Yes, I Really Do Hate 'The Hunger Games' | Teen Ink

Yes, I Really Do Hate 'The Hunger Games'

July 1, 2012
By MadMouse GOLD, Springfield, Missouri
MadMouse GOLD, Springfield, Missouri
15 articles 11 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
'The only things worth doing on the weekend are completely pointless and wastes of time."


The Hunger Games crashed through the New York Times Bestseller list like a hungry lion in a meat shop. The numbers were astounding; approval ratings crashed through the sky. But behind all of the popular applause, there are a fair amount of faults that I can find in Collins’ trendy novel ‘The Hunger Games’.

But why, exactly, is this novel so well-liked?

To begin with, it’s an easy read. Embarrassingly easy. Most kids I know that read this book consisted of 13-17 year olds. They bragged that they read ‘The Hunger Games’ in one day. But I see no great accomplishment in this feat, because the book was written for, by my standards, 10-12 year olds, and so people probably should have finished it in a couple of hours. No surprise there; there’s nothing to brag about when you finish a kids’ book. But do you hear people saying how great ‘The Three Musketeers’ or ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ is? Nope. That’s because the books are really huge, and nobody bothers to read them. Popularity starts with an easy read.

Secondly, the gladiatorial draw is intoxicating. It takes the reader on emotional ups and downs and might make a more tender person cry (like when Rue died). Admit it; the book was grotesquely, horrifically amusing because the main character constantly in a life-or-death situation that was (supposed to be) intense. Blood, forced murder, innocent children dying, the works.

Let’s move on to the actual writing job. There are many things I find distasteful about ‘The Hunger Games.’ Primarily, I find Collins’ lack of description remarkable. The book reads more like an emotionless screenplay rather than a good novel. The only reason people feel sad or happy or triumphant is not because Suzanne actually describes the characters’ feelings; it’s because the gladiatorial plot has a built-in intense system that makes the reader ready to cry or laugh or gasp with horror. Take away the horrific plotline, and you would feel as much emotion as a brick wall. But Collins’ lack of description extends further, to places, people, setup, and scenery. She describes place settings like a children’s book: short sentences without analogies, parallels, good use of words, etc. Just ‘the wall was blue.’, not ‘the long wall was sickly forget-me-not blue that made me want to puke.’. A good writer needs to know how to describe, not just tell.

Somewhat related to the writing, I find the plot unrealistic. Yes, a hero or heroine generally faces incredible odds, but a good author should know where to draw the line between ‘heroism/luck/good fortune’ and ‘completely unrealistic’. For example, Katniss is a malnourished, starving, and thus weak girl (and by nature, girls are physically weaker than guys anyway). Do you really think a person like that would stand a chance against older, buffer guys that had been training their entire lives for the Hunger Games? Do you honestly think she could have survived? The ‘careers’ were prepared for the Hunger Games, she was not. For instance, when Katniss is in a tree and the girl tries to shoot an arrow at her: the girl was a career. Don’t you think they would have taught her how to use every possible weapon if they wanted her to win? And yet she was poorly trained: hmm, Katniss has some pretty extreme luck there. When the boy tries to climb the tree, he gives up after one try. They wanted to murder her. Do you think they would give up after one try? At least have thrown knives at her, or chucked rocks at her, or something. Even if one girl couldn’t shoot an arrow, you would think that out of that many careers, at least one would be able to handle a bow!

Minor note here: when Katniss’s urine is brown, she should be dead or passed out. Scientific fact: you cannot be conscious and be that dehydrated. It’s impossible for your body. Collins might have wanted to do a little medical research if she was going to have her characters heroically wounded/incapacitated in some way.

Lastly, I find it slightly sexist. A weak girl bypasses logic, rationality, a few basic laws of physics, and has some completely unrealistic doses of huge luck that make her survive until the end. And what does Peeta do? He gets wounded and hides in the mud like a wimpy dude. Of course, Katniss, being the strong brave invincible girl she is, had to go save the poor guy. You’d think she had Achilles’ curse or something; the ways she survives are ridiculous. If an author has a heroine, especially a girl, they’ve got to learn not take it so far as to seem fantastically outlandish.

To sum, I loathe ‘The Hunger Games’ because of the dumb reasons people like it, it’s unrealistic, and sexist. Glad you bothered reading this much of my opinion.


The author's comments:
Forgive the length. I'm afraid I was a bit overzealous in my...ah... expressingness. And I am a girl, by the way, for those that are already huffing up about the 'sexist' comment.

