Taking Her Sister’s Place in the Hunger Games

4. Going Against the Game Rule

In the middle of the Games, the Gamemakers announced that both tributes from the same district can be the victors. It made Katniss more on fire to find Peeta so they both can win the Games and go back home. After she reunite with Peeta and there were only both of them alive, Gamemakers were not announce them as victors but they revised the game rule from both tributes from the same district can be the victors to there will only one victor. It made Katniss upset. “Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed,” he says. “Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.” There’s a small burst of static and then nothing more. I stare at Peeta in disbelief as the truth sinks in. they never intended to let us both live. This has all been devised by the Gamemakers to guarantee the most dramatic showdown in history. And like a fool, I bought into it p. 342. Katniss did not like what she has just heard. She hates the idea that the Capitol rule and own the twelve districts including the people in the districts, so the Capitol can decide what they want to do to their people and they can even decide people’s destiny. As the Gamemakers, they changed the game rule as they want; hopping the audience will like more the show’s twist. In other side, Katniss as a tribute wanted to win the games; and as a friend from the same district, she could not kill Peeta and wanted to go home with him. This situation made her go against the game rule. She showed her existence and she wanted to show that the Capitol do not own them. Her characteristics which are courageous, spontaneous, and clever determine her in showing her existence. Her cleverness and spontaneity made her able to trick the Gamemakers when they changed the game rules from “both tributes from the same district can win the games” to “there will be only one victor”. She went against the game rules by pretending to commit suicide by eating the poisonous dark berries with Peeta so the Gamemakers will not have a victor. She knew the Gamemakers will not fail the Capitol by have no victor, so she and Peeta could go back home. She courageously made a big decision about her life although the worse risk was death; she could die because of the poison. Yes, they have to have a victor. Without a victor, the whole thing would blow up in the Gamemakers’ faces. They’d have failed the Capitol. Might possibly even be executed, slowly and painfully while the cameras broadcast it to every screen in the country. If Peeta and I were both to die, or they thought we were . . . My fingers fumble with the pouch on my belt, freeing it. Peeta sees it and his hand clamps on my wrist. “No, I won’t let you.” “Trust me,” I whisper. He holds my gaze for a long moment then lets me go. I loosen the top of the pouch and pour a few spoonfuls of berries into his palm. Then I fill my own. “On the count of three?” p. 344 Fortunately, the odds were in her favour. Her trick was successful. She did not have to eat the poisonous dark berries at all. She and Peeta could go home together. At that time, the Gamemakers announced Katniss and Peeta are the victors of the 74 th Hunger Games. 45

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION

The aim in this study is to prove that the main character who is Katniss Everdeen in the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is struggling for her existence as a human being. The writer wants to conclude the result of the analysis as the answers of the two problem formulations by using new criticism. Those two problem formulations are Katniss Everdeen’s characteristics and Katniss Everdeen’s struggle to show existence which is influenced by her characteristics. Katniss Everdeen is the main character of the story. Her appearances are frequent because she is a major character whereas the other characters are not. Then, as a round character she has several characteristics. Katniss Everdeen characteristics as seen in the novel are courageous, spontaneous, persevering, clever, caring and loving, and also responsible. Her characteristics are found through the way she thoughts, her reactions, her speech, her conversation of others, her past life, and she is seen by another. The writer could find that Katniss’s existence seen because she is “being” and she is existing. Her characteristics determine her to show her existence when she faces some problems. The way she makes responsible decisions and decides what she wants to do is also showing her existence.