Hunger Games: Week of 10/21/13

Pages Read: 1-130
Prompt: Are the characters realistic (do they seem like they could be real people)? Why
or why not?
Describe the main characters.
What was going through your mind as you read?

Throughout the story I have encountered several characters, some very vivid others the ability of their existence left questionable. One character who I believe could be a real character is Katniss Everdeen. Katniss being the protagonist of the story, you often are able to see her persona. If you were to take away the details of Katniss' situation, you would simply be left with the fact that her father died when she was young, and she grew up providing for her mother and sister. If these details were taken into a real life situation it would seem plausible. Another character, who in my opinion could be real, would be Peeta Mellark. The reason for this is that despite his situation, he has the characteristics of your mostly average teenage boy. If you were to take away the point that he is being put in an arena, to kill others, as entertainment, you would see that he faces problems like any other teenager. He often faces abuse from his mother; his family runs a bakery, a very realistic job if you ask me, and he has a crush on a girl he believes is "too good" for him. A third character in the story in my opinion, whose possible existence in our modern day society is not so plausible, would be Effie Trinket. Effie, in my opinion, is too caught up in the Capitol stereotype. You find out in the story that Effie wears a, "scary white grin, pinkish hair, and spring green suit." and seems to be often be using artificial jubilation. Overall, the possibility of having these characters be realistic is up to ones self. You may find some characters completely and utterly implausible, while others are completely realistic.

The main characters of the book are Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Some character traits of Katniss would be in my opinion, she is very strong willed, yet stubborn. Katniss also seems to be a very mature girl. The reason for this is that she is very levelheaded for her age, because she had to grow and become her own guardian. Providing for her mother and sister she learned that things in life are not always easy. Peeta Mellark, on the other hand is a bit different. In my eyes, he is a bit more closed out to people, almost shy. For physical traits, I imagine Katniss as a medium height girl, with hair that is a very light brown. I always also seem to visualize her with green eyes that have specks of cerulean here and there. As for Peeta, I always envisioned him to be at a height about 6'6'', with eyes the color of an ocean during a storm, and somewhat dirty blond hair.

As I read, several things were running through my head. Things such as how does Katniss deal with having to do deal with fact that she is basically the mother in her family. Katniss, is a truly strong person. To me it seems unimaginable to have my father die, and then having the become the backbone of my entire family. Even though I have not completely understood the plot yet, I sense a very strong connection between Katniss and Peeta. It seems as if they know the both have strong feelings for each other but are unable to determine whether they are positive or negative. I also must say I find the entire principle of twenty-four teenagers being put in an arena to kill themselves a bit fatuous, yet Suzanne Collins seems to make it work. Before, I absolutely despised the idea of reading a series of books that seemed to include a teenage romance and the most questionable of plot, but I have enjoyed it.

Katniss Everdeen and a Mockingjay