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This article has 34 comments.


on Aug. 3 2021 at 10:14 am
CrazyCatLady6 GOLD, New Radnor, Other
16 articles 0 photos 102 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There would be no shadows if the sun were not shining"

Wow, the amount of ppl hating on the writer bc of a book. It's like WW3 in this comment section! I don't particularly like the Hunger Games, but I would NEVER hate on someone if they came out and said they loved it. Please respect other ppls opinions, they r their own and they r entitled and allowed to have them, as r u. Just don't hate on someone bc of theirs.

on Sep. 30 2020 at 1:22 pm
Emme--Landers, Arroyo Grande, California
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
Writing is the painting of the voice.

ok bruh. I doubt u even read the book. Its complex and has deeper meanings than just people killing each other. You probably aren't smart enough to understand

on Sep. 30 2020 at 2:16 am
Finna-aspenhunter, Elk City, Oklahoma
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
The Hunger Games were not a good story or particularly good books. I agree with you that they were unrealistic, although I don't read fluff fiction novels for how realistic they are; usually. I still liked the Hunger Games though. Why? I liked the Hunger Games because of their pointed social commentary on how we live as a society today. They were dystopian in a fun easy to read way and weren't completely full of adult content like more serious dystopian novels such as Brave New World and 1984 are. The reader sees how the rich are living in luxury and the poor who produce the gadgets needed to keep them in that luxury are starving, people are surgically altering their appearances, the government doesn't care about the people... How isn't that like modern day America? I think the Hunger Games should be read by more people, even if all it does is separate them from their phones for a bit. (I've read The Three Musketeers, 1984, The Great Gatsby, Brave New World, and Dorian Gray among others. i have read the Classics and Modern Writing and enjoy and think about both.)

PeetaMellark said...
on Jun. 9 2020 at 2:38 am
PeetaMellark, Kelowna, Columbia
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
did you even read it?

PeetaMellark said...
on Jun. 9 2020 at 2:37 am
PeetaMellark, Kelowna, Columbia
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
The hunger games is the best book I've ever read and all those people in the comments have not addressed that THE HUNGER GAMES ARE NOT SEXIST!!! i honestly found that remark sexist. A woman cant be stronger than a man? she cant be BRAVER? Oh no that would be taking it too far. this is one f the things i love about the hunger games.

on Mar. 28 2018 at 1:59 pm
vanessa_z SILVER, Ventnor, New Jersey
7 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.

@MadMouse I don't agrre with your opinion, the "Hunger Games" are one of the best book I ever read. And for God's Sake this book is fiction, the writer can write whatever comes to his/her mind. The part that you said that the reader has ups and downs,that's the writer's goal to make the reader feel that he/she is living in the story,and submerged on the scene. Tha's why the "Hunger Games" were best seller.

Gary said...
on Jun. 23 2016 at 3:27 am
Kid, you need coal to make power. Extra power is not bad. District 5 makes power too though, and it is still made using the dam method. They make dam electricity (somebody gets the reference?).

Gary said...
on Jun. 23 2016 at 3:24 am
No, because of the violence it was written for higher levels, not 10-12

on Jun. 22 2016 at 8:37 am
Somehow, when I read the series, I never really enjoyed it in the first place, as much as my other friends. I never knew why. Somehow, compared to more complex novels like Harry Potter, I found the Hunger Games kind of . . . forced, and bland. I finally realise why I felt after reading your article. Thank you!

Austin said...
on May. 18 2016 at 7:38 pm
Why don't they just make district 12 do something else?

Austin said...
on May. 18 2016 at 7:37 pm
Thank you. I completely agree with you that it is sexist. Hell, there are actual statistics that say in the army or combat, women are more likely to get killed. Just because the book outright features people getting killed doesn't make it more grown up. Its like when Seltzerburg puts in pointless nude scenes. It may have themes that aren't explored as much, but it could have been done so much better.

Jeremy said...
on May. 14 2016 at 9:49 am
Are you serious right now the only reason someone would write an article like this is if they're jealous and that's what you are little girl jealous

Jeremy said...
on May. 14 2016 at 9:49 am
Are you serious right now the only reason someone would write an article like this is if they're jealous and that's what you are little girl jealous

on Apr. 12 2016 at 1:39 pm
Honestly when you say it's sexist because the girl is protecting a boy that's weak is actually extremely sexist because your basically saying a boy can't be that weak and a girl can't be that strong! You also said that its for 10 year olds! It's about a fight to the death which is something ten year olds wouldn't be reading

on Nov. 3 2015 at 11:27 am
ScarletCity PLATINUM, High Ridge, Missouri
40 articles 4 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
Anything that can be done, can be undone. ~Scarlet City
http://eepurl.com/dcyZMn

