BLOGGING THE HUNGER GAMES pt. 23: Waiting For The Damn Fight To Start Already

Just after saying that I didn't think there was a lot of thematic content involving “hunger” in a book called “The Hunger Games,” Suzanne Collins threw me a bone (no pun intended). This chapter has lots of little details revolving around food and the way it can sustain or destroy us. There's nothing particularly meaty, though, (pun sort of intended).

As we reach the end of this book I think I'm finally circling the real issue, which is a kind of terminal vagueness. The sci-fi and dystopian elements of Panem are interesting, but in a survey course sort of way—for a book about a post-apocalyptic world it's neither very political nor very scientific. Katniss and Peeta's relationship is vague in two or three too many ways: his feelings are unclear and so are hers, and so we don't know whether to root for them to get together or not, even as its basically the only thing driving this story forward. I mean, if Katniss really doesn't like him, who cares how he feels? Who the fuck is Peeta to us, even now? And why does Gale come up every now and then? Who the fuck is Gale, really? And then there's the way the little thematic beats—Katniss's issues with her mother, with her father, the concept of hunger, Katniss's political awakening(s)—haven't added up to anything. Odds are they set up developments in later books, but that's not a good enough excuse. This book is an unsatisfying meal.

Chapter 23

Peeta urges Katniss to take it easy with the food they just received; it's so rich she may have trouble keeping it down. Much like Peeta's corn-fed jizz am I right? Oh god, that's awful, instead let's note that the over-rich food probably foreshadows the way hardscrabble Katniss will have to adjust to wealth when she wins the games. That's a much more astute point. (“My dick is a much more astute point.”-Peeta) So they eat just a little, and then Peeta prods Katniss to talk a little more about how he has “no competition.” As usual, this scene feels like Suzanne Collins is following some kind of formula. One sentence that indicates Katniss's love for Peeta is real, then one that reminds us it isn't. Then one that suggests maybe Katniss is wrong that it isn't real. Repeat. Forever.

We catch a break when Peeta references the “Victor's Village,” which is apparently like, a little cul-de-sac in each district where the champions live after the games. The one in District 12 only has one resident, Haymitch. Which means he probably lives in all the houses, which means Katniss and Peeta will have to choose theirs wisely.

“Well that one's the booze house. That one's where I go to the bathroom. That's the one where I make homemade jerky. And that's one over there is the jerky house.” Haymitch coughed.
“What, is that where you store the jerky?” Peeta asked.
“Uh, no.”

Katniss and Peeta revile at the thought of having Haymitch as a neighbor, and there's a weird beat where Peeta confuses him with Cinna. I mean, I know they haven't been in the story for a while but come on, dude! Katniss realizes that her relationship with Haymitch is much closer than Peeta's, given the way they seem to wordlessly communicate via sponsor gifts. Reconsidering Haymitch leads Katniss to wonder aloud how he won the games in the first place. They conclude, as though it is some kind of revelation, that he “outsmarted the others.” Well duh!

“How do you think Haymitch won?” I asked.
“Well, my guess is that he survived longer than everyone else,” Peeta said.
“Yeah, probably.”

The other thing is Katniss realizes Haymitch has to train kids and watch them die, year after year, and that if she wins that will be her job, too. Dark! Or maybe this will be the beginning of a dynasty! District 12 is the new Red Sox. Then the nightly anthem blares, and Katniss ignores it because she assumes nothing has changed today. Peeta watches the sky and informs her, in a particularly well written scene, dialog-wise,* that Thresh is dead.

(*Katniss is preoccupied with food, Peeta is repeatedly trying to get her attention while she talks absent-mindedly. It's very Sorkin-y.)

Like us, Katniss feels a weird mix of relief and seemingly inappropriate sadness. We all barely know Thresh, and he was mostly just an obstacle to victory. But he showed profound humanity like, ten seconds after bashing someone's head in with a rock. That's notable. As Katniss slides into the sleeping bag she says a silent goodbye to him. So long, Thresh.

That leaves Katniss, Peeta, Foxface, and Cato. Common sense indicates that Cato will be the last foe standing, but Foxface has been this half-curious half-threatening presence for kind of the whole book. Turning her into the final villain would be an interesting choice. Maybe we'll find out her real name! I bet it's Katelyn. In the future, every class will still have nine fucking Katelyns. I also don't know if we should make anything of the fact that in the movie version of this, all of the black actors will now be dead.

The rain finally stops, so they go hunting, and Katniss is repeatedly frustrated by Peeta's inability to walk quietly. His injured leg is scaring off the game. A similar thing happens when I go clubbing with my friend Gimpy Mike. So they agree to briefly split up, and Peeta gathers roots and berries while Katniss goes hunting solo. Nobody makes any caveman hunter/gatherer jokes. They whistle to each other to keep in touch, but when Peeta stops answering her call Katniss goes running to him, fearing an attack. When it turns out he's OK, Katniss unloads on him in highly stereotypical TV girlfriend fashion. It's meant to be another indication of Katniss's real feelings—she realizes after a hugging Peeta that she's trembling—but it's mostly just embarrassing. You used to be so independent, girl! One thing she bitches about is that Peeta seems to have eaten some of their food while she was gone (“Why didn't you call me? We could have had lunch together?”) but he denies doing so.

And then a cannon goes off and a hovercraft collects Foxface's body from a few yards off. What the what? Peeta braces for Cato but Katniss looks at the berries Peeta's been collecting and and recognizes them as highly poisonous. She tells Peeta it's his kill as the chapter draws to a close. In other words, Foxface poached some of their supplies and died from it. Food as a weapon! Twist! It's also kind of fun that Peeta being an idiot is what killed someone who is obviously very smart. Very Frank Grimes.

Stray notes

1. Another too-vague thematic thread: the socioeconomic stuff. Early in this chapter, Peeta alludes to mostly eating stale bread, and Katniss suddenly realizes that he didn't exactly live the cushy life she once imagined. And that maybe her Peeta/Gale Prep school/Hard knocks dynamic needs some revision. But later in the chapter, she laughs at Peeta's unwillingness to take his boots off outside—the fact that he's still scared of the woods—and wonders if Gale is watching and laughing, too. Katniss is kind of a jerk about this stuff, huh? “Peeta, you need to acknowledge your privilege.” -Katniss. Shut up, Katniss.
2. Hey do you guys remember how Peeta coldly murdered someone? Is that going to come up again?