Part One: "The Tributes":
Most everyone who is a dedicated reader, and/or hasn't been living under a rock these past few months, knows the story of the Hunger Games: In the ruins of what was once known as North America, lies a new nation called Panem, ruled by the Capitol. The nation is divided into twelve districts. To keep those districts in line, each year, the Capitol forces each district to send one girl and one boy, called "tributes" to fight to the death on live television, called The Hunger Games. The very plot made me wary of this book at first, but it could be worse, at least in my opinion. Well, this book begins in District Twelve, the poorest of the districts, home of Katniss Everdeen, who has to go against the law and hunt to feed her family. It's the day that the tributes are chosen, called 'Reaping Day". There are minor differences at this point in the movie:
- The major icon of the series is the Mockingjay, or the Mockingjay pin. In the book, Katniss is given the pin on reaping day by the daughter of District Twelve's mayor, for her protection. Katniss explains that these birds are crosses of jabberjays, the Captiol's creation, and mockingbirds. These birds can mimic anything they hear. In the movie, Katniss trades for it while she is selling the game she caught that day, and doesn't express what the birds are. Katniss gives the pin to her little sister for protection, eventually to be returned. We never see the mayor or his daughter.
- Katniss's family has an adopted cat, an ugly, bald-spotted cat. Katniss hates the cat, and the feeling is mutual for the cat. they don't tell you this in the movie, but in the book, Katniss had tried to drown it, but her little sister begged her not to. The cat has continued resentment towards her after that.
Katniss has a little sister, named Primrose, this year being her first year of eligibility for the Hunger Games. She is fairly confident that she won't get chosen, since her name is only in the drawing for the tributes once: each year that you are eligible for the Hunger Games, your name is entered once, adding one time each year from age twelve to eighteen (e.g. at age 12 you are entered once, 13 twice, etc.), unless you opt to get a tessera, to afford extra food, by entering your name in more than required.
Against the odds, Prim's name is called and Katniss volunteers to take her place. And that is how our story begins. Her fellow tribute is a boy named Peeta Mellark, the baker's son. They say goodbye to their loved ones, and are shipped to the Capitol to train and prepare for the arena. Training goes well, as well as the tributes' public appearances to earn sponsors (people of high society who chip in to buy and ship supplies to their tribute when needed). Again ,there are little differences between the book and the movie:
- There are more sequences with Effie Trinket, District Twelve's escort, and Haymitch, District Twelve's mentor, in the book. They cut a lot of the training out in the movie. There is a lot of dialogue between Peeta and Katniss that is cut out, as well, such as how Katniss saw one of the servants that now works at the Traning Center, and how she met Gale. I know I haven't mentioned Gale, but it's because he isn't really an important character, in either the book or the movie! He's Katniss's best friend and hunting partner, but after he doesn't get chosen for the Games, the last we see of him is when he says good-bye to Katniss, except for a couple of times in the movie when they cut back to District Twelve.
- The interviews with Ceaser and the District Twelve's tributes are longer in the book, and in the book, all the tributes were sitting on-stage, not lined up off-stage, as in the movie.
- In the book, after the interviews, when Peeta professes his crush towards Katniss, she pushes him into an urn, which breaks, the shards of which cut Peeta's hands, while in the movie she simply shoves him into a wall.
Part Two: "The Games"
There is a new arena for every Hunger Games, as to make it a surprise terrain, and as to avoid any one tribute getting too familiar with one arena before-hand, giving them the upper-hand in that aspect. This is where, in the movie, it gets really dizzying and graphic. The details are still the same, though. At the beginning, when the tributes are lifted into the arena, they must wait for sixty seconds before being let to run free in the arena. Why this is, I have NO idea.There is a structure in the very center of the arena, called the Cornucopia, which is filled with weapons, food, and other essentials for survival. This is mostly a call for a bloodbath as tributes fight over the supplies. Katniss was advised to avoid the Cornucopia for this very reason, but goes for it anyway. She ends up missing out on the bow and arrows that she was aiming for, but still gets a backpack filled with useful supplies. The Games go essentially the same as in the book, except:
- Katniss's pack also had night-vision glasses, but these were excluded from the movie for whatever reason.
- It takes Katniss an entire day and a half to find water in the book, but it takes her much less time in the movie.
- Some dialogue from the book (which was actually pretty comedic) was cut out from certain parts of the movie.
- A lot of dialogue between Rue is cut out from the movie, so you can't as easily fall for her as you do in the book, which became a sort-of important plot point for the next book (not the relationship itself, but how Katniss is affected by her death and her reaction towards the Capitol)
Part Three: "The Victor"
A rule change is announced one night: if the last two tributes left standing are both from the same district, they are both winners. Katniss runs to find Peeta, who she knows is still alive, but just barely. She tries to nurse him back to health, but he has blood poisoning, which she can only treat with medicine from the Capitol. There is an announcement of a feast at the cornucopia, where each remaining district will be offered a pack of supplies that they desperately need. Katniss wants to go for Peeta, but he won't let her risk her life for him, because he knows that the Capitol is just drawing the tributes together for another bloodbath. The remaining chapters are different in this way:
- So that Katniss can go to the feast without Peeta's knowing, in the book, Haymitch sends Katniss a vial of sleeping syrup to give to Peeta, hidden in food. In the movie, Katmiss just waits for him to fall asleep naturally.
- Clove inflicts much more damage to Katniss in the book than in the movie.
- The mutts that appear near the end of the story are different in the book than in the movie. I'd explain it, but it is really creepy, and it is something that really needs to be read for oneself.
There are several other differences, but that would spoil the ending, which I never do. I found the movie too rushed: they didn't give a lot of detail in-between events to set for the next one. There is a lot more cussing in the movie than there is in the book. I found it interesting that, in the movie, they gave more of a perspective on how the Gamemakers manipulate the Games, and how people back home react to the Games. Since the book is in first person, obviously these observations cannot be made. Overall, I found it a good adaptation of the book, but as is usually the custom, the book is better.
Parental Guidance: Both the book and the movie can be very vivid and gruesome. Take extreme discretion before allowing your child to read this book or see the movie. However, also take in mind that there is NOTHING AT ALL suggestive in either. Katniss is more flight than fight. In fact, the whole reason that there is a continuation of the series is that she wishes to rebel against the Capitol. So, at least the narrator has somewhat good morals! I enjoyed both immensely, and will be picking up Catching Fire and Mockingjay as soon as possible. I hope you go get yourself a copy of this crazily-amazing series!
