Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 3)
Mockingjay is a 2010 young adult dystopian novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is the third and final installment of The Hunger Games trilogy, following 2008's The Hunger Games and 2009's Catching Fire, and continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, who agrees to lead the rebellion against the rulers of the futuristic society of Panem.
The series was inspired by the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur
and the Roman Gladiator games. Reviewers have noted that it tackles
issues such as loyalty, war, and poverty, as well as what is real and
what is not.
The rebels, including Katniss, take control of the districts and finally begin an assault on the Capitol itself. However, an assault on a "safe" Capitol neighborhood goes wrong, and Katniss and her team flee further into the Capitol with the intent of finding and killing President Snow. Many members of Katniss' team are killed, including Finnick Odair. Eventually, Katniss finds herself pressing on alone towards Snow's mansion, which has supposedly been opened to shelter Capitol children (but is actually intended to provide human shields for Snow). Afterwards, bombs placed in supply packages kill many of these children and a rebel medical team, including Katniss' sister, Prim. Prim's death scars Katniss to the point of mental instability.
President Snow is tried and found guilty, but he tells Katniss that the final assault that killed Prim was ordered by President Coin, not the Capitol. Katniss realizes that if this is true, the bombing may have been the result of a plan originally developed by Gale, however, Gale denied his involvement. Katniss remembers a conversation with Snow in which they agreed not to lie to each other. When she is supposed to execute Snow, she realizes that he was telling the truth and kills Coin instead. A riot ensues and Snow is found dead, having possibly choked on his own blood (laughing) or been trampled in the crowd. Katniss then tries to commit suicide by swallowing the pill that was sewn onto her suit in case she was captured by the Capitol during one of her missions, but Peeta does not allow her to do it. Katniss is acquitted due to her apparent insanity and returns to her home in District 12, along with others who are attempting to rebuild it. Peeta returns months after as well, having largely recovered from his brainwashing. Finally, Katniss surmises that falling in love with Peeta was inevitable, as he had always represented to her the promise of a better future, rather than the destruction she now associates with Gale. She says that she did not need Gale's fire, as she already had it herself; she needed Peeta, who symbolized the hope she needed to survive. Together with Haymitch they create a book filled with the stories of the previous tributes and others who died in the war so that they will not be forgotten.
In the epilogue, Katniss speaks as an adult, more than fifteen years later. She and Peeta are married and have two children. The Hunger Games are over, but she dreads the day her children learn the details of their parents' involvement in both the Games and the war. When she feels distressed, Katniss plays a comforting but repetitive "game," reminding herself of every good thing that she has ever seen someone do. The series ends with the sentence, "But there are much worse games to play."
In an interview with Collins, it was noted that the books "[tackle] issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war among others." Collins replied that this was by the inspiration of her father, who, when going to war in Vietnam, made sure that his children understood the consequences and effects of war. Yvonne Zipp of The Christian Science Monitor noted that it was "the most brutal of the trilogy" and that "Collins doesn't take war lightly – her characters debate the morality involved in tactics used to try to overthrow the rotting, immoral government, and they pay a high cost for those tactics" Katie Roiphe of The New York Times wrote that "it is the perfect teenage story with its exquisitely refined rage against the cruel and arbitrary power of the adult world". In a review for USA Today, Bob Minzesheimer pointed out that the novel contained optimism: "Hope emerges from despair. Even in a dystopian future, there's a better future".
Minzesheimer also noted a central question of "Real or not real?" which was asked throughout the novel by Katniss and other characters. Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times also pointed this out, writing, "Mockingjay takes readers into new territories and an even more brutal and confusing world: one where it's unclear what sides the characters are on, one where presumed loyalties are repeatedly stood on their head".
