Question
The Hunger Games
In Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel, The Hunger Games, the main hero is Katniss Everdeen. Her “Ordinary World” is in District 12, an impoverished region in the fictional country of Panem where she lives with her mother and little sister, Prim. She struggles to support her family, often hunting illegally to keep them fed, but poverty is not the only stress in her life. Every year, children between the ages 12 to 18 face the ‘reaping’: a ceremony that chooses participants for the Hunger Games, a contest where those participants must fight to the death. In the beginning of The Hunger Games, Katniss experiences her “Call to Adventure” while on a hunting trip with her childhood friend, Gale. He talks about running away, leaving District 12 to live in the woods. Katniss dismisses Gale's suggestion to run away because they both have families to take care of (“Refusing the Call). After refusing to run away, she attends the reaping ceremony. Out of the hundreds of entries, her little sister's name is chosen, which forces Katniss to volunteer in her sister's place in order to save Prim's life. Bad things have happened after Katniss “refused the call,” which leads to her “Crossing the Threshold” and participating in the Hunger Games. Haymitch Abernathy is her “Mentor” figure, a former victor of the Hunger Games from District 12. He advises Katniss and the other District 12 champion, Peeta, on how to survive the Hunger Games. The Gamemakers test Katniss and the other tributes on their skills, and their score usually determines how well they will do in the game (“Tests”). Katniss encounters allies and enemies both in and out of the arena. Cinna, her stylist and only friend in the Capitol, encourages Katniss and helps her win over the audience in her interviews. Peeta and Haymitch also work to help Katniss survive (“Allies”). Many of Katniss' competitors resent her and see her as a challenge (“Enemies”), but others, like the character Rue, create an alliance with Katniss. For the participants, the game itself is an ordeal; it forces them to kill or be killed. But for Katniss, the “Ordeal” occurs when Rue is killed. Rue's death forces Katniss to confront the injustice of the Hunger Games. Shortly after, Katniss is motivated to defy the Capitol by making sure she and Peeta survive. “The Supreme Ordeal” arrives at the end of the game, the Gamemakers announce that only one tribute may win, despite their earlier rule change that declared two could survive. Rather than attack each other, Katniss and Peeta agree to eat poisonous berries. They are stopped by the Gamemakers before they can do so, but their willingness to sacrifice their own lives instead of killing each other saves them. Survivors of the Hunger Games receive money and fame (“Reward”), though at a terrible cost.
As you can see, both The Hobbit and The Hunger Games follow Campbell’s formula for “The Hero’s Journey”. So the next time you read a book, or watch a movie, check to see if it follows the formula and ask yourself: is this story really new?
Which of the following is NOT true about The Hunger Games?
Katniss faces enemies in the form of her fellow tributes.
Katniss' "Supreme Ordeal" is when Katniss is told there can only be one winner.
Katniss challenges the Hero's structure by being a heroine.
Katniss' "Ordinary World" is the made-up world and district that she belongs to.
In Suzanne Collins’ dystopian novel, The Hunger Games, the main hero is Katniss Everdeen. Her “Ordinary World” is in District 12, an impoverished region in the fictional country of Panem where she lives with her mother and little sister, Prim. She struggles to support her family, often hunting illegally to keep them fed, but poverty is not the only stress in her life. Every year, children between the ages 12 to 18 face the ‘reaping’: a ceremony that chooses participants for the Hunger Games, a contest where those participants must fight to the death. In the beginning of The Hunger Games, Katniss experiences her “Call to Adventure” while on a hunting trip with her childhood friend, Gale. He talks about running away, leaving District 12 to live in the woods. Katniss dismisses Gale's suggestion to run away because they both have families to take care of (“Refusing the Call). After refusing to run away, she attends the reaping ceremony. Out of the hundreds of entries, her little sister's name is chosen, which forces Katniss to volunteer in her sister's place in order to save Prim's life. Bad things have happened after Katniss “refused the call,” which leads to her “Crossing the Threshold” and participating in the Hunger Games. Haymitch Abernathy is her “Mentor” figure, a former victor of the Hunger Games from District 12. He advises Katniss and the other District 12 champion, Peeta, on how to survive the Hunger Games. The Gamemakers test Katniss and the other tributes on their skills, and their score usually determines how well they will do in the game (“Tests”). Katniss encounters allies and enemies both in and out of the arena. Cinna, her stylist and only friend in the Capitol, encourages Katniss and helps her win over the audience in her interviews. Peeta and Haymitch also work to help Katniss survive (“Allies”). Many of Katniss' competitors resent her and see her as a challenge (“Enemies”), but others, like the character Rue, create an alliance with Katniss. For the participants, the game itself is an ordeal; it forces them to kill or be killed. But for Katniss, the “Ordeal” occurs when Rue is killed. Rue's death forces Katniss to confront the injustice of the Hunger Games. Shortly after, Katniss is motivated to defy the Capitol by making sure she and Peeta survive. “The Supreme Ordeal” arrives at the end of the game, the Gamemakers announce that only one tribute may win, despite their earlier rule change that declared two could survive. Rather than attack each other, Katniss and Peeta agree to eat poisonous berries. They are stopped by the Gamemakers before they can do so, but their willingness to sacrifice their own lives instead of killing each other saves them. Survivors of the Hunger Games receive money and fame (“Reward”), though at a terrible cost.
As you can see, both The Hobbit and The Hunger Games follow Campbell’s formula for “The Hero’s Journey”. So the next time you read a book, or watch a movie, check to see if it follows the formula and ask yourself: is this story really new?
Which of the following is NOT true about The Hunger Games?
Katniss faces enemies in the form of her fellow tributes.
Katniss' "Supreme Ordeal" is when Katniss is told there can only be one winner.
Katniss challenges the Hero's structure by being a heroine.
Katniss' "Ordinary World" is the made-up world and district that she belongs to.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The statement that is NOT true about The Hunger Games is:
**Katniss challenges the Hero's structure by being a heroine.**
While Katniss is indeed a heroine and her journey highlights themes of courage, sacrifice, and defiance, the phrasing of "challenges the Hero's structure" can be misleading. The narrative largely follows traditional Hero’s Journey archetypes set by Joseph Campbell, rather than challenging them. The other statements about her facing enemies, the Supreme Ordeal regarding the winners, and her Ordinary World are accurate descriptions of the story.
**Katniss challenges the Hero's structure by being a heroine.**
While Katniss is indeed a heroine and her journey highlights themes of courage, sacrifice, and defiance, the phrasing of "challenges the Hero's structure" can be misleading. The narrative largely follows traditional Hero’s Journey archetypes set by Joseph Campbell, rather than challenging them. The other statements about her facing enemies, the Supreme Ordeal regarding the winners, and her Ordinary World are accurate descriptions of the story.