Catching Fire

                In honor of the movie release of Catching Fire I decided to reread one of my favorite series. Specifically the middle book, Catching Fire. After Katniss Everdeen came back from the Hunger Games with fellow victor Peeta, life has changed back in district twelve. For starters she’s living in the Victors Village, instead of the Seam, Gale’s relationship with Katniss has become cold, and there have been reported uprisings in the other Districts. But at least she herself won’t be competing in the games anymore. Wrong. In honor of the 75^th Quarter Quell Katniss, and 23 other tributes from the existing pool of Victors from each district, will be returning to the games to fight to the death. The games aren’t over, they’ve just begun.

          The annual Hunger Games requires 24 tributes, 2 from each of the twelve districts, to fight to the death in a bloody battle. There can only be one victor. And despite all odds not one, but two victors made it home from measly, little District Twelve. And all of this because Katniss held out night lock berries, so that instead of one victor the Capitol would have none.  Her punishment, going back into the games she was promised she wouldn’t have to relive. This is unjust to the other victors, who played the brutal games as they were meant to be played. And because of Katniss they are all back in.

          However the Victors don’t blame Katniss, instead they blame their real punisher, the Capitol. To be more specific, President Snow. “Up and down the row, the victor’s hands begin to join. Some right away, like the morphing’s, or Wiress and Betee. Others unsure but caught up in the demands of those around them, like Brutus and Enobaria. By the time the anthem plays its final strains, all twenty-four of us stand in one unbroken line in what must be the first public show of unity among the districts since the Dark Days.” The unity between the Victors represents the victors unwillingness to go back into the games without a fight.

          Unfortunately they are still forced back to play the games. In one heart wrenching scene, after Katniss has just heard everyone she loves screaming for her in the arena, Johanna Mason speaks out, “They can’t hurt me. I’m not like the rest of you. There’s no one else I love.” This shows that the capitol has ruined all their lives, and they can’t do anything about it. As much as Katniss has made it worse for their lives, they see her act of giving out the berries as hope and rebellion. They put aside their feelings for her, and focus on the main enemy Snow and the capitol.

          Catching Fire is about a nation on the edge of rebellion, finally ready to break through the chains of injustice that have been going on for the past 75 years. The only way to stop the injustice is to rebel and to finally stop the games, the death, and get the nation to a state of peace where everyone is not in a state of poverty. Catching Fire is a perfect example of looking past differences and uniting to stop one injustice.