Plot introduction
The trilogy takes place in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, which occupies what used to be the United States and Canada. Panem is ruled by the Capitol and is surrounded by 12 districts that provide for it. A thirteenth district had previously been destroyed in a war against the Capitol. In the first novel, The Hunger Games, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister Prim's place in the Hunger Games, a competition in which one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to battle each other to the death on live television, a punishment inflicted by the Capitol. When told that both tributes from a district will be allowed to live if they are the last alive, Katniss and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark pretend to be in love to gain sympathy from the viewers but threaten suicide when they are the remaining two tributes and told only one is now allowed to live. This was seen as an act of rebellion against the Capitol. In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta are forced to compete again in a special anniversary Hunger Games consisting of tributes who have won past Games. However, before it is over a few tributes, including Katniss, are rescued by rebels who live in District 13, while Peeta is taken to the Capitol. Katniss' friend Gale Hawthorne informs her that District 12 has been destroyed.Synopsis
After her rescue by the rebels of District 13, Katniss is convinced to become "the Mockingjay": a symbol of the rebellion against the ruling Capitol. As part of a deal, she demands that the leader of District 13, President Coin, grant immunity to all of the victors of the Hunger Games. She also demands the right to kill President Snow, the leader of the Capitol, herself. In a daring rescue, Peeta and others previously captured are rescued from the Capitol. Finally, the leaders of Thirteen decide to go rescue Peeta, after realizing the guilt Katniss's feels is impeding her role in becoming, "the Mockingjay." After the rescue it is discovered that Peeta has been brainwashed into believing Katniss is the enemy and tries to strangle her upon their reunion in District 13.The rebels, including Katniss, take control of the districts and finally begin an assault on the Capitol itself. However, an assault on a "safe" Capitol neighborhood goes wrong, and Katniss and her team flee further into the Capitol with the intent of finding and killing President Snow. Many members of Katniss' team are killed, including Finnick Odair. Eventually, Katniss finds herself pressing on alone towards Snow's mansion, which has supposedly been opened to shelter Capitol children (but is actually intended to provide human shields for Snow). Afterwards, bombs placed in supply packages kill many of these children and a rebel medical team, including Katniss' sister, Prim. Prim's death scars Katniss to the point of mental instability.
President Snow is tried and found guilty, but he tells Katniss that the final assault that killed Prim was ordered by President Coin, not the Capitol. Katniss realizes that if this is true, the bombing may have been the result of a plan originally developed by Gale, however, Gale denied his involvement. Katniss remembers a conversation with Snow in which they agreed not to lie to each other. When she is supposed to execute Snow, she realizes that he was telling the truth and kills Coin instead. A riot ensues and Snow is found dead, having possibly choked on his own blood (laughing) or been trampled in the crowd. Katniss then tries to commit suicide by swallowing the pill that was sewn onto her suit in case she was captured by the Capitol during one of her missions, but Peeta does not allow her to do it. Katniss is acquitted due to her apparent insanity and returns to her home in District 12, along with others who are attempting to rebuild it. Peeta returns months after as well, having largely recovered from his brainwashing. Finally, Katniss surmises that falling in love with Peeta was inevitable, as he had always represented to her the promise of a better future, rather than the destruction she now associates with Gale. She says that she did not need Gale's fire, as she already had it herself; she needed Peeta, who symbolized the hope she needed to survive. Together with Haymitch they create a book filled with the stories of the previous tributes and others who died in the war so that they will not be forgotten.
In the epilogue, Katniss speaks as an adult, more than fifteen years later. She and Peeta are married and have two children. The Hunger Games are over, but she dreads the day her children learn the details of their parents' involvement in both the Games and the war. When she feels distressed, Katniss plays a comforting but repetitive "game," reminding herself of every good thing that she has ever seen someone do. The series ends with the sentence, "But there are much worse games to play."
Themes
Reviews have noted many themes in the previous books that are also explored in Mockingjay. A review from The Baltimore Sun noted that "the themes of the series, including physical hardships, loyalty in extreme circumstances and traversing morally ambiguous terrain, are continued at an even larger scale." In the book, Katniss must deal with betrayal and violence against people. At the same time, while she was symbolically touching thousands of lives, she must also lead those people into war. Finally, Katniss realizes she cannot even trust President Coin, leader of District 13In an interview with Collins, it was noted that the books "[tackle] issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war among others." Collins replied that this was by the inspiration of her father, who, when going to war in Vietnam, made sure that his children understood the consequences and effects of war. Yvonne Zipp of The Christian Science Monitor noted that it was "the most brutal of the trilogy" and that "Collins doesn't take war lightly – her characters debate the morality involved in tactics used to try to overthrow the rotting, immoral government, and they pay a high cost for those tactics" Katie Roiphe of The New York Times wrote that "it is the perfect teenage story with its exquisitely refined rage against the cruel and arbitrary power of the adult world". In a review for USA Today, Bob Minzesheimer pointed out that the novel contained optimism: "Hope emerges from despair. Even in a dystopian future, there's a better future".
Minzesheimer also noted a central question of "Real or not real?" which was asked throughout the novel by Katniss and other characters. Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times also pointed this out, writing, "Mockingjay takes readers into new territories and an even more brutal and confusing world: one where it's unclear what sides the characters are on, one where presumed loyalties are repeatedly stood on their head".
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