The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen: The Heroine the World Needs Right Now | WIRED At bookstores she’s already proved her mettle — Suzanne Collins’ book series already has some 24 million copies in print in the U.S., according to publisher Scholastic — but at multiplexes her fate has yet to be determined. However, early projections show that The Hunger Games could bring in between $70 million and $100 million on its opening weekend. “There’s a glass ceiling cinematically…. They’ll say women don’t want to see action or men don’t want to see women. And I’m like, ‘Men don’t want to see women? Ninety percent of us really do!'” Hitting a bull’s-eye at the box office would be momentous because it would prove that a major motion picture starring a female hero (in this case played by Jennifer Lawrence, who Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers noted “gives us a female warrior worth cheering “) can bring in as much money as any Thor ( $65.7 million opening weekend ) or Iron Man ( $98 million ). Such a strong opening could turn heads and change minds in Hollywood, where female superheroes rarely get considered.

“There’s a glass ceiling cinematically,” The Avengers director Joss Whedon , a man known for his strong female characters, said in an interview with Wired last week at South by Southwest. “There is not a major studio that is out there that is trying to make a movie about a female superhero. They’ll say, ‘This is guy stuff.’ They’ll say women don’t want to see action or men don’t want to see women. And I’m like, ‘Men don’t want to see women? Ninety percent of us really do!'” Granted, Katniss Everdeen isn’t a traditional superhero — she possesses no special power and didn’t come from a comic book — but her success could pave the way for those that are. Provided the film remains as true to the book as early clips and filmmaker comments have suggested, the movie could prove revolutionary for portraying a true female hero who is emotionally and physically strong, and isn’t romantically involved with a male hero counterpart.

(Katniss also doesn’t fall into the troubling pattern of women in action movies who sacrifice themselves, like Trinity’s death in the Matrix trilogy, or Wolverine killing Jean Gray in X-Men: The Last Stand.) (Spoiler alert: Minor details and plot points follow.) For those who haven’t read Collins’ young-adult novels, here’s the gist of Katniss Everdeen’s hero CV: Her father died when she was very young and her mother was a bit of hot mess thereafter, leaving Katniss to provide for her family. To do so (and to avoid selling her body for food) she began hunting — a survival skill that makes her an excellent markswoman. In the future dystopia in which she lives, what was North America is now called Panem and has been divided into 12 Districts controlled by a ruthless Capitol located near present-day Denver. Each year, as retaliation for a previous attempt at rebellion by the poor, the Capitol randomly selects a boy and a girl from each District to compete in the Hunger Games and fight to the death in a gruesome reality television show that the oppressed are forced to watch live. Katniss is the chosen girl — they’re called Tributes — from District 12.

Her struggle to come to grips with the option of using her archery skills to survive the Games and continue feeding her family or kill other poor children she has no beef with is the emotional thrust of the tale. (In a prescient moment that probably got her the part, Lawrence told the movie’s director, Gary Ross, during her audition, “Please remember that after Katniss shoots a bow and kills someone, her face cannot be badass.” She added in an interview with Vanity Fair , “She’s a hunter but not a killer.”) Her actions in the Games — that hand gesture you’ve seen her make in the trailer means a lot more than “Holla atcha girl!” in Panem — turn her into something of an accidental revolutionary. Suddenly, the Girl On Fire (she’s from the District that mines coal) sparks something bigger than herself. Her brain is as sharp as the arrows in her quiver and her heroism isn’t necessarily something that’s played up as sexy. Throughout the book series, Katniss exemplifies what sociologist Kathryn Gilpatric calls a “true action heroine” — a rare sort of character in Gilpatric’s studies.

In essence, she’s not a heroine because she fights next to a male hero — in fact she feels compelled to protect the boy Tribute from her District, Peeta (played by Josh Hutcherson in the film). Her brain is as sharp as the arrows in her quiver — she outsmarts the Gamemakers more than once — and her heroism isn’t necessarily something that’s played up as sexy. (Lawrence is a beautiful girl, but she’s a good Katniss because she’s an incredibly multifaceted actress, not because she looks good holding a weapon in spandex.) “I think Katniss really breaks down gender stereotypes,” Gilpatric said in an e-mail to Wired.

“[At one point in the book] she stares in the mirror and tries to remember who she is and [says] the presence of Peeta’s arm around her shoulders ‘feels alien.’ It’s a great line that really captures her strong sense of self and undermines stereotypes of female dependency.” At first glance, The Hunger Games may seem like young-adult fluff, what with the female lead, the two male leads and packs of screaming teen fans, but at least at this turn those teen fans are screaming for something that might actually turn out to be empowering (love you, Bella Swan , but you’re kind of milquetoast). In a study published in 2010 in the journal Sex Roles, Gilpatric examined the way female action heroines were treated in films with an eye on determining how those representations can inform gender stereotypes in popular culture. Looking at 157 different heroines in films released from 1991 to 2005 (though Sigourney Weaver’s Lt.

Ripley in 1979’s Alien is cited as an archetype for a positive heroine) and found that only 15.3 percent were depicted as the main heroine and a depressing 58.6 percent were presented as being submissive to the male hero. She also found that 30 percent of them died by the end of the film, 47 percent were evil characters, who died for their crimes, and many died disturbing, heart-wrenching deaths. No wonder girl geeks feel they have so few ladies to look up to, most of them are dead. “The violent female action character is a recent addition to contemporary American cinema and has the potential to redefine female heroines, for better or worse.” “The [violent female action character] is a recent addition to contemporary American cinema and has the potential to redefine female heroines , for better or worse,” Gilpatric wrote in her study.

