INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056

The Girl on Fire: , an Analysis

of Female as a Hero

S.Gokila

M.Phil Scholar, PG and Research Department

V.O. Chidambaram College, Thoothukudi.

Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Triunelveli.

Tamilnadu, India.

[email protected]

Abstract

Suzanne Collins is an American Television writer and also a writer of fantasy and science fiction. Her trilogy, The Hunger Games is a young adult dystopian novel, which became more popular among the young readers. The first novel in the trilogy The Hunger Games gives a detailed account of people living in the districts of Panem. The novel is narrated through a strong female character,

Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen year old young girl. This paper explores the gender study on the protagonist Katniss Everdeen, who has been admired for her bold character, shrewdness and heroic qualities. She is bold enough to break the rules that were imposed on the people. She is the breadwinner of her family, after her father’s death. This paper totally focuses on the qualities that women should have in the present life and also shows how to handle the most difficult situation in life in a more intellectual way.

Keywords: gender studies, shrewdness, female as a hero, feminist, oppression.

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Second wave feminism often connoted that all gender differences are produced socially. Simone

Beauvoir famously proclaimed that “one is not born a woman, but rather becomes one” (Beauvoir, 301).

When the novel was first released as a film it created an overwhelming unanimity that was, for the first time a female heroine who resists traditional gender norms, which had broken through the invisible patriarchal barrier. is an American Television writer and also a writer of fantasy and science fiction.

Her trilogy, The Hunger Games is a young adult dystopian novel, which became more popular among the young readers. As a novelist of a young adult genre, she sets a female protagonist in her novel.

The novel, The Hunger Games is praised for its strong female protagonist who is bold enough to resists the rules imposed on them by the government. The female protagonist, Katniss Everdeen also stands as a symbol of resistance to patriarchal system that prevails in the society. She was shown as sixteen year old warrior who “brought down the system with a bow and arrow” (Moore). This paper focuses on how the protagonist Katniss Everdeen is pictured with the qualities of hero. The literary genre of Science Fiction always seems to have male protagonist. But Suzanne Collins brings a change, by setting a strong female protagonist who is called as a feminist character and a female hero. Before The Hunger Games, the female characters that found in Science Fiction genre are considered either as impotent or seductive, mostly as an object of romance.

Suzanne Collins challenges those feminine stereotypes with her character Katniss Everdeen, who is of common appearance. The first novel in the trilogy, The Hunger Games gives a detailed account of the characters. This book introduces the character and the horrible place they are living in, to the readers. The difference between the male and female characters is seen in the novel. The story is set in a dystopian nation called, Panem. It is governed by a wealthy, effete city called the Capitol. Panem is divided into thirteen districts and controlled by Capitol. Katniss lives in the district twelve which is known for mining. The part where she lives is nicknamed as Seam. As a sixteen year old girl, Katniss takes care of her family after her father’s death. She is bold enough to break the rules that are set by the government which rules them. As a breadwinner of her family she goes into the forest to hunt, which is prohibited in Panem. Trespassing into

Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 97 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 the forest is illegal and poaching carries severe penalties. She is a good archer and hunts with her bow and arrow. She learnt those hunting skills from her father then later from Gale, her friend and companion.

Katniss is a symbol of resistance and revolution against the corrupt dystopian government. This government did not treat the people as human beings, they take all their work and labour from them and enjoy the wealth and pleasure. Katniss is against those activities, and she does not bother about the government’s cruel punishment. She does things for her mother and her sister, Prim. The characteristic of challenging and opposing the government is always seen in teenage boys; Suzanne Collins applies this characteristic to the teenage girl. Katniss too dresses in men’s attire which she feels comfortable for hunting.

She is not made up as a traditional soft heroine but with a tough character and practical mind. When her sister Primrose brings home a stray cat Katniss did not like it because she needs to feed another one.

Katniss sacrifices herself for the sake of her sister and volunteers in the game as a tribute. She does not want her sister to participate and suffer in that cruel game. Instead of worrying about herself, she is concerned about her mother and sister and securing food for them when she is not with them. Even though she is a female child, she behaves like a son and the head of the family and always makes sure to keep them safe. She does not like to show her weak side to the people. “I don’t want to cry. When they televise the replay of reapings tonight, everyone will make note of my tears, and I’ll be marked as an easy target. A weakling. I will give no one that satisfaction.” (26). She has a mindset that no one should think of her as an easy target to attack and win over her.

