The Hunger Games (novel)

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The Hunger Games is a novel written by Suzanne Collins. Released in 2008, it is the first book in Collins' Hunger Games trilogy and tells of Katniss Everdeen's service within the Hunger Games.

Characters[]

Katniss Everdeen - a young hunter from District 12 who enters into the Hunger Games to save her sister
Primrose "Prim" Everdeen - the younger sister of Katniss Everdeen
Peeta Mellark - the son of a baker who is conscripted into the Hunger Games
Katniss' mother - a distant woman who Katniss claims let her children starve
Cato - An extremely despotic Tribute from District 2
Gale - a hunter and friend of Katniss'
Rue - an extremely young Tribute from District 11 who reminds Katniss of Prim
Thresh - an ox-like Tribute from District 11
"Foxface" - a tribute from District 5
Glimmer - a Tribute from District 1 who manages to grab a bow and arrow and dies to tracker jackers.
Clove - a Tribute from District 2
Madge Undersee - the daughter of District 12's mayor
Greasy Sae - a black market dealer
Effie Trinket - The announcer of the Hunger Games
Haymitch Abernathy - a veteran of the Hunger Games and the sponsor of Katniss and Peeta.
Cinna - capitol stylist for Katniss
Caesar Flickerman - an extravagant interviewer

rest to be added

Publisher's summary[]

WINNING MEANS FAME AND FORTUNE.

LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.

THE HUNGER GAMES HAVE BEGUN...

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Plot[]

Part I: "The Tributes"[]

Chapter One[]

On the day of the "Reaping" (the ceremony that begins the titular Hunger Games), a young hunter from District 12 named Katniss Everdeen meets with another hunter named Gale. Together, they "celebrate" the day with bread (a rare resource in the poverty-stricken District 12). They sell the fruits of their hunt in District 12's black market, the Seam. While in the Seam, Gale and the mayor's daughter (Madge) argue over their place in the Reaping.

During the Reaping ceremony, Katniss and her even younger sister Prim stand in attendance of the large crowd of those watching the Reaping. The names of any teenaged citizen of District 12 is placed into a raffle and the "winners" are entered into the Hunger Games. Katniss worries about her younger sister being put into the Games (as it would essentially be a death sentence) but largely ignores it until Prim's name is entered into the Games.

Chapter Two[]

To save Prim from being killed in the Hunger Games, Katniss offers herself as a replacement. Though the organizers of the Hunger Games are shocked by Katniss' act, they allow it (framing it as Katniss and Prim fighting over who wants to enter into the Games more). Also entered into the Games is Peeta Mellark, the son of a baker who briefly helped Katniss and her family escape death from starvation after her father died.

Chapter Three[]

After saying goodbye to relatives and friends (including Madge, who gives Katniss a pin of a mockingjay to wear), Katniss and Peeta are brought onto a train traveling to the Capitol. While on the train, they are presented with a feast. Once the feast ends, their extremely drunken mentor (Haymitch Abernathy) who accidentally disproves his own competence by vomiting right as Effie Trinket (the announcer of the games to [at least] District 12) begins harping on about how essential he is.

Chapter Four[]

The next day, as the train barrels through Panem, Katniss and Peeta (forcefully) stop Haymitch from drinking so that he can actually serve as their mentor. Haymitch agrees to stop drinking (until he blacks out) so that he can mentor them. Once the train enters the Capitol, Peeta waves at the crowds in the hope of gaining a sponsor. Katniss becomes convinced that Peeta is only giving the appearance of niceness to gain an edge in the competition.

Chapter Five[]

Once in the Capitol, Katniss and Peeta are given an extremely elaborate outfit (with the theme of [fake] fire) for the pre-Hunger Games ceremony by Cinna, whom Katniss takes a liking to. Though she does not trust Peeta, Katniss locks hands with him while on the way to the ceremony.

Chapter Six[]

While dining in the Capitol, Katniss notices an Avox that she recognizes. Years before, Katniss saw a girl and a boy from the Capitol running through the woods of District 12 before they were found by a hovercraft. The boy was killed and the girl was captured (possibly becoming the Avox, though it is left ambiguous). Katniss feels somewhat guilty, as she did nothing to save the girl.