“This research provides evidence that the majority of female action characters shown in American cinema are not empowering images, they do not draw on their femininity as a sources of power, and they are not a kind of ‘post woman’ operating outside the boundaries of gender restrictions.” Katniss Everdeen arguably does, and it’s not a total coincidence: Since Collins set her books in the future, it doesn’t seem so out of place that a 16-year-old girl would think she could do everything a young man her age could — presumably gender equality has advanced in the intervening years (think of Starbuck’s swagger in the modern Battlestar Galactica). Also, Collins came up with The Hunger Games after a night spent flipping channels between reality television and footage of the Iraq war. And when her agent once suggested she not kill off a beloved, innocent young character, she replied flatly, “ This is not a fairy tale; it’s a war , and in war, there are tragic losses that must be mourned.” That level of brutality in Collins’ books gives them a gravity that could make them inspirational on other fronts.

Katniss’ actions in the Hunger Games arena that inspire a revolution in the book and movie could easily been seen as a future, fictional version of the leadership of Asmaa Mahfouz, an April 6 Youth Movement founder who posted a video online calling young women to flood the streets of Cairo to protest Hosni Mubarak’s rule in Egypt last year. Her call worked: Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians, men and women, joined the movement and Mubarak stepped down in early February 2011, just weeks after Mahfouz posted her video. “Occupy should adopt the Mockingjay symbol.” While Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character, not a real-life revolutionary like Mahfouz, it’s not inconceivable that young people could read her tale and be inspired to sociopolitical involvement (or at least not feel intimidated to investigate a cause they believe in).

Even the film’s stars acknowledge the political potency of the Hunger Games film — Hutcherson noted in a recent interview there were parallels between the story and the real-world “disconnect between the people who run the country and the people who live in the country” — and an astute commenter on this very blog even recently noted “Occupy should adopt the Mockingjay symbol.” ( The Mockingjay is the result of cross-breeding between mockingbirds and genetically engineered jabberjays, which were created by the Capitol to spy on rebels, who simply fed the flying moles lies. The existence of the birds is an in-joke in the Districts, a failure of the Capitol that’s easy to, well, mock. The symbol becomes a logo of revolution after Katniss wears a Mockingjay pin in the arena during the Games.) Having the main character from a young adult novel be the new face of the Occupy movement or the Arab Spring may be a stretch — she’s no Guy Fawkes , after all — but young women reading a series of books and opting to care about something can’t be a bad thing.

Also, the self-empowerment inherent in young women identifying as Team Katniss instead of, say, Team Edward or Team Jacob is extremely refreshing. Katniss’ possible ripple effect on the movie industry and the wider culture will depend, at least in part, on how well the film does when it is released in theaters this weekend. As Drew Goddard, director of upcoming horror-comedy The Cabin in the Woods (and a former Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer) told Wired, Hollywood execs look at what did or didn’t work in the last year, and their business-driven observations quickly become conventional wisdom. If a female-led movie like Hunger Games underperforms, the weak box office will be used as an excuse not to make similar films. But he’s hopeful heroines will re-emerge. “These things are cyclical, they will come back,” Goddard said. “But it’s unfortunate that we have to battle against that.” Perhaps in the future, the cycle will stop and audiences can expect an annual superheroine summer blockbuster as much as they expect any other popcorn flick. In documentary Wonder Women!

The Untold Story of American Superheroines , director Kristy Guevara-Flanigan traced the impact Wonder Woman had on whole generations of women, from the 1960s to the Riot Grrrls of the 1990s. The impact of the Amazonian superhero’s existence proved incredibly far-reaching — and that’s just one comic book character. “Girls actually need superheroes much more than boys, when you come right down to it.” “I think when you’re little, and looking at people’s knees, you’re so powerless and so unequal that it’s really helpful to be able to think yourself into someone who is powerful,” activist Gloria Steinem says in the documentary. “Girls actually need superheroes much more than boys, when you come right down to it … and what’s revolutionary, of course, is to have a female protector, not a male protector.” Steinem was speaking of the importance of Wonder Woman, but she could just as easily have been speaking of Katniss Everdeen. And, as the culminating montage of Wonder Women!

shows, Katniss is just one of a few powerful young female characters who have surfaced in recent years (hacktivist Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Hit Girl also get nods). But Guevara-Flanigan’s money is on Katniss. “I’m thinking The Hunger Games, probably,” she told Wired when asked what the next great heroine story would be. The answer to whether Katniss Everdeen becomes the heroine pop culture needs and deserves isn’t very far off — midnight screenings of the film begin Thursday night — but for the sake of girl geeks everywhere, let’s hope the odds remain ever in her favor. This is a revised and expanded edition of a previously published post. There are many shocking elements in The Hunger Games , the dystopic young adult series by Suzanne Collins—it is, after all, about kids killing each other. Once you let that sink in, though, you can absorb the craziest part of the trilogy: the characters’ names. Katniss Everdeen? Caesar Flickerman? Alma Coin? Collins has never explained how she came up with these names, leaving the books’ many fans to hatch their own theories.

Advertisement The names can be roughly divided into two groups. Characters from the poor, depleted districts are named after plants or other earthy items; those from the regal capital have a Roman influence. The Roman-themed names play on Collins’ critique of imperialism—the nation of Panem gets its name from panem et circenses, or “ bread and circuses ”—while the plant names highlight the natural goodness of the books’ heroes. While the names may seem as random as the reaping, I think there’s order in them. Below is my attempt to explain those that belong to the more important characters who either appear or are mentioned in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 . They are listed alphabetically by first name. Note: There are some spoilers ahead for for those who have not read the books, though I have tried to avoid spoiling much from the final two movies in the series. Alma Coin (Julianne Moore): The president of District 13 is the leader of the rebellion. Alma may mean soul in Spanish, Italian, and other European languages . It has Latin roots, and can mean kind and loving in that language.

Her surname, on the other hand, hints at other interests, though we will not learn more about those until Mockingjay Part 2. Advertisement Beetee (Jeffrey Wright): The name of Beetee, a tribute at the 75th Hunger Games and the tech genius behind many of the rebellion’s coolest moves—such as hijacking the Capitol’s television feed—sounds out the first two letters of BTU , a unit used to measure energy. Sound like a stretch? Well, Beetee teamed up with Wiress to make up “nuts and volts,” volts, of course, being a measurement of electricity. And the two are the nuts and bolts of the tributes’ escape plan at the end of Catching Fire. Both Beetee and Wiress are from District 3, the technology district. (Wiress died at the end of Catching Fire.) Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) is a whiz with electronics. Lionsgate Boggs (Mahershala Ali): Boggs is a vaguely earthy name , but it also connects this character to Charles S. Boggs, a lifetime officer in the U.S. Navy who served with distinction in the American Civil War, during which he was made a captain.