Throughout the game Katniss is bold and courageous to do things according to her wish. She is remembered and called as “the girl who was on fire” (77). During the training session she refuses to be underestimated, ignored and denied as a worthy opponent by the wealthy district tributes. At the event when tributes are asked to show their individual skills for the assessment of game officials and for gaining sponsorship everyone goes and show their skills. While it is Katniss turn, she goes there and selects a bow from the weapons available, but it looks different than her bow that her father made for her. Katniss is enraged to find that the Gamemakers are only interested in roasted pig than in paying attention to her skill.

She recognizes her value and forces them to see her skill even though they do not want to:

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Suddenly I am furious, that with my life on the line, they don’t even have the decency to pay

attention to me. That I’m being upstaged by a dead pig. My heart starts to pound, I can feel

my face burning. Without thinking, I pull an arrow from my quiver and send it straight at the

Gamemakers’ table. I hear shouts of alarm as people stumble back. The arrow skewers the

apple in the pig’s mouth and pins it to the wall behind it. Everyone stares at me in disbelief.

(117, 118)

She is not afraid of anyone in the Capitol and does whatever she thinks. She greets them and walks out of the room, aware that she has broken the rules. This is a crucial moment not only for violating the rules, but in fact as a female she successfully asked and made them to hear when they have no interest in and what she is about to say. This attitude of Katniss shows her heroic qualities. But this attitude of her gains the highest point among the tribute and the people developed interest on her.

In the arena, the protective and caring nature of Katniss is seen through her relationship with Rue, a little girl from district eleven. On seeing her, she is reminded of Prim and feels pity over Rue. She allies with

Rue for her protection. They both share stories about their district and share foods and medicine they gathered. For the first time Katniss kills a tribute in the arena because of Rue’s death. As a sixteen years old girl, she gives tough competition to other tributes and she escaped from all the traps that set by the other tributes. She always thinks about not showing her weakness to the people and sponsors who are watching her. She is clever enough to read the minds of the people and gain sponsorship which is the most needed in the arena. She makes love with Peeta to gain sponsor. She does all the possible ways for her survival. She also realizes Haymitch point: “One kiss equals to one pot of broth. I can almost hear his snarl. ‘You’re supposed to be in love, sweetheart. The boy’s dying. Give me something I can work with!’” (305).

Claudius Templesmith announces at the middle of the game, if both the tribute from the same district is alive they both are considered as victors. But towards the end of the game they change this rule and this made Katniss angry. She plays a trick with the Capitol people to save both Peeta’s and her lives. She draws the poisonous berries and tries to put on their mouth to threaten them. At that time announcer shouts for

Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 99 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 them to stop and declares both of them as victors. This courageous behaviour and presence of mind of

Katniss helped her and to save their life and their village from poverty.

These acts that are driven by passion are seen as a bold act of defiance that positioned Katniss as a feminist role model. Katniss stands apart from many other young adult female characters, who are easily carried by emotion, but she is able to control her emotions imposed on her. She refuses to show her weakness because she wants to convey that the game has not oppressed her. She shows her strength whenever it is needed to gain sponsorship. She is a role model for young women who thinks that they cannot come out of the impose rules that society lays on them. Katniss shows through her action how women should be free, selfless and independent in the society.

Suzanne Collins designed this book The Hunger Games to convince the reader the role of Katniss, who is selfless, independent as a female hero who is a role model to the young girls and an icon for feminist readers. Katniss brings confidence among the readers, and they get the idea how to tackle the difficult situations. While reading this novel and the character, reader’s minds are built strong and they ready to face any situation in the present corrupt world. Setting Katniss as a heroic character Suzanne Collins have done a great work in the literary field. As a female hero Katniss frees her from all the conventions that had been imposed on her by the corrupt dystopian society and has set an example for the women folk.

Works Cited

Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. New York: Vintage Books, 1973, pp. 301.

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic Ltd, 2010.

Moore, Suzanne. “Why the Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen is a Role Model for Our Times.” The

Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 27 Nov 2013. Web.

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