Skip to main content

More unpopular thoughts about The Hunger Games

I am in the middle of Mockingjay so if you’ve already read it, PLEASE don’t spoil it for me. But for what it’s worth, here is a thought that came to me yesterday:

In The Hunger Games (book one), Peeta doesn’t actually know that much about Katniss because he never spoke to her much before the games, yet he said he’s in love with her. That’s not really love.

I know, all you bleeding romantics will be complaining. But it’s true. How can you love someone when you don’t know them? That’s not love, that’s attraction. Or infatuation, which starts going into stalker category. (Yes, I know Peeta’s not a stalker.)

Infatuation doesn’t live long in the real world when you realize how different the two of you are, or when you see him pick his nose while farting.

Infatuation can grow into love, but I don’t think someone should say they love you if they hardly KNOW you. If someone says they love you, it should mean they know you, your good side AND your faults, and they love you anyway. That’s the kind of love Jesus modeled for us.

I’ve just got to the point where they discover Peeta is … ahem, sick.
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I will give Peeta props for proving his words with actions. He certainly showed a sacrificial love throughout the books. Not that I'm comparing him to Jesus. I'm not a big fan of allegories that ascribed Christ-like virtues to the hero/heroine. I especially don't like when Christian media tries to make a secular book "Christian." Okay, I'm done with that random rant.
Back to your post, I'm also annoyed with characters become engaged and they have never been on a date. There are some Christian novels that are guilty of that.
Wed May 16, 10:22:00 AM 2012
Heather Day Gilbert said…
I agree w/the comment above. I've had some serious issues w/Christian bloggers/writers trying to prove that The Hunger Games has loads of Christian symbolism. I'm sure Collins had no intent to use that kind of symbolism--in fact, her worldview seems pretty bleak overall. That said, some of the greatest themes in books generally relate back to Christianity, because that's what Christianity is all about--realistic struggles/relationships on earth, with the hope of heaven.

I know what you mean about the Peeta/Katniss relationship (throw Gale in there, too). To me, it was very similar to the Bella/Jacob/Edward triangle. Triangles are popular. But in the end, a choice has to be made. In the case of The Hunger Games, I think Katniss made the right choice, based on the info we're given on the main dudes.
Wed May 16, 12:51:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
Hey that's a good point! I know it's "wartime" and all but they entered into that engagement without a whole lot of angst over the fact they'd be MARRIED.
Wed May 16, 04:27:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
I don't understand why teen girls love those love triangles. It's actually quite hurtful for at least one of the parties involved and who likes causing or feeling pain??? My husband says it's their romanticism and immaturity that likes those types of triangles, whereas when you get older and have been burned enough, you realize how much it sucks.
Wed May 16, 04:28:00 PM 2012
Susan F. said…
I don't believe in love at first sight either. My husband gets all offended and says that's how he felt. I say that's baloney as we first met 6 years before he ever asked me out!
Love triangles may be attractive because a girl likes the idea that she can be flattered by 2 guys and not need to make a committment to either of them when she is really too young. Skewed romance.
Fri May 18, 08:23:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
That's a good way of putting it!
Sat May 19, 04:28:00 PM 2012
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

I’m done

Captain’s Log, Stardate 05.17.2006 Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is THE PREACHER’S DAUGHER by Lyn Cote My Monday book giveaway is BLIND DATES CAN BE MURDER by Mindy Starns Clark . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned. I’m done. At the beginning of the year, I made a goal of three books this year. That’s four months per book. I started this manuscript January 15th. I finished in the wee hours of May 17th, so it took me about four months, a day and a few hours. Yay me. I’m going to bed now. Yes, this is the espresso maker on the right, and a professional coffee grinder on the left. By the espresso maker, I mean the one I promised to my long-suffering husband if I got a book contract, as a reward for letting me quit my biotech job and write full-time.
15 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

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

Free Christian Romantic Suspense Novels by Camy Tang / Camille Elliot

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Regency Romantic Suspense (as Camille Elliot) The Spinster’s Christmas (Lady Wynwood’s Spies series, Prequel novel) (Posted on my blog as a serial novel, completed) Spinster Miranda Belmoore and naval Captain Gerard Foremont, old childhood friends, meet again for a large Christmas party at Wintrell Hall. Miranda is making plans to escape a life of drudgery as a poor relation in her cousin’s household, while Gerard battles bitterness at the fact that his career was cut short by the injury to his knee. However, an enemy has infiltrated the family party, bent on revenge and determined that Twelfth Night will end in someone’s death … Lissa and the Spy (Lady Wynwood’s Spies series, Prequel novella) Click here to get this ebook FREE when you subscribe to my newsletter In...
Post a Comment
Read more