Chapter Seven[]

The next day, Katniss and Prim begin their training for the Games. On orders from Haymitch, they stay together and avoid showing off their skills until they can get a private audience with the "Gamemakers". Both of them are trailed by another Tribute from District 11 (the extremely young Rue) during their public training. Once the private training begins, Katniss is last to be chosen. She shows off her skills with a bow but is ignored by the Gamemakers until she shoots an arrow at the pig they are eating.

Chapter Eight[]

Though Katniss is initially worried that the Gamemakers will either have her executed or sabotage her rating with the "Sponsors", the Gamemakers give Katniss an unprecedented 11 points. Despite this, all is not well, as Haymitch makes Katniss and Peeta train separately for interviews.

Chapter Nine[]

Katniss is angered by this betrayal but still goes through with the separate training. This does not go well, as Katniss appears surly and aggressive. During the actual interviews, Katniss gives a better-than-expected performance due to charismatic interviewer Caesar Flickerman. Peeta (who is the final interviewee) drops a bombshell during his interview - he's in love with Katniss.

Part II: "The Games"[]

Chapter Ten[]

Initially, Katniss is enraged by this - viewing it as an attempt by Peeta to destroy her appearance. Katniss attacks Peeta but is dragged off by Haymitch, who reveals that Peeta's declaration was an attempt to boost Katniss' image. Later, Katniss visits Peeta (whose hands are bandaged due to the attack) and apologizes to him.

Even later, Katniss is brought to the "Launching Ground" by a hovercraft. Before being brought into the Games, Cinna gives Katniss a mockingjay pin (which she brought from District 12).

Chapter Eleven[]

The first event of the Games is the dash to the "Cornucopia" (a large horn-shaped structure stuffed with resources for survival). Though Katniss has been told by Haymitch to avoid the Cornucopia, she tries to grab a bow and arrow. She misses it and instead grabs a backpack. She briefly fights with another Tribute (who gets stabbed in the back and dies) and then runs into the woods.

While searching for water, Katniss finds a rabbit. She briefly worries that the arena for the Games only has one source of water (which will presumably be guarded by other Tributes) but soon reasons that the rabbits and other game in the arena have to have other sources of water. As twilight breaks, Katniss makes a camp and the pictures of the Tributes slain in the rush to the Cornucopia are displayed in the dome around the arena.

Late in the night, another Tribute (rather stupidly) lights a fire nearby where Katniss is sleeping and gets murdered by a gang of Tributes. Katniss watches this happen and is shocked to hear that Peeta is a member of the gang.

Chapter Twelve[]

Looking down, Katniss is shocked to find that the gang of tributes intend on murdering her. While hiding from the gang, Katniss grabs a rabbit from a snare and cooks it.

While walking, Katniss slowly begins to succumb from thirst. She trudges on, briefly trying to get the attention of sponsors to give her water but giving up on it. Almost dead from thirst, Katniss finds mud and follows it to a pond. After iodinating the water, Katniss drinks up and sets up camp. She wakes up the next day to a wall of fire descending on her.

Chapter Thirteen[]

Katniss flees from the fire - deducing that it is a ploy by the Gamemasters to force the various Tributes together (where they will inevitably begin fighting). She tries to avoid this until a volley of fireballs is shot at her. Katniss is burned by one of these fireballs shortly before the forest fire ends.

The next day, Katniss finds that she is in a small pond. After soaking herself in the pool, she is found by the gang of Tributes. To escape them, Katniss clambers up a tree and is soon able to leave their grasp (even escaping the range of a Tribute with a bow due to said Tribute being a lousy shot). While up high in the tree, Katniss notices the eyes of what she first thinks is a possum but which turns out to be Rue.

Chapter Fourteen[]

Rue points out a nest of "tracker jackers". Katniss starts sawing away at it to drop into the Tribute gang's camp. She stops in the middle of doing this and decides to wait until dawn. After climbing down the tree, she finds a jar of ointment given by Haymitch and the sponsors. This ointment cures Katniss' burn wounds.