Boggs starts out as one of President Coin’s main advisers, and becomes something like Katniss’ bodyguard. He is vital to the revolution, which is also described as a civil war. Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci): The host of the Hunger Games is one of the more flamboyant Capitol dwellers. Historically, Julius Caesar has come to represent the power of ancient Rome; for Katniss, Caesar comes to represent the power of Panem: He has hosted the games for as long as she’s been alive. He’s the face of the Capitol and the clearest representation of its tyranny. His last name, Flickerman, evokes both the bright (but flickering?) lights of the big city and the filming of the games (a movie is also a flick). In the books he wears a suit decorated with light bulbs. Castor (Wes Chatham) and Pollux (Elden Henson): These are Cressida’s two cameramen. In Greek mythology, they are the twin sons of Leda and brothers of Helen of Troy.

When Castor was killed, Pollux asked Zeus (his father) if he could share his immortality with Castor to keep them together, and that’s how they became the constellation Gemini. While they are on the side of the rebellion when we meet them, they were previously citizens of the Capitol, hence the Roman names. Advertisement Cinna (Lenny Kravitz): Katniss’ stylist doesn’t have a last name, but he shares his first name with a fellow artist: the poet in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar—who was mistaken for another Cinna, a politician who helped kill Caesar. The poet Cinna was subsequently killed by a mob, which is what happens to Katniss’ stylist in Catching Fire. Claudius Templesmith (Toby Jones): The name Claudius stems from a Latin word for “crippled” or “lame” (and the emperor Claudius famously walked with a limp ) but the modern, colloquial meaning of “lame” seems more fitting for Mr. Templesmith.* Commander Paylor (Patina Miller): The leader of the rebels in District 8 has one of the more cryptic names in the book.

Perhaps Paylor can be read as pale ore, hinting at a contrast with Alma Coin. But if you have a better idea, let me know in the comments. Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland): The evil president is named for another Roman, one who was immortalized in the Shakespeare play with the same name . Shakespeare’s Coriolanus supported the power of aristocrats over the common people. Sounds familiar. Snow also has a preference for white and an icy cold demeanor. Advertisement Cressida (Natalie Dormer): A former director from the Capitol, she joins the rebellion and brings her camera crew (Pollux and Castor) with her. Cressida appears in retellings of the Trojan War starting in the 12th century and including Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida. She pledges her love to the youngest son of King Priam of Troy, but when she is sent to the Greeks, falls in love with the warrior Diomedes. The name has become symbolic of an unfaithful lover . In The Hunger Games, Cressida betrays the Capitol to direct Katniss’ propo spots.

Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks): The escort for the District 12 tributes has one of the few names currently circulating ( if minimally ) in the baby-name pool. Effie is short for the Greek name Euphemia, meaning well-spoken, which fits—though the Greek for well-dressed might suit her better . Her last name does nod to her attire: It describes a small and/or cheap ornament, something Elizabeth Banks’ costume designer has down to a T . Effie (Elizabeth Banks) in Mockingjay, without her trinkets. Photo by Murray Close © 2014 Lionsgate Egeria (Sarita Chouhury): While many characters in the book didn’t make it into the movie, Egeria is the most prominent character that isn’t in the books at all. But the movie’s writers knew a thing or two about how to create a Hunger Games name: According to mythology, Egeria was a nymph who served as a divine counselor to the second king of Rome—her name has become eponymous for a female adviser. In the movie, she serves as a speechwriter and adviser for President Snow.

Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin): The District 4 victor known for his dashing good looks, Finnick can, of course, be finicky about his appearance. Odair may be a variation on the Scottish name Adair, which means “spear.” Finnick received a trident as a gift, and it helped him win the 65th Hunger Games. Fin, short for Finnick, may also allude to his district’s specialty: fish. Many of these qualities are lacking in Mockinjay as Finnick is still suffering from the Quarter Quell. Advertisement Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth): Katniss’ best friend shares his name with a strong wind—but some fansites suggest that it’s actually derived from the Old English word gaile, meaning jovial. This seems unlikely; Gale isn’t really the jovial type. Like a strong wind, however, the mostly absent, brooding Gale is barely visible for much of the series, and yet his presence can have dramatic effects. Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson): Ralph Abernathy was a leader in the Civil Rights movement, and is a fitting namesake for the revolutionary Haymitch.

But what about that crazy first name? I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s a nod to Asimov ? It also echoes Hamish, the Scottish version of James, and “Hay” lends the name an appropriately earthy quality. Johanna Mason (Jena Malone): Johanna is of Hebrew and Latin origins and translates to something like grace of God. Without spoiling Mockingjay , I’ll say that the phrase seems appropriate. Her last name, like most of the tributes, has to do with her craft and district: She is described as “tossing around axes since she could toddle” (though District 7 is known for lumber, not stone). She competes in the 75th Hunger Games and is taken captive by the Capitol with Peeta. Messalla (Evan Ross): As part of Cressida’s film crew, Messalla deserts his place in the Capitol to help her film the rebellion. His Roman inspiration (spelled with one L) appears in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and is loyal to Brutus after he kills Caesar, just like Messalla is loyal to Cressida when she abandons the Capitol.

Advertisement Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence): The heroine of the trilogy has what initially seems like a not-so-heroic moniker. (Her best friend, Gale, calls her Catnip.) But her name is one of the few that gets an explanation: In a flashback, her father—who is already dead when the book begins—tells her that “as long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.” The katniss plant has nourishing roots, and is also known as “arrowhead.” It belongs to the genus Sagittaria, and the constellation of the same name, Sagittarius, is also known as the archer—a fitting ode to her impressive bow-and-arrow skills. Everdeen rhymes with evergreen, of course—and Katniss is responsible for those around her year round. One could even read the name as “ever dean”: Katniss always has to serve as a leader. Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson: Katniss’ fellow District 12 tribute comes from a family of bread bakers, and his name is an alternate—or dystopic, if you will— spelling of pita .

