The Romance Dynamic of Hunger Games
I find, looking back on what I remember of the "Hunger Games" series, it is interesting to note another example of the shift in relationship dynamics in YA fiction. In the past, the purpose of a love triangle was primarily to act as a motivation, a driving force behind a character's, usually the protagonist, growth. As love is, I believe, one of the defining aspects of humanity, it serves as a compelling reason for a character to journey, mature, fight, or any combination thereof, but more often in YA fiction I have seen a trend of instead using this set piece of the love triangle as a source of conflict.
In the "Hunger Games" fandom, people gathered under banners of war, figuratively, over who Katniss would ultimately end up with, and this is not a unique occurrence; team Edward vs team Jacob bears mention, but even in the later parts of Harry Potter, this plays out as well, albeit from a different perspective, and in a more side-plot level of detail. I suppose my question is, is this any different from the older stories of men fighting for a woman's affection, now that we see it from a more nuanced perspective closer to the woman's POV, or are we seeing something new at all? If we are seeing something new, is better? Worse? I am curious to hear another's opinion on this matter.
The love triangle as a plot device has seen widespread use throughout young adult fiction. However, I believe that, as a series and individual novel, The Hunger Games uses this romantic conflict rather sparingly. Rather, the fans have placed more emphasis on this conflict than the books. Katniss’s primary motivation throughout the novel is to survive: after her father’s death, in the arena, and after embarrassing the Capitol. Finding love is not her primary motivation. Further, Peeta and Gale do not fight over Katniss in this book; both of their priorities involve keeping her alive.The two, who long for Katniss’s love, prioritize her survival (and eventually that of the districts) over gaining her love.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to Little Women, the love triangle after the first Hunger Games book is driven by the wishes of fans. Suzanne Collins gives very little support, at this point, to the idea of Katniss and Gale as a couple. Katniss notes, “There has never been anything romantic between Gale and me” (10), removing him from conflict at this stage. Additionally, Katniss does not easily accept Peeta’s affection. Even after learning both can win, she must be bribed by Haymitch to show Peeta affection in order to gain the two sponsors (261). She is not driven by her love of Peeta at this point; her main motivation is surviving the games. However, as fans wished for a Jo/Laurie relationship, so they wished for a Katniss/Gale one. However, both groups were disappointed when Katniss and Laurie ultimately chose Peeta and Amy respectively.
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ReplyDeleteBasing this argument solely from the first book of Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games series, Collins depicts a story of a love triangle between the protagonists, Katniss, Peeta, and Gale, that is fundamentally different from that in other novels. The readers experience the emotional uncertainty Katniss faces surrounding the conflicting interests from both Gale and Peeta. However, the secondary characterization of Gale naturally changes the spectrum from the romance from a heated battle for love between two characters that is present in other novels. Rather, Collins depicts a romance in which Katniss, upon uncertainty, tries to move on from one love to the next.
While Katniss admits that Gale is “good-looking, strong, and can hunt”, she refuses his proposal to run away together and live in the woods (11-12). Although, they do not have a fully blossoming romantic relationship, they both have a similar upbringing that includes both of them taking care of their families, providing sustenance, and losing their fathers to a mining accident. However, as the story progresses, their relationship deteriorates, both physically and emotionally. Katniss enters the Hunger Games as the tribute for District 12 and the hardship naturally creates a romance between her and the male tribute, Peeta.
Before the start of the games, Peeta confesses in front of televised show that “there is this one girl. I’ve had a crush on her ever since I can remember” and that this girl “came here [to the games] with me” (138). The confession and the struggles during the games ultimately confuse Katniss, as she contemplates upon the ending. She wonders if “Peeta is already desperately in love” and that “she hasn’t even begun to separate her feelings about Peeta”, whether she did all the good things because “she cared about him” (359).
While The Hunger Games seems to resemble the love triangle present in so many different novels, Collins provides a different approach in how a change in setting could lead to a natural end to one relationship and start to another. This is another type of romance that many YAF readers experience and provide another element in which readers can relate to.