Analysis of Catching Fire Essay

Catching Fire Book Analysis

The second page turning chronicle of the Hunger Games, Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins embellishes the idea that absolute power and perfection cannot co-exist with the modern world for all is vulnerable to corruption. Collins defends her belief through her literary works in Catching Fire by emphasizing the cruelty use of President Snows tactic and what it resulted in, fighting the controversial subject of the existence of eternal absolute power by form of betrayal within the absolute power leading to corruption, and repeating use of the Mockingjay symbol to build her statement.

President Snow, individual character symbolizing greed in the society, holds absolute power among the Capitol and the 12 Districts. Collins builds his character with fear pounding heart for he carries the smell of bloodon his breath, giving the disgust sensation to automatically wanting to repel. After the first Hunger Games by the act of what it seemed to be rebellious action by Katniss Everdeen, trying to overcome and defy the Capitol, President Snow makes unwanted visit to Katniss with a problem that began the moment [Katniss] pulled out those poisonous berries in the areana. He shares his intention of wanting Katniss to aim higher and to convince him. He then implements fear into her mind for her action has not only caused her own life to be at stake but also people who she loves, like Gale, in jeopardy. Using fear, the most powerful but yet imperfect weapon, President Snow makes clear of himself that no one else could possibly have the nerve to defy him for their life along with others lives will be slain in his hands. However, Collins deny this power of fear when she shows that even fear cannot hold down the rebellion no matter how much the cost is. While Katniss went around the tour, from district 11, where Rue was from, a wizened old man in a faded red shirt and overalls whistled Rues four-note mockingjay tune. The one that signaled the end of the workday in the orchards. The one that meant safety in the arena, what brought every person in the crowd [to] press their three middle fingers of their left hand against their lips and extending them to [Katniss]. This act of showing thanks meant death and Collins show that there is more powerful element, love, that makes other monstrous element, like fear, like a mere dust.

In the Hunger Games the Capitol seemed to be a place where lives of the defeated are better off dead. After the scoring of the first Hunger Games, the original Head Gamemaker was executed for failure to create a flawless game in addition to giving tributes a chance to show rebellion among all cities. Capitol was indifferent to the tributes life and only took enjoyment in their battle-to-death. This tradition has been on-going and the Capitol kept this tradition going. However, in Catching Fire, Collins show through the second quarter quell that Capitol wasnt indifferent after all. Starting with the conversation that Collins adds in the text of Katniss and Haymitch talking, she tells about how the Capitol feels something this time. This time when they are seeing their own tributes they are tied to, the tributes that were like friends to them; the tributes that survived and gave much enjoyment to the Capitol are now going to die. Among this conversation, Collins show that Capitols ignorance, one of the key feature that allowed them to have this Hunger Game, has now started to weaken and even cried for the tributes. This shows the poor infrastructure of the absolute Capitol that foreshadows its failure.

Mockingjay, the Capitols own creation in an effort to spy on the districts, have now become a symbol of rebellion and drew sword towards the capitol. Mockingjay symbolizes innocence, dignity, will, all of which is inflated in Katniss. After the Hunger Games, each district built on Mockingjay to be a rebellious symbol against the Capitol. Collins first introduces the two girls that have escaped from district 5 that were heading for enigma district 13. During their interaction with Katniss, Collins for the first time show that Mockingjay had a bigger meaning than just an accessory. Continuing on in the story, Plutarch Heavensbee, the new head Gamemaker, also showed Katniss the symbol of a Mockingjay. Now this Mockingjay wasnt an ornament, it was Katniss herself. Her own being is rebellion and hope for all the districts.

Collins showed many form of corruption and possibility leading to that result in her second sequel, Catching Fire. Her definition of absolute power meant temporal and ignorant. Capitol seemed to feed on districts fear and lived on that principle. Collins provide these techniques with symbols and the structure of Capitol in order to show that absolute power cannot exist in this world forever.