Hope in The Hunger Games

My husband Aaron read The Hunger Games a year ago and enjoyed the books greatly – but I was not interested. When he told me that kids battle to the death, as a woman who lost a child, I thought that the subject matter would be extremely upsetting. Why would I want to read about that or watch a child die in a movie?

When school English classes began reading the books I realized that I cannot protect myself from everything. I’m sad to say that there will always be children that die in the world, though I wish I could change this, but what I do have control over is understanding my culture. As a writer I believe it’s important to be abreast of literary trends – especially ones that young people grab a hold of.

With the release of the second movie, I finally gave in. I was nervous as the opening scenes unfolded but then was swept away with the plot and characters. Besides the difficult subject matter, I truly enjoyed it. I hope to read the books over Christmas (hint in the gift department, Aaron).

What struck me the most about The Hunger Games is their portrayal of the will to survive. I have dealt a great deal with this in my artwork, “The Quiet Rebuild.” My work is about the resiliency of the human spirit to find healing after hardship. I saw this resiliency and determination in The Hunger Games.

If you are a bereaved parent and have avoided The Hunger Games as I had, you may actually be surprised with the feeling that the movies and books leave with you. There is a portrayal of injustice. There is pain and sorrow. But there is also the will to go on, to fight, to live and be strong. The loss of a child, both real and fictitious, is a horrible fate and nothing to be celebrated. While the subject matter of The Hunger Games is heartbreaking, the overriding feeling that remained long after the credits rolled:

Hope.

It’s amazing how stories, real or imaginary, can create such strong feelings in the heart. If you have recently lost a child, the Hunger Games may not be for you – but if you are up for it, I believe there is more to the story than meets the eye.