The humble Peeta stands in contrast to the grandiose Panem, which, as noted above, is Latin for bread. Commenters have also pointed out that Peeta is very similar to Peter—and while Hunger names are not generally Biblical, Peeta is, like that apostle, the closest friend to the savior (Katniss), and does everything he can for her. He does, though, give everyone quite a bit of malarkey in Mockingjay. Peeta Mellark comes from a family of bread bakers. Photo by Murray Close © 2014 Lionsgate Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman): Taking the place of the executed Seneca Crane, Plutarch is the head gamemaker in Catching Fire. While he feigns loyalty to the Capitol, he’s more than a bit like his namesake, Mestrius Plutarchus, an essayist and historian who wrote about the virtues and vices of Coriolanus (also the name of Panem’s president) and Caesar (the name of Panem’s master of ceremonies).

“Heavensbee” may hint that Plutarch’s true nature is more virtuous than he initially appears—and it’s a fitting descriptor for the gamemaker, as he’s the heavenly character looking over everything and orchestrating behind the scenes. Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields): In The Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers as tribute in place of her younger sister, who is also named for a plant. The primrose is a pretty flower that doesn’t provide any food, but, some botanists refer to it as the king’s cure-all for its medicinal uses. Primrose is also pretty and, at the start, fragile, seemingly not having any immediate benefits. But her medicinal remedies become essential. The shortened version, prim, meaning formal or proper , also places her in stark contrast with her sister’s rebellious attitude. *Correction, Nov. 20, 2014: This post originally misstated that the Roman Emperor Claudius was given his name because of a physical deformity. Claudius was a family name. Miriam Krule is a former Slate assistant editor.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire review: reluctant heroine | FlickFilosopher.com Home » 2013 theatrical releases » The Hunger Games: Catching Fire review: reluctant heroine The Hunger Games: Catching Fire review: reluctant heroine by MaryAnn Johanson Fri Nov 15 2013, 01:02pm | 32 comments A devastating indictment of pop culture as propaganda — about its power and the limits of its powers — and an upending of the typical teen-girl romance movie. I’m “biast” (pro): loved the first film I’m “biast” (con): nothing I have read the source material (and I love it) (what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto ) Luke Skywalker never suffered from PTSD. Well, we can presume he did. We can easily imagine that he woke up from nightmares drenched in sweat. We just never saw it onscreen. Depicting that sort of thing used to be the domain of angsty fan fiction. Nowadays, Tony Stark, in 3D IMAX, can’t sleep after New York .

And we get our reintroduction to Katniss Everdeen, cowinner of the 74th Hunger Games, via a tremendously horrific flashback she experiences in what was once her safe place, her secret hunting grounds in the woodsy fringes of District 12. Her life as she knew it is over. And Catching Fire is her “victory tour” through her new life as a prop in an endless propaganda parade propping up the spoiled, despotic Capitol that bleeds its impoverished Districts dry of all resources, demanding even the lives of their children in the annual bloodsport battle-to-the-death Hunger Games. You know, for kids. Like the first film , The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is startling in the casual brutality of its future world. Katniss (the glorious Jennifer Lawrence: House at the End of the Street , Silver Linings Playbook ) has not been anything like a classic hero — and I don’t mean because of her gender. She is not a rebel. She is not an idealist. She’s not Luke Skywalker. She has never dreamed of overthrowing the Capitol, and she isn’t starting now.

She is pure pragmatism in a tough world with few options at her disposal, and she is doing what she must to save her own skin and protect those she loves. She is blatant about this: “I did what I had to do to survive,” she says of the Games. This is not a thing that heroes say. Sometimes it’s clear that’s what they’re about, just regular guys — almost always guys — thrown into a bad situation they wouldn’t have chosen for themselves. But I can’t recall one of them ever actively pushing away the role thrust upon them… nor a story itself seeming to work toward the apparent diminution of its protagonist. I might even find myself fighting suspicions that this was a function of the, er, non-Hollywood-traditional gender of said protagonist, except that Katniss is probably the most plausible hero — yes, she’s definitely still a hero — that could come out of this oppressive world. A hero here could only arise accidentally. Katniss is a marvelous cutdown of the preposterousness that too often passes for heroism in Hollywood, and a marvelous jab at the limited autonomy Hollywood most often grants women characters.

See, Fire takes place over the year after Katniss and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson: Epic , Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ) won the Games for District 12. The unprecedented dual winners are the result of Katniss’s canny ploy of pretending to be madly in love with Peeta, which endeared them to the Capitol audience watching on television, and then, when they were the last two standing, convincing Peeta that they should eat poison berries and both die together rather than one having to kill the other and be separated forever. So romantic! The Capitol audience ate it up, and the Gamesmakers figured they’d better let both live and win, lest they have a riot on their hands. Not a real riot, of course — the people of the Capitol are too well-fed and docile for that. But a PR disaster, at least. Now, Katniss and Peeta are embarking on the traditional Victors’ Tour of the Districts, meant to spread the fear and remind everyone — again — that they are under the bootheel of the Capitol. Katniss must maintain that pretense of passion for Peeta, lest the people mistake Katniss’s gesture for rebellion.

President Snow himself (a smarmy, menacing Donald Sutherland: The Eagle , The Mechanic ) threatens Katniss in this regard: she must keep up the “love-crazed besotted schoolgirl routine.” Or Else. But it’s too late. Whatever she intended, those watching in the Districts saw defiance: Katniss changed the rules, and that’s not supposed to be possible. They’ve caught a glimmer of hope. And now actual for-real riots are in the offing. Katniss is awesome as a character, and remarkable as a hero, because her battle is with herself. She wants to protect her family — which includes not only her mother (Paula Malcomson: A.I.

