A Late-to-the-Party Review of The Hunger Games

The first of an incredibly popular trilogy, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games offers readers an exciting Battle Royale-esque “kill or be killed” storyline, in which the dystopian post-apocalyptic nation of Panem (set in what was North America) held an annual contest of strategy, strength, and most importantly, survival.

Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from Panem’s District 12 (there are thirteen such districts, the last of which was bombed into oblivion), plays the role of hunter-gatherer for her poverty-stricken family. With her father killed in a mining accident and her mother and younger sister to take care of, she has to sneak into off-limits territory to hunt for game and plants alongside close friend Gale Hawthorne.

 

But when the selection for two randomly selected “tributes” for District 12 to compete in the 74th annual Hunger Games comes along, she volunteers to take the place of her 12-year-old sister Primrose, heading to The Capitol alongside local bread boy Peeta Mellark, Games alum Haymitch Abernathy, and the forever obnoxious Effie Trinket. Once they arrived at The Capitol, the two tributes were immediately whisked off to the opening ceremony stylists, who dressed them in a spectacular fire-themed costume, complete with semi-real fire lighting their capes.

 

In the days before the Games, the two had to take care of training in various survival skills, demonstrating their skills in front of judges, and being interviewed in front of a live studio audience. It was here where Katniss unwittingly shot an arrow into the apple in a roasted pig’s mouth to regain the attention of the distracted judges, earning her a preliminary score of 11 out of 12 possible points. During the interviews, Peeta professed his love for Katniss, who was initially shocked but went along with it later. These two moments earned the District 12 duo “sponsors” whose contributions help the tributes during the Games.

 

When the Games began, eleven of the twenty-four tributes were killed right off the bat in a bloodbath and race for supplies. Katniss played low after witnessing another tribute take her specialty weapon, a bow and twelve arrows, finding whatever she could find, which, unfortunately for her, did not include a source of water safe from the stronger “Career Tributes” of Districts 1, 2, and 4. Perseverance eventually paid off for her, as she found a small stream and some rabbits and “grooslings” caught in her snares.

 

While the Career Tributes had already formed an alliance, Katniss met up with a small District 11 tribute, Rue, whose knowledge of plants proved beneficial in the long run. But fighting the other tributes would not be easy. Among some of the tactics Katniss used: slicing a tracker jacker nest (extremely venomous wasps that relentlessly chased their targets) down to the ground, killing one tribute — who happened to have the bow and arrows — and harming several others, including Katniss herself; shooting arrows at a bag of apples to set off a field of reactivated landmines; and setting decoy fires to draw off the remaining tributes.

 
But soon enough, Rue was caught in a trap made by a District 9 tribute and eventually died from a spear wound inflicted by the same tribute. Katniss, in response, avenged Rue by shooting at the tribute and placing flowers on Rue’s fallen body, as a memento of her friendship and a way to provoke the Capitol. Then, the sudden rule change took into effect, allowing two tributes to win if they were from the same district. Encouraged, Katniss finds Peeta camouflaged and badly wounded and takes him to a cave. She then risks everything — her own life included — to retrieve medicine brought in by their sponsors from a high traffic area known as the Cornucopia for its place as the primary place supplies are dropped in.

 
When the pool of tributes was whittled down to only three: Katniss, Peeta, and the formidable Cato of District 2, the Gamemakers in control of every aspect of the environment decided to release a surprise for the three: the twenty-one deceased tributes reincarnated as killer, mutant wolves who know no bounds and feel no emotion except 100% pure hatred. Cato was immediately attacked, as Katniss and Peeta managed to avoid the pack, but only barely.

 
But then, the Gamemakers revoked the earlier ruling, intending to force the District 12 duo into a dramatic fight to the death. Instead, the two threatened to orchestrate a double suicide by eating poisonous “nightlock” berries… until the head of the Gamemakers frantically restored the two-winner rule, fearing ridicule from the Districts.

