Recently, the series The Hunger Games has been a hot item both in the theater and in our library. A few parents have asked our opinion and recently, Miss Foltz, an ECS teacher, read the first book and wrote the following review:
The Wages of Lying
I just finished reading "The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins. A student asked me, "What did you think of it?" I told her that I would need to think about it for a while. Any book that is thought provoking has value in deliberation, so I present this spoiler-free opinion below for discussion.
When someone asks me about a book, one of the first thoughts I have is how the book made me feel? I definitely felt adrenaline. The characters were emotionally gripping. Some scenes were strikingly horrific. At the end, I felt hopelessness for the future of the characters. Suddenly, I realized why.
Everyone lies and no one repents. Each of the named characters lies to others. The first eight characters that are named in the book lie to at least two others. (Well, we have no record of Prim or Madge lying, but they don't have much time to talk.)
Lies always lead to destruction. The fall of Panem is well foreshadowed. No society built on lies can survive. History has demonstrated this. The conscience craves truth. Governments should be designed for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. So, what will happen to those who believe the lies of the government. What will happen to those who don't believe, but have nowhere else to turn for truth. In one of history's most ancient epic poems, Iyyov said that those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. The second thing I think about is how I like the book. "Hunger Games" is a fantasy book because the few explanations given for the grand technologies are dubious. Several of the technologies have macabre implications. The gene puddle of the closed society has other disturbing potentialities.
Thirdly, I thought about a student reading the book. The book poses but does not answer questions about obedience to authorities, honoring parents, expectations of leaders, emotional responses, personal modesty, purposeless existence, rationale for killing, conformity to public opinion, and the consequences of lying. Students who have the discernment to strive to answer these questions could benefit from reading this book.
My final conclusion is that I will finish the series so that I can use it as a discussion starter. I will probably not reread it due to the lack of profound articulation of applicable truth. I think "Hunger Games" is a thought provoking, gruesome fantasy about the wages of lying on a personal and national level.