Artificial Intelligence , The Green Mile ) and sister, Prim (Willow Shields), but also the boy she’s really in love with, Gale (Liam Hemsworth: The Expendables 2 , The Last Song ), even though she cannot admit that, and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson: Now You See Me , Seven Psychopaths ), the other surviving Games winner from District 12 who continues to mentor Kat and Peeta — but she cannot help but be the girl for whom disregarding the rules is as normal as breathing. (Her hunting is most certainly criminal, since long before she volunteered for the Games to replace Prim.) She cannot fake anything. She’s not doing things she’d rather not be doing: she’s doing what she can’t not do. (I’m trying to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read the book!) Part of the smartness of The Hunger Games is that the overarching story is about Katniss discovering herself and growing into herself in a way that she might not have chosen but that probably wasn’t something she would ever have had much choice over. She is strong in ways that she doesn’t realize yet… but is beginning to discover.

This battle with herself was going to be fought even if she hadn’t ended up in the Games. (We saw this from the get-go, with her defiant illegal hunting.) She is not a hero who is being molded by extraordinary events — she is the one molding the extraordinary events to her. Even if that isn’t her intention. So Katniss is special, and so is the story around her. Catching Fire is a devastating indictment of pop culture as propaganda — about its power and the limits of its powers — within its own context, as with the disgusting spectacle that is TV host Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci: The Fifth Estate , Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters ) and his supernaturally white teeth and unctuous manner. And outside its context, too: it upends the typical teen-girl romance movie by showing it off as the false playacting it is (“love-crazed besotted schoolgirl routine”!). It’s a strike at the willful ignorance of the well-off in the face of poverty and desperation all around them. How do the people of the Capitol cope with the fact of their lives of comfort and luxury next to the deaths of poor children?

As the new Gamesmaker, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman: A Late Quartet , Moneyball ), tells Katniss at an obscenely lavish party in the Capitol in her and Peeta’s honor, “If you abandon your moral judgment, it can be fun.” I can’t exactly say that Catching Fire is “fun,” then, but with its excellent sociological sci-fi speculation and solid adventure, it’s enormously rewarding and provocative drama in the guise of popcorn entertainment. Like what you’re reading? Sign up for the daily digest email and get links to all the day’s new reviews and other posts. shop to support Flick Filosopher Independent film criticism needs your support to survive. I receive a small commission when you purchase almost anything at iTunes (globally) and at Amazon (US, Canada, UK): ‘Hunger Games’ Heroine Helps Make Archery Hip - The New York Times The New York Times Fashion & Style |The Odds Are Ever in Their Favor Search The Odds Are Ever in Their Favor By COURTNEY RUBIN Photo Cooper Keane at Victory Archers on Staten Island.

Credit Yana Paskova for The New York Times THE archery instructor Patricia Gonsalves aims to please, so these days it’s out with the bull’s-eyes, in with the squirrels’ eyes. “A couple of years ago, if I ever even put up an animal target, all the girls would go, ‘Eww, that’s so gross,’ ” said Ms. Gonsalves, of Vancouver, British Columbia, who spends hours hand-painting her squirrels. “Now I do, and they’re like: ‘Cool. Can you shoot an apple out of a pig’s mouth like Katniss did ?’ ” Katniss, of course, is Katniss Everdeen, the bow-wielding heroine of “The Hunger Games” trilogy of young adult novels. The 16-year-old warrior, played on-screen by Jennifer Lawrence, is such a good shot that she hits squirrels in the eye — and such a big shot that she is the major cause of waiting lists for archery lessons from coast to coast. At Ms.

Gonsalves’s school, Academie Duello , classes can fill up within 24 hours of the booking window’s opening, and the youth waiting list is so long that children are unlikely to get spots for six months. Lutherville-Timonium Recreation Council in suburban Baltimore has a waiting list of more than 100 children, with “three to four kids asking to be added every day,” said the coach, Ted Light. Continue reading the main story And on Staten Island, the Victory Archers — whose home page features photos of men with graying hair, formerly its more typical clientele — is besieged with Girl Scout troops “all talking Katniss,” said Joe Strcich, the club’s secretary-treasurer. Tween birthday parties are an almost weekly event, with a recent one featuring a red velvet birthday cake with arrows fashioned of licorice and Toblerone chocolate triangles. (The club escaped damage from Hurricane Sandy and was “up and running” the day after, Mr. Strcich said.) Photo Cooper Keane, left, and Leah Miabarome, center, at Victory Archers on Staten Island.

Credit Yana Paskova for The New York Times Archery has enjoyed blips in popularity from films in the past — “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and various iterations of Robin Hood are frequently cited — but nothing as big or sustained as the current surge. Nor have films ever resonated much with girls, who now frequently turn up for lessons in variations of Katniss’s side-braid hairstyle . “Katniss has helped give archery a hip factor it’s just never had before,” said Teresa Iaconi, the spokeswoman for USA Archery, which fields the Olympic team. “No disrespect to Kevin Costner” — the star of 1991’s “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” she added, “but he was an old guy in tights.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Since December 2011, individual membership in USA Archery has jumped 25 percent, while the number of clubs has nearly doubled, to 540 from 279. The organization is struggling to keep pace with the demand for instructors; it recently moved part of its certification course online to speed the process, Ms. Iaconi said. (The United States Olympian Khatuna Lorig helped Ms.

Lawrence prepare with 15 lessons, but she greatly underestimated the film’s potential effect on the sport. “She told me in passing that she had coached an actress for ‘some movie of a kids book,’ ” Ms. Iaconi mimicked, then laughed. “We had no idea what was coming.”) Stacy Smith, 16, of Smith Station, Ala., has been around hunting her whole life. She thought shooting a bow “was something my dad did,” she said, until she saw Katniss. “I thought it was cool that she could protect herself,” Ms. Smith said. She and three friends finally gave the sport a try when Archery Connection in Phenix City, Ala., offered a chance at a free bow for anyone who came in and hit a target using a “Katniss bow,” technically called a recurve . Now she has bought her own and shoots regularly. “It seems like everybody I know does it or wants to,” Ms. Smith said.

