Thursday, December 3, 2015

Book Banter #6 THGs


This week for Book Banter, Suey and I will be discussing the ending of The Hunger Games. With the final installment of the movies being released recently it's been on people's minds again. I actually liked the ending of the series. I know, I'm weird. Anyway,  I'll rebuttal Suey's dislikes here and don't forget to check out why I liked this crazy sad ending on Suey's blog.

Suey KILL THEM ALL!

So, they say make your characters suffer. But really? THIS MUCH? Does it HAVE to be that bad? I think a lot of people are wondering if Prim really has to die (not just me)… because I’ve seen much about this lately floating around in the cyberspace. And yes, maybe she did. Maybe. I don’t know. But did Finnick? Did he really? And the others on the team? The mute guy? (I forget all their names now.) Really? This book, this series really, is all DIE DIE DIE. That can get to a nice innocent reader after a while!

Me
I actually agree with you about Finnick! I loved him and the fact that he dies, and the way he dies, just broke my heart. Still, this series is a tragedy. Not a love story, not an adventure or a mystery. It's a tragedy. This book is about a revolution, an uprising. People are going to die. Lots of people. It's not fair. It hurts. But it's the sad truth of war. I for one am glad Collins didn't sugarcoat anything. She was being honest about war and the reality of the pain it causes.

Suey DEPRESSION
I don’t know exactly why, but I felt so sad and depressed after reading this book. (DIE DIE DIE perhaps?) I had to look up my review of the book (sheesh, five years ago!) and this is what I said then “This book seriously left me feeling blah, sad, a little underwhelmed, confused. Which I guess is what bugs me about the ending.”I really hate it when an ending leaves you with this feeling. Even though I’m not at all scared of tragic sad endings, still. And so, yeah, I was a little worried about the movie and sure enough, it sent me into a bad mood for a good 24 hour period. I literally couldn’t concentrate on a thing the next day. Probably it was more than just the movie, but I blamed the movie! :) Maybe it’s just that we were (are) all so invested in these characters and it was over. Maybe it didn't end very satisfying, even though the bad guy was eliminated. Maybe it’s just the nature of the story, the “dystopia” of it all that finally got to me. Maybe it was Peeta being so broken and not really fixed by the time everything ends. BUT probably it was mostly (see next reason)....

Me 
I like to use the word: reflective. Depression should get you thinking about why you're so sad. And when you figure that out you can hopefully learn something from your depression. I really hope it never comes to something like this in our world but, sadly, it might. Maybe it's a bit ridiculous to try to learn how to deal in a situation as horrible as the one in THGs from books and movies but where else can we learn it? OK, getting a bit distracted. I just know that tragedies are supposed to make us think and I hope this one gets us thinking. I know it did for me. 

Suey GALE
The biggest problem I have with the ending is how Gale is treated. So, okay fine, she picks Peeta. I’m good with that. I like Peeta. I like him a lot. He’s good for Katniss. They need each other. Yes, fine, blah blah blah. But, BUT… Gale. He does NOT deserve to be brushed off and thrown out like Katniss does to him. It KILLS me! It breaks my heart! It makes me want to curl up and cry. he has been there for her no matter what, even if she freaking loves another guy, he’s still there for her. Not once does he moan or stomp off or throw a fit. He only says, “you only kiss me when I’m hurting” or “it’s like kissing someone who’s drunk” so you know he feels bad and his heart is breaking too. But he is STILL there! And he’s been there from the beginning… way way before the events of the book even start. He’s is steady and strong and loyal. And so what if he decides to fight… fight the rebellion that KATNISS started! And she hates him for it? And all he gets is a “goodbye Gale” after ALL THAT? It kills me.

Me
Technically, Katniss didn't start the rebellion. She was defiant and rebellious and that gave other people courage but she didn't declare war on the capitol, not really. Not with out guidance from District 13. I liked Gale too and it broke my heart that he got the short end of the stick. But everyone, no matter what circumstances are thrust upon them, can make their own decisions. Gale chose his path. Yes, he didn't have much choice but he had some and he chose to fight. That's why I loved him. Why he bothered me was because he blamed Katniss for his misery. That's not fair! No one is responsible for anyone else's happiness. We are responsible for our own happiness. It is tragic. If things hadn't happened they way they had Katniss and Gale most definitely would have ended up together. But....circumstances. It sucks!  

So what about you? Did you like or hate the ending to this series? And if you did hate it have I convinced you not to hate it quite so badly? Don't forget to check out Suey's blog to see why I liked the ending. 

16 comments:

  1. I really didn't like Mockingjay when I first read it, I felt it was boring in comparison to the first two books, and I didn't like the ending. I agree that with characters like Gale, the circumstances sucked, but some parts seemed needlessly sad for me! I do think the movie (part 2) did the best job it could with the source material though and I did like it when I went to see it. Overall, it is still my least favourite book of the series (why did Finnick die? WHY? And Prim) but like you, it's a series I will think about and go back to, whether by book or film!

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    1. I definitely need to do a reread of the whole series. I don't remember Mockingjay being boring but it's been so long.

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  2. I'm with you on this Jenny! I love this series, and I think the last book and ending were very suiting. There was no other way for this story to go down. People had to die. This was war with terrible people! Did Prim and Finnick have to die? I don't know. I think this was a call the author made, and it rattled readers which is good right? I was told that Collins regretted killing Finnick and he was going to live in the movie. I was really sad when that didn't happen!

    Love these banters!

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    1. Yay! I'm glad you agree with me. I'm still a bit miffed about Finnick!

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  3. I'm finally with you on something! Yay! :) Yes, I loved Mockingjay. It's not my favorite in the series, but I love Mockingjay. I think it's truthful and realistic for its story. Great rebuttals!

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    1. Yay! It is a good strong ending to the series, I think.

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  4. I agree with you on Mockingjay. I liked how it ended, even if Catching Fire is my favorite of the trilogy. Maybe I wasn't super invested in Gale to really worry too much about what happens to him. I think the idea is that stress causes people to make a lot of crazy decisions they wouldn't make otherwise, so it's hard to blame people's reactions to them. People die when governments are getting overthrown on both sides, and I think it makes the book more realistic. Imagine if no one died. It would be like a certain space opera (Star Wars). I'm glad Collins decided to do that, even if Prim had to suffer. Sometimes, even children get caught up in the tragedies of war.

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  5. It's been a while since I'd read it, but I remember hating it, especially how broken everyone was and yes, how Gale was treated. As a good friend of mine would say, we do not talk about Mockingjay. We NEVER talk about Mockingjay. :)

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    1. Oh, come one. It's not that bad. Did any of my thoughts lighten your opinion?

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  6. Great post! I remember having mixed feelings about the ending as well! On the one hand I was glad it wasn't all happily ever after......BUT FINNICK!! He was the one character I actually cried over when he died! I also felt that the general ending of the book felt rushed. I actually wish she had done 4 books instead of three and split the book exactly how the movie did (I actually said this exact thing before I even found out they were doing a Hunger Games movie!) Love your banters as always!!

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  7. OMG These are the reasons why I haven't watched either Mockingjay movie! I know all the issues I had with the last book will come floating to the surface and I wanted to throw that book against the wall when I finished it. By the end I hated both Katniss and Peeta and I was so angry about how Gale was treated. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  8. Love all the reactions from this banter! What's next? :)

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  9. Mockingjay was really disappointing for me. And Gale. Gah. I thought the whole ending with Peeta was a big cop out.

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  10. Reflective is a good word. I liked the ending of this book too. I love the idea of you guys discussing something you have opposite views on like this! So fun to read!

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