Thursday, December 3, 2015

Book Banter Six: The End of Mockingjay



With the release of the final movie of The Hunger Games books, Mockingjay Part Two, it seems all the discussion about our feelings regarding the ending of this story has come up again.  Thus, we thought it would be a an interesting and timely Banter discussion. Jenny thinks the ending is good and fine while I find it to be sad and upsetting. Here are our reasons:

(BEWARE THE SPOILERS!)

Jenny Says:

The Death of Prim

I know a ton of people were livid that Prim died because the whole point of Katniss volunteering was to save Prim and in the end it didn't work. I personally think the whole point of Katniss volunteering was (in the authors mind) was to start a revolution If Prim had gone to the Games instead of Katniss she would have died and that would have been the end of that. Prim was fated to die either way. Katniss prolonging it set things in motion for an uprising. Prim dying was tragic and a punch in the gut but again, I draw you back to my original point. This is a tragedy. There are NO happy endings in tragedies. Just a quiet acceptance and respect for what lessons can be gleaned.   

PS. I was livid that poor Finnick died. Why? Susan Collins, Why?! 

Suey Says:

KILL THEM ALL!

So, they say make your characters suffer. But really? THIS MUCH? Does it HAVE to be that bad? I think a lot of people are wondering if Prim really has to die (not just me)… because I’ve seen much about this lately floating around in the cyberspace. And yes, maybe she did. Maybe. I don’t know. But did Finnick? Did he really? And the others on the team? The mute guy?  (I forget all their names now.) Really? This book, this series really, is all DIE DIE DIE. That can get to a nice innocent reader after a while!


Jenny Says:

Tragedies

There are stories that are adventures. Stories that are romances and stories that are comedies. There are also stories that are tragedies. Hamlet by Shakespeare is a tragedy and my favorite play of his. Tragedies do NOT end happy. They are usually used as a way of teaching a lesson or making a point. The Hunger Games series is definitely a tragedy. The whole series is a messed up society that has no problem (they even cheer it on) putting kids in a arena and letting them kill each other. When a society becomes that Tyrannical the only way out is complete anarchy. People will die and the outcome might not even work out the way you'd hoped but it rarely can. When you're talking about uprising and war it's not going to end happy. EVER! So, yeah, I was OK with the ending of Hunger Games. There's was just no way it was going to end all happy and celebratory. 

Suey Says:

DEPRESSION

I don’t know exactly why, but I felt so sad and depressed after reading this book. (DIE DIE DIE perhaps?) I had to look up my review of the book (sheesh, five years ago!) and this is what I said then “This book seriously left me feeling blah, sad, a little underwhelmed, confused. Which I guess is what bugs me about the ending.” I really hate it when an ending leaves you with this feeling. Even though I’m not at all scared of tragic sad endings, still. And so, yeah, I was a little worried about the movie and sure enough, it sent me into a bad mood for a good 24 hour period. I literally couldn’t concentrate on a thing the next day. Probably it was more than just the movie, but I blamed the movie! :) Maybe it’s just that we were (are) all so invested in these characters and it was over. Maybe it didn't end very satisfying, even though the bad guy was eliminated. Maybe it’s just the nature of the story, the “dystopia” of it all that finally got to me. Maybe it was Peeta being so broken and not really fixed by the time everything ends. BUT probably it was mostly (see my third reason)....


Jenny Says:

Team Peeta vs Team Gale

I was strictly team Gale. I liked him from the start. I wanted to get to know more about him as the series progressed. Alas, we didn't really get to know him until Mockingjay and by then he was a victim of circumstance. In the end I was relieved that Katniss ended up with Peeta. Gale put too much unwarranted blame on Katniss for circumstances that were forced on her. They grew apart and with that sad of an ending the only way there was ever going to be any happiness was for Katniss and Peeta to end up together.  


Sueys says:
(Wait.. Jenny.. you are Team Gale? I didn't know!!)

