Question: In what ways do the characters in your novel respond to changing circumstances?
The characters in this novel constantly have to respond to changing circumstances as they fight to stay alive to bring redemption to their own districts. The main characters in this novel that are frequently forced to adapt to change are: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark of district number 12. These two young teenagers are chosen to compete in the annual Hunger Games that are held by the Capitol. Where winning means fame and fortune and losing means certain death, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are forced against their wills to compete. In the beginning, Katnisss younger sister, Prim is chosen to participate but Katniss volunteers to take her place, even though it means she will most certainly die. There are 12 districts in total, two adolescents are chosen from each district, a boy and a girl. Therefore, there are a total of 24 competitors. The catch is...the games will be televised to all 12 districts and only one person can win...
A character in a book, whether they may be antagonist or protagonist, can react to change in various ways, this change may be minor or it may change that characters life forever. When her little sister's name is chosen as one of the contestants in the upcoming Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. A gutsy decision, given the fact that District 12 hasn't produced a Hunger Games winner in 30 years or so. This marks the beginning of Katnisss ever-changing life. Generally, she responds well to the fact that she must compete, shes still scared to death but in her mind its better her than Prim. The book focuses mainly on Katniss, not Peeta, although later on in the book he becomes a very important character. The next change for Katniss is when she must leave District 12 and go to the Capitol to prepare for the games. When Katniss arrives at the Capitol she is completely overcome by how wealthy and good the people there have it. Back home in District 12 her family is poor and Katniss must hunt illegally in the forest in order to make ends meet. In Katnisss room that she is to stay in until the games begin there is a food dispenser that gives you ANY food you want at anytime of the day and the showers practically wash yourself for you. Everything is well and good in the Capitol which angers Katniss because the other 12 districts suffer with very little. So, in a way Katniss feels fortunate for the change of being able to live in the Capitol for a few days. The biggest transformation for Katniss by far when she arrives at the Capitol is the amount of food that is available to her all the time. She practically starved back home but now she can eat anything she desires in large portions. Therefore, Katnisss circumstances changed for the good but also very much so, for the bad because she still faces death.
In the next portion of the book, Katniss and Peeta are put to the test as they train and prepare for the Hunger Games. The preparation for the Hunger Games begins and Peeta and Katniss find themselves face to face with the other 22 competitors, tall and short, strong and skinny, scared and confident. Katniss is shocked to see a very small girl, who reminds her of Prim. This changes Katnisss way of looking at the competition. Before she thought she could probably work up the courage to kill a participant if she had to, which she would eventually. Now, shes looking at it in a different light. How could she possibly kill this little girl who reminds her so much of her little sister? Katniss and Peeta are also surprised to see so many tools that they have never had available to them laid out in front of them for use. Their response is positive and theyre happy that they can train with other tools and gain experience through items theyve never used before, giving them an edge against the competition...or against each other. To really test the skills that each competitor has, the Capitol puts each participant up for evaluation in front of a panel of judges. The contestant must show off a skill and the judges give them a score from 0 to 11. When its Katnisss turn shes confident that she can achieve at least a 6-8 with her bow and arrow skills. She demonstrates her abilities and finds herself enraged that half of the panel is paying no attention to her whatsoever. Katniss eventually cracks when the entire panel focuses on the roasted pig being brought to them and not her so she draws back her weapon and shoots an arrow straight through the apple in the pigs mouth and walks out. Later at dinner, Katniss and Peeta await their results. Katniss is fearful that she might receive a 0, making her look weak and an easy target during the games. When the results finally play out on the television screen Peeta learns that he managed to scrape a solid 8 and Katniss an 11! Katnisss circumstances completely changed during that moment as she pondered the fact of how she could possibly have achieved an 11. She was the only one to get a perfect score, giving her the upper hand for the games. Business really picks up when the competitors are interviewed the day before the games and Peeta confesses his love for Katniss on live TV. Now Katniss doesnt know what to think, in the end only one person can win the Hunger Games, the rest die. Again, the circumstances change as she finds herself being dragged down by yet another setback.
The main portion of the book is set during the Hunger Games where Peeta, Katniss and the other 22 competitors find themselves face to face with the biggest challenges they will ever have to overcome. Katniss encounters many big changes during the games and meets many challenges along the way to survival. One factor that blows her circumstances way out of proportion is when on the second morning of the Hunger Games while sleeping up in a tree, Katniss hears voices below and sees Peeta and a bunch of other buff guys from different districts bunched together around a girl lying on the ground. Peeta finishes her off and says things about finding Katniss and doing the same to her. Here, Katniss learns that the whole Im in love with you thing was just an act, which changes Katnisss circumstances once again. Now she believes she will have no problem killing Peeta but at the same time, she feels slightly betrayed. A few days later in the Hunger Games, Katniss becomes allies with Rue after Rue saves Katniss from being killed by crazy killer bee hybrids. Katniss and Rue share supplies and help each other to collect food and attempt to steal food and supplies from some of the other participants that have made an alliance. Unfortunately, their plan goes terribly wrong and Rue dies, but Katniss avenges her and kills the boy that speared her. Katniss is now alone once again, she feels more helpless than ever and gets news that one of the larger boys had badly hurt Peeta but he was still apparently alive, barely. Later the circumstances change again as it is announced that the competitors from the same district are now officially on a team. Katniss is happy about this but has no clue where Peeta is in the arena. The arena is so vast and is practically all forest which would make it hard for Katniss to find Peeta, but eventually she prevails and finds Peeta, heavily wounded of course. Katniss later finds out that Peeta really did love her from the start, all this puts Katniss at a disadvantage again as she has become more endangered and helpless trying to take care of Peeta and herself all at once. Therefore, even though the circumstances seemed good in the beginning, Katniss is feeling even worse about her chances now with Peeta than she had before when she was alone. The circumstances are changed one last time when there are only two competitors left. The rules are changed so that now there can only be one winner. However, just as the two last participants begin to rebel against the Capitol and its rules, something happens that again flips the circumstances around and affects the final two contestants in a way that will change both their lives forever...
In this story the conditions change many, many times for Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark and the rest of the competitors. Mostly, the circumstances change more for the worse than for the better. However, Katniss manages to prevail over mostly every challenge thrown her way. Therefore, the characters in this novel respond to changing circumstances by adapting to new environments, new people, and the idea that only one person can triumph in the end, and all others must die.
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