Let's Talk About Our Mockingjay(EC)

I just finished reading Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. It is about a girl named Katniss Everdeen- who originally was in the Hunger Games in the first book and is now caught up in a revolution sparked by herself. She never planned it though- despite the fact her face is the face of the revolution- and instead she is being manipulated by both sides- rebels and the Capitol. Everyone had been talking about how great or how terrible Katniss is and it seemed like a good idea to bring my thoughts out on the subject also.

Well, Katniss is real. The type person she is is real. She feels deeply, but like so many people she has to use others to survive. Everything- ever since time began- was pretty much all about survival of the fittest. Everyone is for himself. That is the point of evolution. As the book itself says, no one survived by being compassionate. There is always competition. If a bird just lets another eat all the seeds, that bird is not likely to survive.

It isn't right to use people for someone's own benefit. In fact, everyone should be helping one another so everyone can survive, but the world just does not work that way. Katniss used Peeta to receive gifts from sponsers. The bright side is she didn't just do it for herself; she was trying to save Peeta too. From the start, she seemed to care about him since he gave her the bread when her family was starving. The Career packs in each Hunger Games also depended on one another to stay alive. They shared the supplies and hunted down the weaker tributes together.

Going back to the idea Katniss cares deeply, most people don't. Her attitude and personality do not always show it, but she does. Since most people don't usually care so deeply, it really means something about Katniss. She is often worried about Peeta in this book, because she knew the Capitol captured him and it would torture him. I can relate to Katniss; I care very much about the people around me. A couple friends this year seemed to be telling me- indirectly- to change. They never liked it when I started crying because I was overwhelmed by emotions. They never liked it when fretted so much about them. One of my friends told me I was very self-centered. Well, does anyone like me better?! Whatever I was then, I must be the opposite now! At this point, I don't really care about anything. All my friends aren't my real friends. In other words, I don't have any friends now. What is the point in caring if no one wants me to? It sure wasn't for my benefit! If anything it hurt- which is also why I can relate to Katniss. At the end of it all, pretty much everyone gave up on her- so it seemed anyway. Everyone went off on their own leaving Katniss in her grief. It says something else too. I remember one of my former friends telling me "the teachers you expect to care don't." Well, it doesn't just apply to teachers. It applies to many people. So my answer is Katniss is real. Perhaps she isn't great and she isn't terrible, but she is the sort of person who lives in our world.