GALE

The biggest problem I have with the ending is how Gale is treated. So, okay fine, she picks Peeta. I’m good with that. I like Peeta. I like him a lot. He’s good for Katniss. They need each other. Yes, fine, blah blah blah. But, BUT… Gale. He does NOT deserve to be brushed off and thrown out like Katniss does to him. It KILLS me! It breaks my heart! It makes me want to curl up and cry. he has been there for her no matter what, even if she freaking loves another guy, he’s still there for her. Not once does he moan or stomp off or throw a fit. He only says, “you only kiss me when I’m hurting” or “it’s like kissing someone who’s drunk” so you know he feels bad and his heart is breaking too. But he is STILL there! And he’s been there from the beginning… way way before the events of the book even start. He’s is steady and strong and loyal. And so what if he decides to fight… fight the rebellion that KATNISS started! And she hates him for it? And all he gets is a “goodbye Gale” after ALL THAT? It kills me.



Bottom Line: I feel like the books ended how they had to end, and I'm good with Katniss and Peeta, but still, the feeling I had afterwards, both book and movie, just made me feel overly sad and depressed.

What do you think? Do you agree with one or the other of us? Be sure to check out Jenny's blog today too and see what she has to say!


15 comments:

  1. I like an author who isn't afraid to kill favorite characters. I thought Prim's death made sense in the story. Finnick's not so much. That was sad.
    I like the ending. I think it shows the idea that after everything life has to go on.

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  2. I think Katniss brushed off Gale so frigidly because he helped the revolution so much. Gale agreed with everything Coin was doing, and Katniss thought it was too harsh and it was no better than Snow. In the end, Gale and Katniss wanted very different things in life, and Katniss just wasn't okay with it. She was sad and probably hurt by Gale's choices. I think Gale was okay with dropping bombs on those kids in the end.

    I'm with Jenny on this one. There wasn't any other way for this story to go down.

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    1. Kami: I don't think he was okay with it. He's hurting too. This whole thing has messed up his life just as much as it's messed up Katniss's.

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  3. The only thing I can say about the Gale thing is that he helped invent the bomb that killed Prim. Prim is the whole reason Katniss got involved in the conflict. The only reason Katniss and Gale had a connection was because they were both fighting to save their families. HIS BOMB KILLED PRIM whether it was the rebels or the Capitol who dropped, it was still his bomb. I don't think Katniss could do more than just say, "Goodbye, Gale." Well, at least until she comes to terms with Prim's death ... if she comes to terms with Prim's death.

    Yes, the story is depressing, but it's truthful and realistic to its story. It's not OOC. I wanted a happy ending and I somewhat got it because Katniss ended up with Peeta. But, they're both broken, so it's a bittersweet ending. But, I think this series went down exactly the way it should've.

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    1. Jenni: That's the ONLY reason they had a connection? Really? I think they had all sorts of connections... P.S. What's OOC, can't seem to figure that one out! :)

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    2. It's the reason they have a connection. More grew from it over time, but their families and their survival were the main thing that connected them to each other.

      OOC = out of character

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  4. I agree with Suey. Mockingjay is my least favorite book of the series. I think the deaths are realistic to the world, but I also feel like the book ended on a depressing note, even with the epilogue. It kind of felt like the world didn't change that much despite all that happened. I think Jenny makes some good points though, but I guess I like my dystopian novels with a bit more hope.

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  5. Yeah, I was team Gale. I can understand why she ended up with Peeta but romance aside Gale is just an awesome dude. I do not remember this whole bomb thing. Good grief! I think it's time for a reread.

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    1. Jenny: Yeah I don't remember it either, and I just saw the movie!

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  6. Can I just say, I hated this book... hated it, the first time I read it. And yet the series still is my favorite. I understood why Prim died, I mean at least she was trying to help others and not trying to kill others like she would have had to if in the games. And then I didn't even realize that Finnick had died until way after it happened, and I was like, Wait, what? And Peeta really bothered me! That the Peeta that I loved was gone and he didn't love Katniss the way she needed to be anymore. But then I listened to the audio book last year before the movie came out and I got more understanding of the characters and the reasons... So I am more okay with it than I was, but I still miss the real Peeta. SO so much! Loved him! I never had strong feelings for Gale... liked him well enough, felt bad from him, but Sorry, Peeta all the way.

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    1. Megs: I never hated it, but just feel... weird about it. It's hard to describe.

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  7. Another thought on the death of Prim - she dies when Katniss turns her motive to revenge against Snow instead of protecting Prim and her family. I think it shows that violence easily hides what is right and what is wrong. It's right to fight for Prim, but ti was wrong to seek revenge against Snow even though she believed it was protecting Prim. It's a subtle difference but it's also a huge difference. I love this feature idea!! What a great way to discuss things.

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