The Books That Were on Fire: My Thoughts on "The Hunger Games" Trilogy

What makes "The Hunger Games" series so intriguing and engrossing? I've connected elements of the trilogy to C.S. Lewis' sermon "The Weight of Glory" for a class paper. I've found the series to be a thought-provoking example for parts of the ethics and war lecture given recently in my American Military History class. I've discussed various plot twists and themes with a friend in my dorm.

Really, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay are on fire with intense action, ideas, and emotions!

If you missed it before, you can find my thoughts on the first book (The Hunger Games) HERE. The following thoughts are on the series as a whole, and they do include major spoilers. If you're really interested in the series and haven't yet read it, I recommend waiting to read this until after you've done so. But if you have read the books, I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments section!

My Thoughts on "The Hunger Games" Trilogy

When discussing this series the other day, my friend asked me if I thought it was possible to love a book but not love it at the same time, or something to that effect. When it comes to "The Hunger Games" trilogy, my answer is, "Oh, yeah!"

I love it. The non-stop action...the tension...the head-on collision with serious, meaningful questions... It's a well-written story that "works on many levels" (as a certain penguin from Madagascar 2 might say, if you don't mind the movie reference!). Horrific, terrifying, and yet completely captivating - that pretty much sums it up.

At the same time, I don't love it. The books are set in a future built on the author's own imagination. Whether all of the assumptions put forth in the book reflect the author's worldview is a call I can't make. But I can tell you that there are indeed assumptions that should be treated with careful reflection by every reader.

As far as I could tell, there were no references to religion throughout the series. Some might say that there is no place for religion in the dystopian world of Panem. And I suppose that is the point. Panem seems to have arisen from an evolutionary viewpoint, with the idea that in the future human beings will have moved past their need for "fantastical myths" and "delusions." It is a place where survival of the fittest is very much the order of the day. The silence created by the absence of any mention of any form of life after death or any type of religious beliefs speaks louder than any words on the subject.

Consider Katniss' thoughts after the assassination of President Coin:

"I no longer feel any allegiance to these monsters called human beings, despite being one myself. I think that Peeta was onto something about us destroying one another and letting some decent species take over. Because something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children's lives to settle its differences.... The truth is, it benefits no one to live in a world where these things happen." (p. 377, Mockingjay)

Certainly, at first glance "The Hunger Games" series seems to promise absolutely no happiness at all. But at the end of Mockingjay, Katniss and Peeta and some of the others attempt to keep the legacies of those who died alive. Peeta tries to hold onto his love for Katniss. Katniss tries to hold onto "every act of goodness [she's] seen someone do." But even Katniss' admission that "there are much worse games to play" doesn't erase the fact that if there is no life after death, all of it is for naught (quotes from Mockingjay, p. 390).

Why is it all for naught? Consider C.S. Lewis' words in his sermon "The Weight of Glory":

"...even if all the happiness they promised could come to man on earth, yet still each generation would lose it by death, including the last generation of all, and the whole story would be nothing, not even a story, for ever and ever."

Lewis is talking about those who seek a sort of "heaven on earth," but I think it works just as well for the "hell on earth with what little bits of heaven we can preserve" picture presented in "The Hunger Games" series. But the thing is, if I am correct in assuming that the dead in this series are thought to simply cease to exist, than there is no point in holding onto any "bits of heaven." As Lewis says (in the same sermon) in regards to avoiding death:

"...as if we could believe that any social or biological development on this planet will delay the senility of the sun or reverse the second law of thermodynamics. Do what they will, then, we remain conscious of a desire which no natural happiness will satisfy."

So here's where I come back to loving the series again. The books show the complete and utter dissatisfaction that humans ultimately have with this world as an end in and of itself. We long for more - legacies that will not fade; total freedom that exists in truth; justice and yet mercy; a safe place to call home forever.

Remember the song that makes an appearance at Rue's death in The Hunger Games and in the epilogue of Mockingjay? It's a song that speaks of hope, safety, and especially love. "Here is the place where I love you." It's what we ache for, a love that doesn't cease when someone leaves this world. A love that isn't bound by time and location.

Here are some of Jesus' words to His disciples (and we, too, are His disciples if we are saved through His grace, by faith):

"If ye were of the world,
the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the
world hateth you....

And ye now therefore have
sorrow: but I will see you again,
and your heart shall rejoice,
and your joy no man taketh
from you....

These things I have spoken
unto you, that in me ye might
have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of
good cheer; I have overcome
the world."

~ John 15:19 and 16:22, 33 ~

That love exists. A Love beyond this world. A Love that has overcome the world. A Love that gives joy, which can never be taken away.

But assurance in eternal life does not mean that we just give up. Not at all! What I really love about "The Hunger Games" trilogy is Katniss' constant battle. She never stops fighting. She never stops trying to hold onto good. We may not be in Katniss' shoes exactly, but consider these verses from Ephesians:

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (6:12-13)

And from Romans:

"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." (12:9)

"The Hunger Games" trilogy has a lot to say about good and evil, war (like militarism vs. just war theory, etc.), and where the world is headed. But whether or not I agree with everything it says, if it forces me to think critically and examine (and grow) in my faith, then I think it's a powerful story with a lot to offer. In that way The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay really seem to be the books that were - and are - on fire.

(You can find C.S. Lewis' sermon "The Weight of Glory" HERE. Movie poster image 1 and image 2 from Moviefone.com. Book cover images from the author's website.)