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The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins tells the tale of Katniss, a determined, independent, and complex woman trying to keep her loved ones safe and protected. Katniss’ personality and appearance contradict traditional leading lady norms, and her relationship and eventual romance with Peeta show the defiance of traditional gender roles in romantic relationships. Katniss and Peeta redefine gender roles in The Hunger Games as she stays true to her raw looks and personality, he embraces thoughtfulness, and as they both take on different romantic roles than society normally sees in romantic relationships. Scholars, Lem and Hassel, argue that there are gender roles seen in media, but I would like to go farther to say that kindness is a more …show more content…

Collins shows that Katniss is a talented individual to foreshadow that her bow and arrow skills will come in handy in the future, and to show that women have widespread talents that are often overlooked in the media. The task of being the sole breadwinner of the family is rarely seen as the job a a woman. Katniss ignores the law that hunting is illegal, especially in the banned parts of town. This shows that Katniss is rebellious and often disregards rules. Katniss makes her own rules which is one of the most blatant examples of gender defiance in the book. Women are so often forced to conform and follow the rules of society, and Katniss changes every norm by rebelling against societal norms. Katniss shows women that it is okay to make your own rules and to be different than the traditional leading lady that is so often presented in the media.
There are many female characters throughout the novel that serve as foils to Katniss’ minimally feminine character. As written by Ellyn Lem and Holly Hassel in “Killer” Katniss and “Lover Boy” Peeta,” Lem and Hassel describe the differences in the female characters in comparison to Katniss. Lem and Hassel describe Prim as “innocent and naive” and Katniss’ mother as “emotionally fragile” (123). Lem and Hasssel describe Effie as “shallow and vain” (123). These adjectives are more commonly seen when describing females. The adjectives also all have negative connotations with them that come with being a

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