Collins, Suzanne. 2010. MOCKINGJAY. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439023511
2. Plot Summary
This is the third and final installment of the HUNGER GAMES series. Katniss Everdeen is still alive after surviving the games. "The bricks of the chimney, which collapsed in a charred heap, provide a reference for the rest of the house" (3). District Twelve has been obliterated by bombs. Gale and Katniss's family have survived the destruction and fled to District 13. "To have a new home at all is seen as a wonder since, up until a short time ago, we hadn't even known that District 13 still existed" (7). The revolution has started and Katniss has to decide which side she is going to join.
It was no coincidence that she was rescued from the arena. The plan was all premeditated by the revolutionists. District 13 is the headquarters of the revolution and it is no longer going to be silent and let the Capitol rule. The one problem is that the leaders of District 13 are relying on Katniss to be part of the revbels. "What they want is for me to truly take on the role they designed for. The symbol of the revolution" (10). She will have to become the Mockingjay.
3. Critical Analysis
The story takes place in a dystopian society created from the author's imagination. The setting is in the distant future and is ruled by the Capitol who control society by the laws that they enforce on society. The factors of the progression of science have changed the rules of society in this future setting, for people to survive they have to live by the rules of the Capitol or there are severe consequences.
Katniss is a teenage girl who is the protagonist. She tells the story from her point of view. "The memories swirl as I try to sort out what is true and what is false" (4). This style is used because it is important that the reader is able to understand every emotion and action the main character will take from the story. BookList remarks that, "The highly anticipated conclusion to the Hunger Games trilogy does not disappoint. If anything, it may give readers more than they bargained for: in action, in love, and in grief." The reader has to be able to releate to what the main character is going through to become immensed into the book. She does not have any super human qualities. She is a teen age girl that is really good with the bow and the arrow, due to the fact that she provides food for her family. Surviving is very important in the story line. "What am I going to do? I whisper to the wall" (10).
The antagonist in the story is President Snow. He runs the districts unfairly and is cruel to his people. Katniss is a victim from the actions that the Snow has enforced on his people. He is an evil person who wants to control the world. "No one will fully understand-how it's not just a flower, not even just President Snow's flower, but a promise of revenge..." (15). Everyone can relate to good versus evil.
The plot of the story is fast moving and full of suspense. The protagonist has to figure out what part she will play in the revolution. "Another power player who has decided to use me as a piece of her games, although things never seem to go according to plan" (59). The plot is self vs. society. The events in the story are believable and progress along making the reader not want to put down the book until they have read the last page of the story.
The way society has run and progressed into the future have been effected by the laws of science. Technology has destroyed parts of the world, so that the government has made changes in society and new laws to make living possible. "In the seventy-five years since the Dark Days-when 13 was said to have been obliterated in the war between the Capitol and the districts-almost all new construction has been beneath the earth's surface" (17). Science has changed the world and will be used to fix it, which is a theme that could take place during current times or in the future. The world progressed to fast and these changes had consequences.
4. Review Excerpts
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL SAYS: "But being the Mockingjay comes with a price as Katniss must come to terms with how much of her own humanity and sanity she can willingly sacrifice for the cause, her friends, and her family. Collins is absolutely ruthless in her depictions of war in all its cruelty, violence, and loss, leaving readers, in turn, repulsed, shocked, grieving and, finally, hopeful for the characters they've grown to empathize with and love. Mockingjay is a fitting end of the series that began with The Hunger Games (2008) and Catching Fire (2009) and will have the same lasting resonance as William Golding's Lord of the Flies and Stephen King's The Stand. However, the book is not a stand-alone; readers do need to be familiar with the first two titles in order to appreciate the events and characters in this one."
#1 New York Times Bestseller
#1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2010
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
A 2010 Booklist Editors' Choice
A 2010 Kirkus Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010
#1 USA Today Bestseller
#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
5. Connections
This is a great book for any book club to read, adults or teens.
Other female heroines in science fiction novels:
Aguirre, Ann. ENCLAVE. ISBN 9780312650087
Condie, Ally. MATCHED. ISBN 9780142419779
Roth, Veronica. DIVERGENT. ISBN 9780062024022
No comments:
Post a Comment