The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II came out this weekend. My wife and I went to AMC Evansville 16 to see with our son, Lance. It is a thought-provoking movie that had us discussing it over dinner and on the way home. It’s an interesting commentary on who’s really in charge in the world. Good and evil appears in many forms. The movie is true to the book, Mockingjay (The Hunger Games), but for those who haven’t read the books it is a bit confusing in spots where the viewer has to just figure out how and why certain events happen.

The Hunger Games series is an interwoven set of characters, emotions, and principles that mix in ambiguous ways. It is an interesting commentary on society, people’s motivation, and class systems. The trilogy of books is second only to the Harry Potter series in sales. While billed as young adult fiction, it deals with many aspects of trust, perception, and morals that isn’t normally seen in the target audience.

Good versus Evil

The author, Suzanne Collins, creates characters that are somewhat one-dimensional at first glance in the series. President Snow appears as  pure evil. Gale Hawthorne is kind and protective. Peeta Mellark is compassionate and hopelessly in love with Katniss Everdeen, who barely knows he’s alive. Katniss is a fighter who provides for her sister and mother. Haymitch Abernathy is a self-centered drunk.

As the story develops, it isn’t clear that these labels are correct. Through the trilogy, the perspective of each character broadens into a deeper picture of characters who are not necessarily easy to label either good or evil. In this last movie, some of the characters shift in the viewer’s perspective from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Selflessness

Katniss, Gale, Peeta and even Haymitch all have their moments of selfless actions. Of course, Katniss’s character is thrust into the foreground by her very public, very dramatic selfless act by volunteering as Tribute in place of her sister. Gale steps in as provider and protector of her sister and mother while Katniss is away. He even takes a brutal beating to protect Katniss in the second book. Peeta would literally lay down his life for Katniss. Haymitch’s selflessness is much more hidden and isn’t revealed fully until the second book.

Each of these characters act selflessly in certain moments. While at other times, their actions seem motivated by less than selfless motives. This brings a realistic quality to the characters. We all have our times when our actions are good and selfless. Yet, we all act in selfish ways as well. This duplicity is part of what makes us human.

Institutions

Institutions are ran by people. President Coriolanus Snow, acted well by Donald Sutherland, is the face of Panem. He’s a ruthless politician who knows the stakes and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. The leader of the rebels, President Alma Coin, convincingly played by Julianne Moore, is also focused on getting the job done. These two opposing institutions, one trying to keep the things as they are and the other trying to make a new order of things, are mirror images of each other. Both have good qualities and bad qualities. However, when the veneer is removed, they are identical underneath. It’s just one institution replacing the previous one without any real change.

Game Makers

Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the one literally pulling the strings of everyone. He was behind the scenes in The Capitol. He’s behind the scenes of the rebel forces. He survives all the public faces of the fray. He manipulates people and counts on people acting as he expects, which produces the outcome that he desires. Interestingly, most of the populace doesn’t know him or that he exists. Yet, he’s the one with true power as he’s the one actually making things happen.

Parallels

So the question for me is, who are the Game Makers in our society? We hear a lot of rhetoric for both sides of the aisle in politics. No matter who’s in charge, there are problems and issues that continue to fester. The national debt continues to rise. The are so many challenges that if one were to dwell on them for too long, one would be consumed by depression.

I don’t know how we make a change in our system, but I do know that there are fundamental things that we should do as citizens. We should stay informed, object when necessary, and vote. We’re all busy, but I believe that everyone should pick something that they are passionate about and be sure that you keep up with and involve yourself in those things. Fortunately, we have a diverse population and you can find someone passionate about any topic if you search long enough. As people, we only have a finite amount that we can give. As a group, we can cover all the bases.

Conclusion

In the movie, we are lead to the conclusion that the people who take over as the leaders have learned lessons from their recent past and that they are going to create a good government that serves the people. On a personal level, Peeta and Gale both stay true to Katniss. They both love her. In the end, she picks the one she wants to live her life with. One has to wonder what Panem would look like ten or fifteen years later. I’m certain that there’s someone id writing fan fiction to fill in those details. Until next time. . .

Cheers,
Jack