this is bambient;

***SPOILERS ALERT***

my current obsession is a book series called 'the hunger games'. i found the books incredibly riveting with a lot of social commentary both blatant and between the lines. it also helped that, every time i read the books, it reminded me that my life really isn't as bad as i think it is.

it took me one day to finish the hunger games and catching fire, but two to finish mockingjay because i was trying to read it slowly. i didn't really want it to end but, since it has, there will always be the movie and post-rebellion fan fictions to read. that being said, i read a few blog entries on hogwarts professor about it and whilst i can't understand the biblical references between hunger games, twilight and harry potter (since i'm not religious), there are some structural and characteristic trends that you really cannot deny.

one thing is the hunger games is that there are three books, three sections in each book and nine (three by three) chapters in every section. although i'm not sure about this being a way of maintaining the audience's attention, it is an incredibly smart way of balancing the plot line.

in the first section, the setting and most of the characters should be set, with the plot line kicking in during the middle with a 'turning point' (i guess in the hunger games, it was the changing of the rules), and then the final section with the climax and conclusion. it keeps everything in balance and familiar to the reader, especially since people are naturally more comfortable in familiar situations. i guess suzanne really needed something like this, especially since the book tackles some pretty dark topics at times.

i mean, essentially the book is about a totalitarian ruling not unlike that in animal farm, where the corrupt forces in power are punishing the weaker majority. it seems odd that the underdogs are always the majority and yet too afraid to stand out for themselves. in the book, they actually did that which is why the hunger games (which is like propaganda disguised in the form of reality television) are held. children between the ages of twelve and eighteen (still underage for alcohol in australia, people!) are sent in for a battle where they must kill each other in a brutal manner, act up enough to get public sympathy and form allies with others whom they will end up having to decapitate (kind of). while it makes for an interesting read, a lot of consumers will consider it in a real life situation and just feel sick to the core.

the beautiful thing about this book though, is that it's so interesting that it draws you right in until you're hanging on for every detail and every kill. it's then that you realize the statement she's making: all those capitol people in the book that are disgusting us with their consumerist and materialistic ways - that's us. while we can be disgusting by the games, we're still devouring it like they are. we're no better than the antagonists here. the entire time, we are the viewers on a tragically unjust tale. doesn't it remind you of how we're so angry through the whole publication about how delirious the rich people are?

added into this, i think katniss everdeen is a really realistic character. she's hardened because she has had to feed her family, her isn't interested in love and marriage because of what a burden she feels a family can be and she can't feed any more people, and she's ruthless at times because of what this is: a massive game of survival. added in this peeta mellark, a boy who is genuinely good and thrown into a violent situation that goes against his very nature. he doesn't know what to do and has little to aid him except for his strength and camouflage skill (which comes from working in a bakery: carrying flour and decorating cakes isn't exactly military training). he's a loving person who probably loves too easily, holds on to things that matter to him for a long time and wants to avoid conflict if possible.

while katniss is the protagonist here and we see her going from a girl trying to survive to someone completely broken by what she's seen, i think the real journey is in peeta. everything has gone completely against his personality and morals, forcing him to go into the battlefield and really fight for what he believes in.

in the perfect world, katniss would have been great in the defence force, but peeta would have been much more suited to being a politician. one is action and one is thought. they're yin and yang but they fit perfectly. peeta, especially having gone through two hunger games with katniss, is more resemblant of the final katniss. gale, on the other hand, knows her family and have been friends with her through childhood. he is a symbol of the past her.

ironically, gale has a hand in designing the bomb that killed prim, symbolizing not only the complete annihilation of childhood (which the hunger games had threatened for 75 years) but also showing that the old katniss, the simpler girl, was gone. i guess this is why gale and even her mother left for another district in the end. it seems cold and hurtful, but it really shows that there is a new dawn and the chapter is closed.

so i guess my point is: i love this book and everytime i read it, all i want to do is eat bread.

right now, i'm getting into the vampire academy series and totally loving it. i'm torn between fangirling over christian or dimitri though.