Suzanne Collins' trilogy is a story told before in other places; places distanced as much by centuries of history and geography as by even its media (literature, reality television, and film). It is a fundamental error of Man to believe that we ever create anything truly and authentically new. Take for instance the premise of the Hunger Games -- the combatants are selected by a totalitarian government, forced to battle to the death, and then are glamorized by the entertainment value promoted by the capitol. A selection process as tainted as the Ancient Romans used. Their gladiators comprised most of the amusement craze for their insatiable immoral and inhumane desires.
What Collins accomplishes in her books The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay is a literary cobbling of history, classic mythology, and universal human depravity. She employs a proven formula of plot development: take the character through conflict. Good old-fashioned conflict. Internal, external and so many possible mixtures of both. Collins crafts a plot bombarded by an onslaught of conflict. And her characterization is plausible. Katniss, for all of her strong sense of self-reliability, her wrestling with the questions of morality and ethics, her self-doubt regarding emotional attachments, all of this a reader can accept as possible.
Many aspects of the story were discussed amongst my family, but Katniss'
act of sacrifice and the weave of ethical struggles seen throughout the
series were those we dissected. How does Panem's society construct and the Capitol's mandates and subsequent oppression of the people compare to our global history? In what ways do we treat others in similar fashion? Do we carry an attitude of self-righteousness where it's our way or no way?
I picked up a review of The Hunger Games some time back and now have some words to offer as an articulate response. The review targeted Katniss' act of sacrifice and her role as the savior of Panem. The review compared her action as similar to our Savior Jesus Christ. Misguided! And so misleading. Katniss took her sister's place, yes, but her later actions leading the rebellion to overthrow the Capitol and restore the goodness of Panem's humanity were part of a path she hardly chose for herself, obediently or otherwise. She was clouded by enormous malcontent, propelled by vengeance, and moved with disobedience to rules and structure -- and she lost her sister in the end.
The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay are stories of humanity -- depraved, broken, and in itself, its own hero and savior (tenets of humanism). Self-reliability, trust in no one, conditional morality, and judgment based in momentary feelings are all shaky foundations to construct a life; an exhausting effort chasing those moving targets.
A piece of fictional literature survives the test of time if it causes its readers to think. Thumbs up to Suzanne Collins for provoking my mind and for the discussions it generated with my children.
Philosopher
Showing posts with label disobedience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disobedience. Show all posts
Friday, September 14, 2012
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Fire Within
D'Lacey, Chris, Last Dragon Chronicles: The Fire Within. Scholastic, 2007.
ISBN: 0439672449
ISBN: 0439672449
Ages: 9 to 12
My daughter, who is eleven and an avid reader, and I chose The Fire Within, book one of the Last Dragon Chronicles, by Chris D'Lacey. Our selection process for this round of summer reading was like most families standing in a bookstore and reading back covers and cover flaps. The Fire Within's summary introduced the three main characters: Elizabeth Pennykettle, her eleven-year old daughter, Lucy, and the house tenant, David Rain. The summary of the story's clay dragons and their secrets read like it promised to be a clever fantasy. So it was with expectancy that we began reading The Fire Within.
Description
David Rain is a college student who accepts a room at the Pennykettle household. He is introduced to the fantastic and mysterious clay dragons that Elizabeth (Liz) Pennykettle creates in her sculptor's room, The Dragon's Den. Liz's daughter, Lucy, is eleven, loves animals, is highly-excitable, and is learning to sculpt as well. While staying with the Pennykettles, David is drawn into the mysterious Pennykettle household and their special care and attention given to their clay dragons. A sub-plot also develops as David is set-upon by Lucy to find out what happened to the squirrels that once lived in their yard. To appease Lucy, he plays the role of amateur detective, and later writes a story about the lost squirrels. He delves into the mystery to learn the cause of their disappearance and in particular, how Conker, the one-eyed squirrel, was hurt. David's following story of Snigger and the Nutbeast accounts his daily detective work.
