High expectations

This week I watched The Hunger Games with my niece. I have read the books but I'm going to say up front, it's been a while (year and a half?). Anyway, I enjoyed the series--well, enjoyed may not be the right word, but you know what I mean. However, there were some people I know who didn't really like the last book, Mockingjay, because Katniss just wasn't the strong superhero overcoming all the odds that people expect.

I will admit that the third book has a very different feel to it. And no, she doesn't come off as the stereotypical heroine who never lets life get her down. But I don't think that is a bad thing. Because how many people are like that? And how many of you that have had a very hard challenge (or challenges, which is the case for a lot of people, unfortunately) appreciate a heroine that knows that life is hard and sometimes, enduring is a heroic feat? I sometimes feel like the heroine who is never stressed or teary or worn out with all the hardship is pretty shallow. I know that I get worn out by how hard life gets sometimes, and while I try to be the kind of person who always comes out on top, I also know that it's not that easy.

So, yes, I think Mockingjay is not what we expect or even necessarily look for in our heroic protagonists. But I don't think that is bad. I think there is value in showing that there are different types of heroism.

I also think that Mockingjay highlights the clash between Katniss's personality and what circumstances have forced her to become. Katniss was never very comfortable with attention, and never signed up to be an icon, and Mockingjay is all about Katniss the icon. The other books show us Katniss the survivor, which is her strength. Now the story is about Katniss the image, not Katniss the person and that changes things.

Now I feel like I should have this brilliant and witty conclusion (my english and lit teachers ruined me for life--I still cannot write anything without including some kind of conclusion!) but really I guess the moral of this post is that comparing books is fun, but sometimes it is interesting to weigh a book in the context of its characters and plot, rather than other characters and plots and such. The end.