The way I see it, there are three kinds of people in the world... The ones who appreciate modern day literature, those who appreciate 'Classic' literature, and English teachers (meaning: It doesn't matter what they appreciate, they are forced to teach both types to both people)

on Nov. 3 2015 at 11:12 am
ScarletCity PLATINUM, High Ridge, Missouri
40 articles 4 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
Anything that can be done, can be undone. ~Scarlet City
http://eepurl.com/dcyZMn

@MadMouse How can you say that this book is written for ten year olds? You say that this book involves murdering children, which it does, and I believe that this fact should make a book for a more mature audience. I wasn't allowed to read it until 6th grade, and that was because we read it in English class. I disagree with your claim that the plot was unrealistic because Katniss won and not one of the Careers.Don't you think that if you had been training your whole life, you would be overconfident and cocky? And this cockiness was eventually their demise. THEY thought they were invincible. I do, however, agree with you about minor note. That much is true.

ellwist SILVER said...
on Oct. 25 2015 at 5:38 am
ellwist SILVER, Surabaya, Other
6 articles 2 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
"They only let you be this happy when they're preparing to take something from you." -Khaled Hosseini, the Kite Runner.

I agree with most of what you've pointed out, except the last part. Sure, STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN is becoming a cliche very quickly, but Peeta's weakness was slightly refreshing. Hey, at least somebody's acknowledging men can be weak. And it's not like all of the male characters are like that--Haymitch, Gale, literally all the other male competitors. But seriously. STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMEN really needs to stop happening and be replaced with STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMEN WITH ACTUAL PERSONALITY. Good job on this one.

on Oct. 23 2015 at 8:57 am
LittleRedDeliriousPrince SILVER, Parma Heights, Ohio
7 articles 0 photos 100 comments
I enjoy the Cask of Amontillado. It's a good story, but I feel it is not so appreciated. Edgar Allen Poe is one of my favorite authors.

on Mar. 29 2015 at 8:07 pm
i completely disagree with you each of your points is not insightful, i say this as respectfully as possible and dont mean to offend you or anyone else. you clearly dont understand the points the author was trying to make. here are my reasons before you just say im ranting on nothing. 1.i find this book fairly easy but l will never judge books based on there covers or in this case,thickness as long as it has a good plot ill read it.if i was 9 and divergent had just came out i would read it because it has a wonderful plot. same goes if i was 20 and the son of neptune came out it has a equelly grabing plot no matter the thickness its an amazing book. 2.ITS A DISTOPIAN SOCITY name one book that takes place in a distopian socity that dosent result in death or deals with some kind of other abuse, like starvation or a evil dictator. the hunger games is like this to show how the carecters lives are horrible in the future and this usully takes place where people can picture. if you were to read to books that used the same carecters and plot but one was in belgium and one was in the us which one would you have a easier time picturing.exactly. 3.the hunger games is told by katniss who is discribed as a mature carecter and her life story tells that she has a large burden to carry and she dosent dwell on little things she also dosent discribe her feelings because shes confused by them and trys to focus on the more hevy things like i dont know ... STAYING ALIVE, MAKING ALIS AND DEFETING THE CAPITOL.i may continue my rant later but im bored by this and yes i know i mispelled things but its hard to use spell check when kids are screaming in your ear. ill be back love idontgiveoutpersonelinfosoillcallmyselfjenny 6th grader. *drops mike*

Wren said...
on Mar. 13 2015 at 8:58 pm
I agree with everything you wrote. The Hunger Games really is badly written, or written for small children, and it speaks of a person's experience with literature to say whether they consider it special. I thought the first book was reasonably entertaining for what it was, but the political and social commentary in it was weak; as you say, it was written for the 10-12 crowd who have not read 1984, Brave New World or A Clockwork Orange. Those were the books that I was reading at 15 so to hear grown people say that the Hunger Games is violent, or its' social commentary is somehow special, really makes me sad for the human race. Katniss to me was a terrible character. She is a self-absorbed, entitled, angry teenager, but the book is not self-aware enough to realize this so it's just aggravating. This trend continues with the plot and world-building. The world Collins wrote is like Katniss-- very shallow and simplistic. It's broken up into sections each with their own little theme and there's a simple villain (the center section). There's nothing complicated about the situation at all. Same with the plot it's so simplistic, you can see right through the analogy because it's paper-thin. That's why as social or political commentary it tells you about as much as a 10 year old would.