Critique
The Fire Within is an easy read. The plot, sub-plot, and main characters are easy to track. The mystery of the lost squirrels is engaging, and the running tale of Snigger and the Nutbeast was by-far my favorite part of the book. I admit that I was curious as to the mystery of the clay dragons, but by the conclusion of The Fire Within, I was disappointed in Chris D'Lacey's turn in the story. There is insinuation that Liz Pennykettle, and indeed her daughter as well, are direct bloodlines of the story's last known dragon to have walked the Earth. Where is the author taking the characters in the sequels? Will D'Lacey develop the idea that the Pennykettles are descendants of a dragon? And are therefore dragons themselves?
Overall The Fire Within was an adequate read. While the plot and characters were easy enough to follow, the characters were not engaging, and I found Lucy to be quite bratty. She was persistent in whatever matter was on her mind to the detriment of the schedules, rules, and needs of those around her. She obeyed her mother rarely, and if she did, she was reluctant and argumentative. Lucy's character is not one to demonstrate honor or respect which are two legacy ingredients I wish to pass to my children. As for the plot development, The Fire Within is an example of formula writing that employs the basics of cause and effect. This is not a story of endearing characters. The kind you recognize as being a part of your family, or you wish were a part of your family. They are not the other kind of characters who are so immoral that you are glad to see them conquered by the story's hero. In short, there is no emotional feeling inspired by the characters.
My daughter, who is eleven and an avid reader, and I chose The Fire Within, book one of the Last Dragon Chronicles, by Chris D'Lacey. Our selection process for this round of summer reading was like most families standing in a bookstore and reading back covers and cover flaps. The Fire Within's summary introduced the three main characters: Elizabeth Pennykettle, her eleven-year old daughter, Lucy, and the house tenant, David Rain. The summary of the story's clay dragons and their secrets read like it promised to be a clever fantasy. So it was with expectancy that we began reading The Fire Within.
Description
David Rain is a college student who accepts a room at the Pennykettle household. He is introduced to the fantastic and mysterious clay dragons that Elizabeth (Liz) Pennykettle creates in her sculptor's room, The Dragon's Den. Liz's daughter, Lucy, is eleven, loves animals, is highly-excitable, and is learning to sculpt as well. While staying with the Pennykettles, David is drawn into the mysterious Pennykettle household and their special care and attention given to their clay dragons. A sub-plot also develops as David is set-upon by Lucy to find out what happened to the squirrels that once lived in their yard. To appease Lucy, he plays the role of amateur detective, and later writes a story about the lost squirrels. He delves into the mystery to learn the cause of their disappearance and in particular, how Conker, the one-eyed squirrel, was hurt. David's following story of Snigger and the Nutbeast accounts his daily detective work.
Critique
The Fire Within is an easy read. The plot, sub-plot, and main characters are easy to track. The mystery of the lost squirrels is engaging, and the running tale of Snigger and the Nutbeast was by-far my favorite part of the book. I admit that I was curious as to the mystery of the clay dragons, but by the conclusion of The Fire Within, I was disappointed in Chris D'Lacey's turn in the story. There is insinuation that Liz Pennykettle, and indeed her daughter as well, are direct bloodlines of the story's last known dragon to have walked the Earth. Where is the author taking the characters in the sequels? Will D'Lacey develop the idea that the Pennykettles are descendants of a dragon? And are therefore dragons themselves?
Overall The Fire Within was an adequate read. While the plot and characters were easy enough to follow, the characters were not engaging, and I found Lucy to be quite bratty. She was persistent in whatever matter was on her mind to the detriment of the schedules, rules, and needs of those around her. She obeyed her mother rarely, and if she did, she was reluctant and argumentative. Lucy's character is not one to demonstrate honor or respect which are two legacy ingredients I wish to pass to my children. As for the plot development, The Fire Within is an example of formula writing that employs the basics of cause and effect. This is not a story of endearing characters. The kind you recognize as being a part of your family, or you wish were a part of your family. They are not the other kind of characters who are so immoral that you are glad to see them conquered by the story's hero. In short, there is no emotional feeling inspired by the characters.
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