Dawn of the next morning, Katniss drops the hive. Though she is stung by a few tracker jackers, the hive hones in on the gang and kills several of them. This includes the Tribute with the bow (Glimmer). Katniss loots the bow from Glimmer's body and is then found by Peeta. Instead of killing her, Peeta warns Katniss (who is starting to feel the hallucinatory effects of tracker jacker venom) and lets her run away. In a venom trip, Katniss runs into a hole.

Chapter Fifteen[]

Once the hallucinatory effects of the tracker jacker venom wears off, Katniss leaves the hole. After finding some water, she is found by Rue. Katniss proposes an alliance with the girl, with Rue agreeing to this. The two trade supplies. Katniss learns that Peeta has seemingly left the gang of Tributes and plot to steal the resources of the gang.

Chapter Sixteen[]

After hearing a cannon-blast signifying a dead tribute, Katniss and Rue begin planning how to take out the supplies of the Tribute gang. Katniss has Rue create false fires while she scouts out the base of the Tributes. She finds that the Tributes have arranged their supplies in a pyramid shape and are seemingly only guarding it with a singular Tribute (the boy from District 3) armed with a spear. While in hiding, Katniss watches as the Tribute gang (with the guard) leave for the fires after their leader (Cato) talks about nearly killing Peeta and a fox-faced Tribute takes an odd route to steal supplies from the gang. Katniss realizes that the gang has booby-trapped their supplies with mines using the technical expertise of the guard). She uses her bow to set off the mines - accidentally getting caught in the blast in the process.

Chapter Seventeen[]

Somewhat worryingly, Katniss finds that she is extremely disoriented and has gone deaf from the blast. After finding a hiding spot, Katniss watches as Cato kills the boy from District 3. She also sees the gang postulating that she was killed in the blast. The next day, Katniss' right ear heals and makes her way to her rendezvous point with Rue. She finds no trace of Rue and begins looking through the fires that Rue sent. While in the woods, Katniss hears mockingjays singing a signal that she and Rue discussed. Katniss follows them until she hears Rue screaming. She arrives just in time to see Rue - ensnared in a net - being impaled by one of the gang.

Chapter Eighteen[]

Katniss shoots the gang member (a boy from District 1) and then holds Rue's hand as she dies. The death of Rue fuels the fires of Katniss' hatred for the Capitol and she covers Rue's body in flowers. The next day, the Gamemasters announce that the rules of the Game have changed to allow two survivors from the same District to win the Games.

Part III: "The Victor"[]

Chapter Nineteen[]

After hearing this, Katniss starts looking for the injured Peeta. She deduces that he will be near water and begins looking around the stream. She nearly misses Peeta entirely but finds him despite his extremely good camouflage. She begins examining Peeta's wounds - discovering that Cato stabbed him in the leg and that the wound has become extremely infected. Though she does her best to heal the stab wound and the tracker jacker stings, she finds that the wound is a serious problem. After she kisses Peeta, Haymitch sends Katniss a pot of broth - signifying that he (and most likely, the Gamemakers) need more signs of Katniss' "love" for Peeta.

Chapter Twenty[]

The next day, after Katniss starts heating water with stones, she examines Peeta's wound and finds that blood poisoning is beginning to set in. Peeta asks Katniss to tell him a story about her happiest day. Katniss obliges, and tells him how she bought a goat for Prim. The Gamemakers then announce a feast where "something each Tribute needs desperately". Though Prim and Katniss initially agree to avoid the feast, the Gamemakers send Katniss sleep syrup, which Katniss uses on Prim.

Chapter Twenty-One[]

After a day passes, Katniss arrives at the Cornucopia just as the feast (comprising of a group of bags on a table) begins. "Foxface" quickly grabs her own bag, but Katniss is ambushed and stabbed by Cato's companion (Clove, a girl from District 2), who plans on torturing Katniss to death using knives and boasts about the death of Rue. Before she can inflict any major damage, Clove is killed by Thresh (the male Tribute from Rue's District). Katniss is able to convince Thresh not to kill her and the two leave with their own bags (with Thresh also taking Cato's bag) - allowing Katniss to rush back and inject Peeta with the medicine in the bag.