(Some 400 people entered the shop’s drawing; a 5-year-old boy won.) Lauren Tang, 14, of Delta, British Columbia, considered archery after reading the series, but the sport became a must-try for her after Katniss shot the apple on-screen. “If anything ever happens, I could survive in the wilderness,” said Lauren, who attended a four-day intensive camp in July with her best friend, Alli Petheriotis. Sales of kid-size recurve bows have more than quadrupled this year, said Jim Belcher, owner of the manufacturer Sky Archery , based in Brighton, Mich., which specializes in this most traditional of bows. And the would-be warrior girls do not want their 52-inch weapons in pink, even if, as Mr. Belcher offers, it’s pink skulls. “They only want the zebra wood,” he said, a very classic fawn color with dark brown stripes. Photo Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in “The Hunger Games.” Credit Murray Close/Lionsgate Teenage girls are not the only devotees.

The real-life arrow-slingers of the 2012 Summer Olympics attracted record viewership (“Definitely one of the breakout sports,” said Adam Freifeld, vice president for communications at NBC Sports). Girls too young to be allowed to read or watch the dystopian “Hunger Games” have found inspiration in Princess Merida, the animated ace archer of the Pixar movie “Brave,” which was released last June 22. Before the end of July, Disney stores nationwide had already sold out of $19.95 brown plastic bows and suction-cup arrows, said John Balen, the director of toys for the stores. Boys, meanwhile, appear to idolize the arrow-slinging hero Hawkeye from this year’s film “The Avengers” — much to the chagrin of archery teachers. While Katniss and Merida have “awesome” form, Jeremy Renner-as-Hawkeye’s “is horrid,” said Ms. Gonsalves, who has amassed a 45-minute reel of Hollywood archery bloopers during her 20 years of teaching.

“If they try to shoot like him, we spend the whole time rescuing arrows from the ceiling.” The child-archer craze is also spurring adults to try the sport. Karen Seaman, chief marketing officer for the Sportsman’s Warehouse chain, which sells hunting equipment in 16 states, said she bought her first bow this year, for her 8-year-old son. “We’ve seen a lot of women doing that,” she said. “It’s a family activity, away from the iPad for a few hours.” Mark Powers of Park Slope, Brooklyn, whose daughter, Sophia, celebrated her 10th birthday with an archery party for six friends in October, said: “I thought it might be disastrous, but it was really good clean fun. I’d like to go back.” The bow-brandishing shows no signs of stopping, with heroes shooting from a quiver on at least two new TV shows: NBC’s “Revolution” and the CW’s “Arrow.” Ms. Gonsalves trained the star Stephen Amell for “Arrow” and makes all his arrows by hand; she is also consulting on “Cult,” a CW show that has yet to be broadcast.

NBC Sports Network recently announced plans for “ Nock Out ,” a (wait for it) reality-TV archery show next year. (Nock is the bit of the arrow that secures it to the bowstring.) Advertisement Continue reading the main story And the second installment of the “Hunger Games” film franchise, “Catching Fire,” is scheduled to come out in November 2013. In April, USA Archery — which said it had previously “ruled out the hope of ever having any mass appeal” — wrote to thank the author Suzanne Collins for taking archery “from ‘men in tights’ to the blazing hot spotlight.” To which Alli Petheriotis, 14, who has never even heard of Robin Hood, would add: “She made it look cool. And it is cool.” A version of this article appears in print on November 29, 2012, on Page E2 of the New York edition with the headline: The Odds Are Ever In Their Favor.

Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe The Katniss factor: What the 'Hunger Games' movies say about feminism, and war - LA Times The Katniss factor: What the 'Hunger Games' movies say about feminism, and war 'The Hunger Games' Lionsgate Jennifer Lawrence appears in a scene from "The Hunger Games." The movie series' final installment, "Mockingjay -- Part 2" comes out Friday. Jennifer Lawrence appears in a scene from "The Hunger Games." The movie series' final installment, "Mockingjay -- Part 2" comes out Friday. (Lionsgate) Steven Zeitchik Contact Reporter Throughout the new "Hunger Games" movie, the fourth and final in the dystopian series, heroine Katniss Everdeen's name is intoned with grave sincerity. The manipulative President Snow whispers it, as one does of a worthy rival; her battle partner and occasional romantic interest Gale Hawthorne utters it to suggest a noble comrade. But the most telling invocation comes early in the film. "It's Katniss," belts out Peeta Mellark, her other battle partner and romantic interest, compromised and angry as he lies in a hospital bed.

"It's [all] because of Katniss." See the most-read entertainment stories >> Open link Much has indeed happened thanks to Katniss, a name you couldn't dream up if you tried and now can't imagine not existing. The character has become a kind of cultural shorthand — an archetype, someone who has deepened our understanding of armed conflicts and paved the way for a political movement. And that's just off the screen. As the Lionsgate franchise winds down with this week's release of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2," the film and its lead character reside in a far different world than the one in which they began. And many of those differences came because of "The Hunger Games" films. There is, of course, the money. The franchise that started with novelist Suzanne Collins and was largely directed by Francis Lawrence has taken in $2.3 billion globally, with more on the way. Every year since 2012, at least 35 million tickets have been bought in the United States to a new "Hunger Games" movie. More Americans on average have come out to see Katniss in a given film than they have Harry Potter. But the effects go beyond sheer popularity.

As played by Jennifer Lawrence , Katniss, with her bow and arrow, has inspired a generation to lift up their weapons, both literally (the surge in archery lessons) and otherwise. She is often unsmiling, efficient and "male-like," by the chestnutty Hollywood definition, in which female characters are rarely foremost and even less frequently autonomous. 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2' trailer An official trailer for "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2." An official trailer for "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2." See more videos Before "Hunger Games," Hollywood somehow couldn't conceive of a fully formed, villain-thwacking heroine in a top-tier franchise. Sure, some swings had been taken. But they were exceptions — pre-made stars in one-offs (Angelina Jolie in "Salt" or "Wanted") or one-dimensional types in B-movie serials (Milla Jovovich's "Resident Evil" or Kate Beckinsale 's "Underworld"). Katniss, on the other hand, was, almost from the start, confident but complicated, bold but human.

