Comparison Essay
The Hunger Games
“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.” This sentence that seems a blessing is actually the prelude to the cruel game, and is also the classic
tribute is the winner. Katniss, main actress, is a tribute to the 74th Hunger Game from thirteenth district. She not only won the 74th Hunger Game under the mentoring of Haymitch Abernathy, but also caused a wave of rebellion by wearing mockingjay [3] badge in this cruel game. Katniss broke the ideal hunger game of President Coriolanus Snow at the end. In 2012, “The Hunger Games” was a blockbuster, and the book version of “The Hunger Games” has already been popular before it was adapted into a movie. Although both the book and the movie are favorable works, there are some obvious differences between them.
line in “The Hunger Games” is a dystopia movie, which is based on a world divided into thirteen districts [1] and governed by the Capito [2]. Every year, every district is obligated to pick two tributes to participate the annual Hunger Games. In games, there are no rules; even the murder is allowed. The last surviving
First, the owner character of Katniss’s mockingjay badge in the novel is different from the character in the movie. In the novel, Katniss’s mockingjay badge is from Madge Undersee in the novel. However, the giver is changed to one participant of the 74th Hunger Game, Willow Shields, in the movie. Mockingjay, a fabricated bird, is meaningful in “The Hunger Games”. It symbolizes “rebellious”, connects with Katniss’s memories, and is a remembrance of Maysilee Donner, the original owner of mockingjay badge. Due to the importance of mockingjay, the owner of mockingjay badge is as meaningful as
the bird itself. While Madge’s aunt appeared in the novel, she did not appear in the film. Madge’s aunt is just Maysilee Donner, which knew Katniss’s mom and died in the 50th Hunger Game. After Maysilee Donner died, Madge Undersee took over the badge, and gave it to Katniss. This difference in characters reduces the connection between Hunger Game and Katniss, and the overall atmosphere of plots.
Second, the key plot of Haymitch Abernathy’s past was only showed partially in the movie, but it was more detailed in the novel. Haymitch’s early experience of participating in the 50th Hunger Game was known by Katniss through the video tape in the book version. She saw the whole process of his performance of the game, which also made readers know Haymitch Abernathy better. Nonetheless, in
the movie, the audiences can only know the fact of Haymitch’s involvement, but no other details were provided. Haymitch Abernathy is a key character in the story. He was not only the winner in the 50th Hunger Game, but also mentored Katniss to win the 74th Hunger Game. The past of him that recorded in a video, which is crucial to let Katniss know the force field [4] of the arena. In other words, without showing this key plot in movie, the plot of Katniss’s destruction of the arena became unreasonable; it also reduced the dramatic tension, because the audiences don’t have emotional linking with him.
Last but not least, the core idea of the game was uncovered in the movie, unlike in the novel. President Coriolanus Snow, the founder of Hunger Game, said nothing in the novel, but he told about the core concept of hunger game in the big screen. What President Snow said in movie exposed the truth about the Hunger Game rules, and explained the psychological effects of the Hunger Game, which is the hope. Hunger Game have participants kill each other instead of kill them directly; then let surviving one brings people little hope for continuing living. Therefore, everyone would focus on how
to defeat other people instead of resisting the repressive the Capital. In comparison with the movie, the core idea of the Hunger Game need to be guessed by readers from the novel, which making readers focused more on the story itself in order to find clues that were not shown in the movie.
Whereas some key concepts were expressed in different ways in “The Hunger Games” between the book and the film, including the owner of mockingjay badge, the reveal of Haymitch Abernathy’ past, and the real idea of the Hunger Game, it is still an awesome dystopia movie. To me, the novel version is better to think more when reading. However, the visualization of the characters in the book is awesome experience to book fans. To conclude, I like both!
[1] 十三區
[2] 都城
[3] “mockingjay” is a word
[4] the special arena settings of the hunger game