Chapter Twenty-Two[]

Due to her knife wound, Katniss blacks out and is woken up by Peeta the next day. The two find their food stocks dwindling and begin pretending to be in love to get more food from Haymitch and the Gamemakers. During this, Katniss becomes aware that Peeta is most likely actually besotted with her. After this display, the Gamemakers send the two Tributes food.

Chapter Twenty-Three[]

As a storm rages on, Katniss and Peeta discuss their feelings. They are interrupted by the screen showing the death of Thresh (presumably killed by Cato) and find that their food supply is again running low. As such, the two go hunting. Due to his injured state, Katniss leaves Peeta behind and the two begin using a signal to keep in touch. Peeta soon stops sending the signal, and Katniss rushes back just as he returns with berries he picked from the riverside. Katniss finds some of the food they brought missing just as Foxface's death is announced. Though Peeta initially assumes that Cato killed her, Katniss deduces that Peeta accidentally killed her by picking nightlock berries and leaving them behind.

Chapter Twenty-Four[]

Though Peeta initially wants to throw out the berries, Katniss leaves them behind in the hopes that they can fool Cato. After the two Tributes make a fake fire and they sleep through the night in the cave, the Gamemakers drain all nearby water to force the remaining Tributes into a conflict. Katniss and Prim walk to the lake right before Cato (wearing body armor) runs past them screaming in terror.

Chapter Twenty-Five[]

Following Cato is a group of muttattions possibly formed from the bodies of the dead Tributes. The three survivors are forced to climb onto the Cornucopia, where Cato grabs Peeta. A brief standoff ensues but after Katniss shoots him in the hand, Cato falls off the roof into the clutches of the muttattions. Due to his body armor, Cato puts up a brief fight but is mauled by the muttattions. Peeta and Katniss sleep through an extremely cold night before Katniss mercy-kills Cato by shooting him in the head with an arrow.

After the body of Cato is collected, the Gamemakers reveal that their rule change has been repealed. Katniss and Peeta initially try to decide who should die but they decide to call the Gamemakers' bluff and kill each other with nightlock berries. So that both Tributes don't die, the Gamemakers end the Game and declare both Tributes winners.

Chapter Twenty-Six[]

Katniss and Peeta are brought out of the arena in a hovercraft and put in a hospital bed. She is kept in the bed for several days and is only visited by the Avox girl. After her healing finishes, she is allowed to leave the bed and finds that all of her blemishes (even from hunting) have been removed. Before she enters onto stage in a new outfit made by Cinna, she is warned by Haymitch that the Capitol is unhappy with her act of rebellion with the nightlock berries and that she has to pretend that she is madly in love with Peeta to survive.

Chapter Twenty-Seven[]

Katniss and Peeta are brought on stage and made to watch a highlight reel of her time in the Games. Though she is somewhat disturbed by the movie, she is able to keep the image of being in love with Peeta intact. Katniss (alongside Peeta) eats dinner with President Snow and is brought to her room and locked into it for the night. The next day, she is interviewed by Caesar Flickerman alongside Peeta - discovering that Peeta's leg has been replaced - and leaves the Capitol on a train. While on the way to District 12, she reveals that her feelings for Peeta were manufactured before returning to the train.

Worldbuilding[]

The World of Panem[]

The nation of Panem is built on the ruins of North America. It is ruled over with an iron fist by the Capitol and divided into twelve districts.
At some point, the then-thirteen districts of Panem tried to revolt against the Capitol. This revolt was crushed (along with District 13) and the Hunger Games were established as a display of force and control.
District 12 is the poorest of the twelve districts, providing the Capitol with coal. It is situated in Appalachia.
Mockingjays are a bird native to Panem. They are the descendants of jabberjays (a genetically-engineered race of bird bred by the Capitol to spy on rebels) and mockingbirds.
The Capitol bred/genetically engineered various kinds of new animals to serve as living weapons against any rebellion. By the time of the Hunger Games, these beings are called "muttations". A notable example of a muttation is the tracker jacker - an extremely dangerous type of wasp with an extremely deadly and hallucinatory sting and a prime desire to track whoever they sting. Their venom can cause madness and usually does so shortly before the victim dies.
Avoxes are a class of servant made up of mutilated rebels against the Capitol. Their tongues are removed and citizens of the Capitol are supposed to only talk to them through commands.