Her personality is that of a true leader, while her fierce passion rouses the sentiments of others around her. She is unwittingly drawn into the cause of the rebellion, and ultimately becomes the face of it. Unfortunately, allowing Katniss to remain alive is a poor move on the President’s part. However, the reason Katniss is kept alive can be chalked up to the fact that her death is capable of adding more fuel to the fire – something which President Snow wishes to avoid. Is he really so afraid of a 17-year-old girl that he has to come to her house to threaten her? This does not seem to be in line with his ruthless personality, who usually puts people to death for the slightest of transgressions. This calls the so-called “absolute” power of President Snow into question here. It is also highly unlikely that no one in the history of the Hunger Games has thought of committing suicide rather than kill each other (what with the Hunger Games having completed more than 70 years). It does seem a little too easy for the rebellion to be stirring against the Capitol with just a few berries.

However, the plot of Catching Fire seems to have a relatively poor foundation. The districts have been aroused, and Katniss’s fiery personality has set them off. President Snow, however, is determined to do whatever it takes to hold on to his authority in the nation, but it might not be enough. Katniss has struck a blow to the power hierarchy in Panem with her trick with the berries, and the nation now stands at a precarious moment in time. Suzanne Collins’ Catching Fire picks up where The Hunger Games left off. Even though the story is set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world, the parallels that can be drawn with current life are uncanny. It is a brilliant commentary on the struggle for control, as well as on the nature of entertainment.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins