."

Yes, this is the message that I took away. I hope at least a few of the kids who read these novels will realize that they need to question what they are told, think about the choices they make.

And most importantly, remember who the enemy is.

[Samantha The Escapist]

Jovana wrote: "Most people aren't smart enough to see the message. Read Brave New World. That one has a huge message in it, if you can figure it out(like I did), you can figure out Hunger Games.

Hunger Games is showing us how the government is actually using us. How rebellion and war might be one of the only answers in destroyed world.

We are heading towards that pit of decay, no one has noticed it, but I see it clearly."


Surprised you can even see your computer from that pedastle you have yourself on. Give people some credit and read the other comments before you post self-praising drivel like that. Most people commented on the same message you did so you can hardly claim to be the only one to see the truth amid a herd of idiots.

[Samantha The Escapist]

Steph wrote: "Alice wrote: "Please do not underestimate younger readers. I agree some may read only for the entertainment factor but me- and my friends- are all rather bookish and have had several discussions ab..."

I'm actually surprised so many young readers do so shallowly, I would think that in a world with a million other options for entertainment the shallow ones would be more likely to choose...well, anything over reading books.

I just always assumed that there was a good number of young readers that may be looking for a message but lack the emotional maturity to pick up on it all (obviously with many exceptions to the rule :)) I've gone back to a few of my old favourites and been shocked at how much I didn't get when I was 12 or 13.

[Eml]

I'm not sure if I should laugh, bang my head against the wall, or feel a little bit better that maybe a couple people get the messages after reading the posts I've missed (46).

First off, I don't remember if I said specifically young readers, because if I did that wasn't fair. Typically I end up arguing with younger readers because they're more likely to go online, but there are plenty of adult readers that have their heads stuck up their rear ends. I was 15 when I first read the Hunger Games, recently I re-read them for a class and I was confused by how many people who read them for the first time couldn’t get over how young Katniss was. I didn’t think anything of her age when I was first reading other than I thought it was cool we were the same age. As people get older, they liked to think they’re more capable than when they were younger; most of the time it’s true, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t younger people more mature than them.

Some of the comments on this forum disappoint me, but I guess they just prove my point-trust me when I say Collins has deeper meaning to the plot. If she didn't, less people would have died. She got into an argument over one particular character's death in Mockingjay with her publisher or editor, which I'm sure you can guess who. She went through it because she wanted to emphasize that war is not a fairytale-you don't get to pick who lives and dies no matter how much you love them. I’m sure writers have a message in every book they write. That’s the idea that drove their writing. It’s not easy writing a book, you can’t do it on a whim. To give you an idea 90000 words isn’t even 150 pages.

I think it’s a taste in preference over whether you want to discuss the messages of a book. If a book moved you, or affected you, chances are you want to talk about what you felt with other people. But, it’s not because you want to be the characters or live like they do in the books; chances are the people who get the messages are the ones who get this. One of my top pet peeves of the Hunger Games fandom is when fans say they want us to be called tributes. I would NEVER want to be a tribute; I would never want to live in world where it was a possibility. I like talking about the messages of the books because I think they point out important issues, ones that shouldn’t go ignored. The more content people are, the easier it is for them to forget the problems of the world (like what happened to the people of the Capitol). This is when people start giving up freedoms. It’s important to discuss war and oppression so that people don’t forget it’s a possibility. That way if it might happen, they can recognize it and stop it before it’s too late.

Sorry for such a long post.

[Kylie]

When I read the Hunger Games, the way it was so easy for the contestants to murder each other was horrifying and sad, but at the same time I can understand why people would say they want to participate. I think it has less to do with the idea of killing other contestants and more to do with how contestants such as Katniss, Peeta, and Rue played the game. Throughout the novel, Katniss's point of view and loyalty were...humbling and inspiring. It really made me wonder what it would be like to be in her situation. Would I be able to face the challenges Katnis did with even half as much courage? Books like this always make me wonder. When you are safe at home just reading these books it's easy to say you would be like Katniss, it's easy to say you would be strong and fearless, but if you were actually living it you would find out for certain wether you are the kind of person you want to be or if you are more like the characters in the book whom you are disgusted by.

[Angie Elle]

Samantha wrote: "Jovana wrote: "Most people aren't smart enough to see the message. Read Brave New World. That one has a huge message in it, if you can figure it out(like I did), you can figure out Hunger Games.

H..."

You worded that nicely. 'Narcissist' was all that was running through my head.

[Tanja]

Dia wrote: "I wonder how many people realize that most of the characters, theme, and even the setting represent the play Juluis Caesar. Some characters have the same names as the characters in the play, the wa..."

I was also thinking of the Colloseum fights, and the idea of peoples awefull hunger to see terrible things, for instance, think about how people tend to stop and stare when there has been a bad car crash.
Not much has changed. good observation!

[Sol]

a lot of people read books for entertainment only and don't even try to understand the meaning ...
sucks but that's how it goes :(

[[deleted user]]

I reckon people took it way too lightly. It's a deep trilogy and people who read it for entertainment have only skimmed along the shallows. They're more interested in the complicated love story than the fate of humanity and the cruelty of this society, Panem. Think about it. Children killing children is not a matter to be taken lightly, nor is death in general. This idea of an unfair society like Panem in the future is a possibility. There is a slightly disturbing fascination with gore. Though, hopefully these books aren't taken seriously by the impressionables. I wonder if these books and movies will cause people to go on hunger strikes just to be like Katniss???
But you're right. There is deep, underlying meaning of these books and not everyone will realise what they are.

[Gustavo]

Eml wrote: "Do you think people understand the messages Collins was trying to teach, or do you think the books are just a form of entertainment? For me, the books showed a lot of deep meaning, but the more peo..."

I think its because we live in a society similar to the capitol where people will watch or do just about anything for entertainment, so long as our government protects us from other countries who don't like what our government is doing, our citizens will turn a blind eye to the rest of the world and there problems.