Skip to main content

Hunger Games and heroism

My friend Sarah went to see The Hunger Games with her daughter on opening night, but how about any of you? Who’s seen the movie? Read the books?

I admit I only read the books when I heard all the hype about it, and I really like the first book. The social commentary was so fascinating. But I’m in the middle of Catching Fire and must admit I’m not as enthralled. I’ll probably get slammed for saying this, but I don’t really see what’s so heroic about Gale that she loves him so much. He actually seems a bit selfish much of the time.

As girls, we shouldn’t just fall in love with any guy who seems halfway interested. Even if he’s madly in love with you, look at his heart. Is he heroic? Does he show the kinds of qualities God would admire? And I’m not talking piety. That’s totally different from heroism.

He should put God first and you second. He shouldn’t be a doormat, instead he should help you do the right thing even if it’s painful for him and for you. I think that’s heroism.

There are some guys who are confident rebels who are also heroic. But there are also lots of rebels who are selfish.

There are saints who are heroic, but there are also some saints who are not heroic. They can be full of themselves, or care more about what people think that what God thinks, or they can be downright selfish.

So far, in the little I’ve seen of Gale on the page, he’s just not heroic to me. He’s a rebel, which can be attractive, but he’s a bit selfish. Maybe because one of the first things I see him doing in the book is talking to Katniss about running off together, leaving their families behind. I understand WHY he wants to do this. Yes, his life is hard, and it’s tough for him to see Katniss and Peeta together, but he never told her he loved her, and it wasn’t his name picked at the Reaping, was it? He doesn't know anything about what Katniss and Peeta had to do to endure.

So do you agree or disagree with me?
Labels:

Comments

Iola said…
I've just downloaded the Hunger Games Trilogy, but haven't started reading it yet.

My husband says a hero is a guy who gets married to one woman and stays faithful, providing for his family. I agree. After all, the ongoing small acts of love and service are harder because there is no glory in them. That's harder than the one-off grand gesture.
Mon Apr 02, 01:33:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
That's a good description! I think I'm passionate about helping single women figure out who are good guys to date because when I was single, I kept thinking the guys I met were so nice when actually some of them were very selfish. You're right in that a woman dating a man should look at his smaller acts of love as indications of what being married to him would be like.
Mon Apr 02, 01:42:00 PM 2012
Carissa said…
To me a true hero is someone who Puts God first then you. On a side note I also think a hero is some one who is willing to take the risk and be willing to die for you or other loved ones, and for his Faith.

I also didn't like Gale either, to me he wasn't the hero. Peeta was more of a hero than Gale was, Peeta was willing to die to protect Katniss.
Mon Apr 02, 02:16:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
Yes, I'm still reading Catching Fire and Peeta is willing to die for Katniss. Isn't that what Jesus said? "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 15:13.
Mon Apr 02, 02:29:00 PM 2012
Angela said…
I totally agree with you Camy!!
Thu Jan 28, 10:41:00 AM 2021
Post a Comment

Popular Posts

I GOT A CONTRACT!

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.29.2006 I had a wonderfully funny blog post planned for today, but I got sidetracked by some news yesterday! Zondervan has offered me a three-book contract on my Asian chick-lit series ! I’m still stunned by everything that’s happened. The series is actually a 4-book projected Asian chick-lit series about four cousins who fall under the infamous family title "Oldest Single Female Cousin," and their ruthless, wealthy grandma applies pressure on each of them to improve their lack of love interests. I think the first book is tentatively scheduled to be released in August 2007. The blurb on the series is on my website here . Brandilyn Collins posted to the ACFW loop about my writing journey, and Tamara Cooper asked that I share it. And since you all know how much I like to talk , here it is. My writing journey: Like most writers, I have wanted to write since I was very young. (In high school, I wrote a fantasy novel that will never see the light of day ...
32 comments
Read more

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...
64 comments
Read more

Window shopping

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.14.2005 Knee update: I went to the doctor today for a checkup, and saw his assistant. I’ve been concerned because there’s still inflammation in my knee joint, and it’s been almost 4 months since the surgery. She said she’d talk to the doctor about it tomorrow and call me. Sometimes he suggests laying off the PT to see if that causes the inflammation to go away, but I don’t know if that will work because lately I’ve been pretty active outside of PT. At PT today, the therapist did ultrasound and some sort of electrical current on the joint. Hopefully that will make the inflammation start to go down. I’ll know by tomorrow, probably. Writing: Mt. Hermon conference starts this Friday! On Thursday night, I’ll be at the Santana Row Borders bookstore to help out (and hopefully learn a bit, too) at a booksigning for several of the ACFW authors who are attending Mt. Hermon . That should be lots of fun. I had a good brainstorming time at ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Favorite chocolate?

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.22.2008 Lately I’ve been on this chocolate kick. Normally, I’m not a huge chocoholic like Captain Caffeine. I enjoy chocolate, but if given a choice, I’ll usually choose a fruit or custard/creamy dessert over a triple decadence chocolate layer cake or a chocolate-lovers’ downfall brownie. But lately, I’ve been eating dark chocolate squares. I think it started when I went into Joseph Schmidt gourmet chocolate shop in Santana Row. We’d gotten Joseph Schmidt truffles for Christmas, and they’d been fabulous—I can honestly say that they were as good as DeBrand truffles (author Colleen Coble’s favorite). So when I saw the brick and mortar shop in Santana Row, I went in immediately. Inside, this man was buying up stacks—and I kid you not, stacks —of the Joseph Schmidt Belgian Dark Chocolate bars. He raved about them, said they were terrific. A cashier was restocking the display case the man had cleaned out, and I snagged a bar. “I’ve got to try one, after watc...
15 comments
Read more

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...
39 comments
Read more