The Hunger Games: A fictional masterpiece inspired by real war
If you are a movie buff, then you have most likely The Hunger Games, a famous three-part movie series based on Suzanne Collins's novel trilogy. The first book, The Hunger Games published in 2008 was followed by the next two The Hunger Games: Catching Fire released in 2009, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay published in 2010. Guess what? Suzanne Collins did not plan to write the second and third books of the trilogy at all! However, after reaching the end of book one, she felt that there has to be a sequel. Little did she know then that all three books of the series would become bestsellers. Even the movies based on these books were no less than blockbusters!
For those unaware, The Hunger Games is a series of young adult post-apocalyptic dystopian novels based on the theme of survival. The plot revolves around the people of the fictional nation called Panem, the only liveable land in what used to be USA. The Hunger Games movie, based on the adaptation of the first book in the series, was released in 2012, directed by Gary Ross. The next three instalments of the movies were all directed by Francis Lawrence and were released chronologically in 2013, 2014 and 2015. There had to be a fourth movie as the third book of the series, Mockingjay, was released in two parts.
The beauty of this series was that the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, although a hero-like figure, was depicted to have her own flaws and pitfalls, something that is usually missing in such book/movie series.
Inspired by the Vietnam War
Yes, you heard it right. The movie is inspired by a real war. Suzanne Collins's father was an officer in the US Air Force. Her father fought the Vietnam War (1955-1975), which profoundly impacted her as a person. Collins was influenced by some of the lessons her father, as a Vietnam war veteran, taught her. The issues like genocide and biological warfare left a deep impression on her, and later became the inspiration behind The Hunger Games series. The book beautifully handled sensitive problems like war and its effects on people through its succinct storytelling. The movie, however, was banned in Vietnam because its theme was so close to the tragedies that occurred in the Vietnam War.
The nation of Panem
As already mentioned above, the books are primarily based in the nation of Panem, that derives its name from the Latin expression 'panem et circenses'. The phrase literally translates to ‘bread and circuses. Now, as per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term refers to entertainment and essentials provided by a government to mellow down its discontent people. Given the premise of the book series is essentially about this same sentiment, Collins probably named the nation Panem for this reason!
Interestingly, Panem is divided into 12 districts and is a land of dictatorship. It is where each district (except one!) is obligated to send one girl and one boy (selected by lottery) to participate in the survival-based reality show called the Hunger Games. Here, the contestants must fight till death, until only one of them is alive and declared as the winner!
The protagonist is named after a plant
Collins wanted her protagonist to be a gifted archer but was wasn’t really sure what to name her. The name Katniss was conceived much later when she was researching on the theme of survival training and chanced upon a specific edible arrowhead plant by the same name. This is when she decided to name her protagonist Katniss as the name reflected her character. Interestingly, the Latin term for Katniss has the same roots as that of Sagittarius, the archer.