"She's just so relatable and she's not a superhero — she feels real, she feels lost, she feels reluctant," said director Francis Lawrence. "She doesn't want to be a leader, she doesn't want to be part of a rebellion." If the character was sometimes caught in a love triangle, a Bridget Jones touch that doesn't exactly scream postfeminist consciousness, she spent much of the rest of the time knocking away at glass ceilings, the Hollywood lady hero whose power comes from thoughts and actions more than sexuality. The franchise, to be sure, did not always ace the Bechdel test — the metric in which movies are gauged by whether they feature two women holding a conversation about a subject other than a man — but only because Katniss was not having very many conversations at all. She was concentrating on getting the job done. And weighed against "Twilight," its young-adult antecedent and box office analogue, with that series' objectifying ways and forever-after fairy tales, "The Hunger Games" is even more progressive. Compared with Bella Swan, Katniss is Bella Abzug.

Still, the feminist-minded media studies expert Alisa Perren, who teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, cautions against extrapolating too much exuberance. This is an expanded edition of a post published on Brow Beat last year. There are many shocking elements in The Hunger Games , the dystopic young adult series by Suzanne Collins—it is, after all, about kids killing each other. Once you let that sink in, though, you can absorb the craziest part of the trilogy: the characters’ names. Katniss? Enobarbia? Finnick? Collins has never explained how she came up with these names, leaving the books’ many fans to hatch their own theories. (One fansite even created an algorithm to figure out your Hunger Games name ; mine is Rebmet G. Skiptulip, only slightly more ridiculous-sounding than any of the ones in the book.) Advertisement The names can be roughly divided into two groups: Characters from the poor, depleted districts are named after plants or other earthy items; those from the regal capital have a Roman influence. While the names may seem as random as the reaping, I think there’s order in them.

The Roman-themed names play on Collins’ critique of imperialism—the nation of Panem gets its name from panem et circenses, or “ bread and circuses ”—while the plant names highlight the natural goodness of the books’ heroes. Below is my attempt to explain the names of some of the more important characters from the series, listed alphabetically by first name. Note: there are spoilers ahead for those who have not read the first two books. Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) and Wiress (Amanda Plummer): The name of Beetee, a tribute at the 75th Hunger Games, sounds out the first two letters of BTU , a unit used to measure energy. Sound like a stretch? Well, Beetee teams up with Wiress to make up “nuts and volts” (volts being a measurement of electricity). And, indeed, the two are the nuts and bolts of the tributes’ escape plan at the end of Catching Fire. Wiress’ name, of course, contains the word wire; both Beetee and Wiress are from District 3, the technology district. Brutus (Bruno Gunn): See Enobaria.

Advertisement Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci): The host of the Hunger Games is one of the more flamboyant Capitol dwellers. Historically, Julius Caesar has come to represent the power of ancient Rome; for Katniss, Caesar comes to represent the power of Panem—he has hosted the games for as long as she’s been alive. He’s the face of the Capitol and the clearest representation of its tyranny. His last name, Flickerman, evokes both the bright (but flickering?) lights of the big city and the filming of the games (a movie, of course, is also a flick). In the books he wears a suit decorated with lightbulbs. Cinna (Lenny Kravitz): Katniss’ stylist doesn’t have a last name, but he shares his first name with a fellow artist: the poet in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar—who was mistaken for another Cinna, a politician who helped kill Caesar. The poet Cinna was subsequently killed by a mob, which foreshadows what happens to Katniss’ stylist. Sorry, Lenny Kravitz fans .

Claudius Templesmith (Toby Jones): The games announcer shares his name with the Roman emperor Claudius, whose own name comes from the Latin claudus, meaning lame. In the Roman’s case, it’s a reference to his physical deformity, but the modern, colloquial meaning of “lame” seems more fitting for Mr. Templesmith. Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland): The evil president is named for another Roman, one who was immortalized in the Shakespeare play with the same name . Shakespeare’s Coriolanus supported the power of aristocrats over the common people. Sounds familiar. Advertisement Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks): The escort for the District 12 tributes has one of the few names currently circulating ( if minimally ) in the baby-name pool. Effie is short for the Greek name Euphemia, meaning well-spoken, which fits well enough—though the Greek for well-dressed might suit her better . Her last name does nod to her attire: It describes a small and/or cheap ornament, something Elizabeth Banks’ costume designer has down to a T .

Enobaria (Meta Golding) and Brutus (Bruno Gunn): The female tribute from District 2 for the 75th Hunger Games bears the feminine form of the name Enobarbus, descended from the Latin Ahenobarbus, which means “bronze beard.” The name Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was shared by several Roman generals and politicians . Without going into too much ancient history, the Ahenobarbus who lived during Julius Caesar’s life was captured in 49 B.C. before being pardoned by Caesar. While there’s disagreement about his involvement in Caesar’s assassination, he was later held accountable as one of the co-conspirators and eventually followed Brutus to Macedonia. Enobaria, conveniently, has her own Brutus —whose name doubles as a reference to his brutality and brute strength—and she frequently changes her allegiances. Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin): One of the most anticipated arrivals in Catching Fire is this District 4 victor known for his dashing good looks.

Finnick can, of course, be finicky about his appearance, and Odair may be a variation on the Scottish name Adair, which means “spear.” Finnick received a trident as a gift, and it helped him win the 65th Hunger Games. Fin, short for Finnick, may also allude to his district’s specialty: fish.* Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth): Katniss’ best friend shares his name with a strong wind—but some fansites suggest that it’s actually derived from the Old English word gaile, meaning jovial. This seems unlikely; Gale isn’t really the jovial type. Like a strong wind, however, the mostly absent, brooding Gale is barely visible, and yet his presence can have dramatic effects. Advertisement Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson): Ralph Abernathy was a leader in the Civil Rights movement, and is a fitting namesake for the revolutionary Haymitch. But what about that crazy first name? I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s a nod to Asimov ? Let me know your own thoughts in the comments.

