Photo courtesy of graur razvan ionut
So, I posted briefly about an article I was working on about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, but I didn't dive very deeply into what about the books compelled me to have an intense read-a-thon, reading all three books in three days. I am hoping that the movie can capture the fast pace, can't-put-it-down style of Collins'.Here's why I think the books have captured peoples' hearts and have made people anxiously await the movie's midnight release next Thursday:1. LoyaltyKatniss immediately shows courage, bravery, but most importantly, loyalty when she steps up in place of her sister as the representative for The Hunger Games. We can't help but fall in love with her and respect her decision and determination. She is the kind of good we all wish we were. 2. CorruptionThe dystopian setting means that we immediately have a mega-villain to hate, and our own uneasy feelings about our government and our future as a society means that we feel invested in the people overcoming the big, bad, power-hungry leaders. Gladiator, The Matrix, 1984...these stories grip us because we worry that one day, we could face the same struggle, and we want to know that it is possible for the little guys to win.3. Love Of course, the love triangle that Collins created in the series helped add to the book's inertia. Who does Katniss really love? How do they even have time to think about love when death looms at every corner? Why can't my spouse/significant other even hold the door open for me while Peeta and Gale will literally kill to protect Katniss?I'll admit, I am skeptical about the casting for this movie, but I will keep my thoughts hopeful along with the rest of the world until I see the show next weekend. Are you doing anything special to celebrate the movie's arrival? Midnight showing? Dressing in costume? Rereading all the books?