 
The victory for Katniss, however, was bittersweet, wary of what might become of her (knowing that Haymitch became a drunkard!), what might happen if she parted ways with Peeta, and also what the Capitol might do to her for formulating the double suicide idea.

 
This was probably one of the most entertaining novels I’ve read in a long time, and this time, I actually mean it. The concept, although not Collins’ original (rather, from a 1999 Japanese novel Battle Royale), is certainly shocking at first, but once you understand the circumstances about why the Games are held (to instill fear and prevent the Districts from rebelling), then the idea starts settling in.

 
What I really liked was how the descriptive language made you feel as if you were actually in the Games, with a bird’s-eye view on everything Katniss was doing. Heck, it’s as if you were Katniss! In addition, the way the backstories behind the main characters and life in District 12 were described definitely struck a chord inside my head. And although the ending seemed sweet for Katniss, it does trail off as if something significant will happen in Catching Fire. Overall, as many have said previously, it’s a very entertaining read.

The DIA: Letting Yourself Go

In a metropolis that has been on the downturn since the late 1960’s — losing more than half its population since its zenith and many buildings falling into disrepair — there is certainly a bright spot livening up this city that has been the victim of unfortunate decay: the Detroit Institute of Arts. Its vast collection of art from various painters, sculptors and the like rivals those of larger and more recognizable galleries. Although even the DIA isn’t safe from the effects of Detroit’s $500 million debt — it was almost shut down as a result — it still serves as a gateway into so many different eras and cultures and the art that defined them.

Among some of the DIA’s many featured works include masterpieces from such prolific and distinguished artists that have certainly made their names known in the art world and beyond — Caravaggio, Titian, Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Warhol, and many more. Collections in the museums range from ancient Greek and Roman artifacts all the way to today’s modern and contemporary art — and everything in between. The life-size sculptures made of stone or ivory; the towering murals depicting Biblical scenes more often than not; the serene still-lifes of fields, forests, and even fruit baskets and flowers in a vase; the straightforward portraits of the painter himself or his acquaintances; artifacts from the daily lives of ancient and modern cultures; and some as simple as a thin white line running through a red background.

 

Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War), Salvador Dalí. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950. © Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2012

I decided to visit during a time in which several temporary traveling exhibits were being featured: the Five Spanish Masterpieces (from Dali, Velazquez, El Greco, Goya, and Picasso), the Vermeer painting Woman Holding a Balance, and a collection of prints from Picasso and Matisse. Each of these works of art, coming from different periods and styles, are breathtaking in their own way: Dali and his grotesque depiction of “the giant” Spain eating away at itself, Picasso’s Blue Period portrayal of an imprisoned woman, Matisse’s simplistic and ambiguous cut-out prints, Vermeer’s image of a woman finding a life of balance… There was so much to absorb in the mere 45 minutes I spent in the temporary exhibits, and even though I only focused on each work for a few minutes, if not a few seconds, I could appreciate the thought and the execution behind them.

 

But even when these exhibits are long gone, there’s still a treasure trove of art in the regular galleries to appreciate. Among my favorites were Henri Matisse’s The Window, a revolutionary work designed to challenge basic laws of perspective; Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, an ordinary but effective contrast against his unstable mental health; John Singleton Copley’s Watson and the Shark, depicting a story of Brook Watson falling overboard and saved from a nearby shark by his crew-mates; Claes Oldenburg’s Giant Three-Way Plug, a wooden sculpture the size of a nightstand depicting an electrical plug with two sockets on its sides.

 

Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection

It was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view these masterpieces, some of which were loaned to the DIA from various museums across the U.S. and Europe, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Prado in Madrid. I feel quite fortunate to be able to view incredible works just a fifteen minute drive away from home that I would have to travel hundreds and even thousands of miles to see otherwise. And although only time can tell what the future brings for the DIA, I hope that that privilege of being able to view classic and modern artworks from your doorstep will survive for years to come.