Johanna Mason (Jena Malone): Johanna sounds much more familiar than most Hunger Games names; it’s of Hebrew and Latin origins and translates to something like grace of God. Without spoiling Mockingjay , I’ll say that the phrase seems appropriate. Her last name, like most of the tributes, has to do with her craft and district: She is described as “tossing around axes since she could toddle” (though District 7 is known for lumber, not stone). She competes in the 75th Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence): The heroine of the trilogy has what seems, at first, like a not-so-heroic moniker.

(Her best friend, Gale, calls her Catnip.) But her name is one of the few that gets an explanation: In a flashback, her father—who is already dead when the book begins—tells her that “as long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.” The katniss plant has nourishing roots, and is also known as “arrowhead.” It belongs to the genus Sagittaria, and the constellation of the same name, Sagittarius, is also known as the archer—a fitting ode to her impressive bow-and-arrow skills . Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson): I haven’t seen any convincing interpretations for Katniss’ fellow District 12 tribute. Given that he comes from a family of bread bakers, however, Peeta may simply be an alternate—dystopic, if you will— spelling of pita . (The humble Peeta also stands in contrast to the grandiose Panem, which, as noted above, is Latin for bread.) Advertisement Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman): Taking the place of the executed Seneca Crane, Plutarch is the head gamemaker in Catching Fire.

While he feigns loyalty to the Capitol, he’s more than a bit like his namesake, Mestrius Plutarchus, an essayist and historian who wrote about the virtues and vices of Coriolanus (also the name of Panem’s president, as noted above) and Caesar (the name of Panem’s master of ceremonies). “Heavensbee” may hint that Plutarch’s true nature is more virtuous than he initially appears—and it’s a fitting descriptor for the gamemaker, as he’s the heavenly character looking over everything and orchestrating behind the scenes. Rue (Amandla Stenberg): The most beloved of the non-District 12 tributes at the 74th Hunger Games also has a plant-based name: The rue is known as the herb-of-grace and is often used for its medicinal properties. But you probably know it better as meaning pity or regret (as in “you will rue the day”), something the people who kill her surely feel when Katniss comes after them. Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley): In addition to possessing the world’s best facial hair , Seneca Crane has the distinguished title of head gamemaker for the 74th Hunger Games.

While he shares his name with a Native American tribe now living in New York and Ontario, Collins was likely referring to the Roman philosopher, who was forced to commit suicide when accused of conspiracy. The philosopher’s fate hints at Crane’s own. Wiress: See Beetee. Correction, Nov. 21, 2013: This post originally misstated that Finnick Odair won the 75th Hunger Games. He won the 65th Hunger Games and competed in the 75th. It also misstated that Wiress carried a big spool of wires. It was Beetee who carried the wires, which just goes to show how well they worked together. Katniss: Meaning Of Name Katniss | Nameberry.com Comments Katniss Everdeen is the heroine of the popular Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins , whose name comes from the (very real) edible aquatic plant of the genus Sagittaria. Katniss 's father tells her that if she "finds herself," she'll never go hungry. Other unusual botanical names in the series include Primrose , Posy , Rue , and Clove , all for girls.

Several of the boys' names come from ancient Rome : Cato , Seneca , Flavius , Caesar . Katniss the name has less appeal than Katniss the heroine, though it's definitely more attractive than Renesmee . Jennifer Lawrence plays the reluctant heroine in first clip from Hunger Games: Catching Fire | Daily Mail Online She emerged as victor after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games in the first film of the franchise. But Jennifer Lawrence's character Katniss Everdeen balks at playing the heroine in the sequel. The 23-year-old tells her best friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) she 'doesn't want anyone looking to' her as a leader in the first clip from the hotly anticipated Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Scroll down for video... Reluctant heroine: Jennifer Lawrence argues with Liam Hemsworth in the first clip from Hunger Games: Catching Fire The pair, who are both residents of coal-mining District 12, are seen standing in a field, the colours grey and the mood subdued. Gale is urging Katniss to stay and accept her role as leader of the rebellion among the Districts of Panem.

'You haven't heard people, Katniss. You've given them an opportunity. They just have to be brave enough to take it,' he says. But Katniss says she would rather leave than stay and fight. 'We have to go Gale, before they kill us,' she says. 'They will kill us.' Bleak: The pair, who are both residents of coal-mining District 12, are seen standing in a field, the colours grey and the mood subdued Take the reins: Gale is urging Katniss to stay and accept her role as leader of the rebellion among the Districts of Panem 'What about the other families, huh? The ones who stay. What happens to them? People are looking to you Katniss,' says Gale in the clip. 'I don't want anyone looking to me. I can't help them,' replies Katniss. They are then seen crouching low in the grass as armoured vehicles patrol past. 'You do what you want,' said Liam.

'I'm staying here.' The sequel sees Katniss and her love interest Peeta Mallark (Josh Hutcherson) embark on a Victory Tour after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games, as rebellion brews in the districts. President Snow then enters the pair into the Quarter Quell, a competition that takes place every 25 years that sees past winners fight to the death in a televised game. Keeping safe: They are then seen crouching low in the grass as armored vehicles patrol past Strong resolve: Gale tells Katniss she can 'do what she wants' but that he was staying put Get down: Gale was seen with his arm protectively around Katniss as the sunk to the grass The Hunger Games movies are based on the book series by Suzanne Collins and tell the story of Katniss, who lives in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death.

A new and final trailer for Catching Fire made its debut on last week, giving fans of Katniss a small taste of the drama set to unfold in the second installment of the franchise. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will open in UK theatres on November 21 and in the US on November 22.

Question: What is the name of the heroine in The Hunger Games?
Answer: KATNISS EVERDEEN