Malinda Lo
Blog
Aug 16, 2010
Why I’m Team Katniss
Today at the Enchanted Inkpot, we’ve been having a lively discussion about romance in young adult fiction. It wasn’t long before Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games and its love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale came up, with several folks posting about how they disliked the romance/love triangle. I’m a HUGE fan of The Hunger Games, but I’ve definitely been on the fence about how much I appreciate the love triangle.
In my comment I wrote:
You know, I agree with you about the romance in THE HUNGER GAMES. I actually think Collins did a good job with it — it’s there deliberately, and it’s actually complicated in that Katniss is putting on a front about Peeta for most of THG, and then in CATCHING FIRE it kind of … catches up to her. I think the thing I dislike the most about the romance in THG is the way that *readers* have divided into Team Peeta and Team Gale. I do think the romance is integral to the book, but NOT in the way that many readers are reading it. It’s NOT the central conflict; it’s a subplot that affects the main plot. To centralize it, and to debate whom Katniss should choose as if that’s the thing she’s most interested in … I don’t relate to that.
I’ve been thinking about this off and off since I commented, and a few things have floated to the surface.
First, I totally understand that having “teams” is a fun thing. It shows how deeply readers are invested in the series, and I get that fans might want to declare their affinity for a certain character. There’s a long, long tradition of this! Louisa May Alcott, for example, had to deal with legions of fans who demanded that Jo marry Laurie in the sequel to Little Women, and this was well before email and Twitter made communication with authors as easy as clicking [send]. (She did not agree with their assessment, as you might have guessed if you read the later books.)
The thing is, I can’t get past the feeling that focusing on the love triangle somehow dismisses the central point of the series. Sure, it’s a very commercial, mainstream series that is clearly meant to be a page-turning, engrossing experience. But it’s also about war, violence, mortality, and inequality. I’m a fan of The Hunger Games because of the way the books deal with these issues in such a readable yet thought-provoking (and gut-wrenching) way.
Katniss’s feelings for Peeta and Gale are interesting, and I’m interested to know how they develop and change in Mockingjay. But to me, who she chooses is certainly not the most important part of the book. Honestly, I don’t care who she chooses. I wouldn’t care if she chooses neither one. Because for me, the books are about Katniss alone. Katniss on the battlefield. Katniss at home, dealing with poverty and oppression. Katniss struggling with her initially fake feelings for Peeta. Katniss realizing that Gale was always there for her.
The common denominator in this? Katniss.
It’s one week until Mockingjay comes out, and you can bet I’ll be reading it as soon as I get my hands on it! I’m really looking forward to seeing how Collins ties things up, and I’ll be cheering for Katniss the whole time.
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Finally, a couple of links:
I was interviewed by the Book Smugglers during their YA Appreciation Month.
I guest-posted at the Story Siren about the wonderful feedback I’ve gotten from readers.
I wrote a very similar post to this one today! (Yours is written much better than mine, though)
http://www.foreveryalit.com/2010/08/team-katniss-and-mockingjay-giveaway.html
I enjoy romance in books, but I think the focus on the Teams really takes away from what a strong character Katniss is, and that’s sad to me.
I totally agree and really love this post.
Of course I want to know how the love triangle is resolved – even if she ends up with no one, which unless there is a drastic change/development in book #3 is for me the most plausible action, to be entirely honest. BUT it would be a shame to put the whole focus of this series on ONE subplot, when the main point of interest is this intricate web of politics, violence, oppression, etc. It’s such a powerful series, with deep meaning and so beautifully written. Of course it’s easy to jump on the romance bandwagon, but we shouldn’t simplify this whole book to this ‘Team Gale’ vs. ‘Team Peeta’ debate, when there is so much more being dealt with.
So, Team Katniss all the way.
This is an uber interesting post! I, too, was at first irritated by the obsession of people taking ‘sides’ for either Peeta or Gale. I saw it as a Twilightazation of what I consider to be a ‘deeper’ set of novels. That being said, I can admit to the fun of picking a team (ahem… Team Jacob…)
BUT I am Tea, Katniss above all else, and for me, the romance is more of a filter for the way Katniss sees herself and thusly how she acts on her emotions. That might be reading too much into the triangle, but for me, Katniss’ forced relationship with Peeta (although his love for her isn’t in question) represents a certain mindset, a choice to embrace her situation and triumph, while Gale represents the choice to never settle for what’s forced upon her, no matter the cost. It isn’t an easy thing to look inside yourself and make those choices because they will shape who you become: Katniss the conquerer who defied the government and succeeded… or Kantiss who fought the government to the end, regardless of whether or not she ‘won’…
Excellent post! I agree 100%, even if I do have fun debating Peeta vs. Gale with friends. But what drew me into the HG series was not either of the boys — in fact, I LOVED how downplayed the (not-staged) romance was. No, what drew me in was Katniss, her strength, her cunning, her determination. I admire her so much, and she’s not even real! Yes, I want to know who she chooses (or ends up with… I worry it won’t be much of a choice!) but more importantly, I want to know how she’s going to save Prim and her mother, and what’s up with District 13, and what will happen with Panem/President Snow, and… Aahhhhh! Is it August 24th yet?!
THANK YOU! Before Catching Fire came out, I was telling some friends about Hunger Games and why they should read it and my one friend that had read it then chimed in because I had forgotten all about Peeta vs. Gale. I was like, wait? what? NOT IMPORTANT. Children are being forced to fight to the death!
Ever since Catching Fire came out, all the talk and debate has been Team Peeta and Team Gale. Did anyone read the last sentence of the book?! HELLO! There is so much to discuss about the revolution and what exactly happened in District 12 and who got out, if anyone… but no. Peeta or Gale.
And frankly, Katniss doesn’t seem that interested in either of them. Sure, they both love her, but she’s a little too focused on everything else right now. She obviously cares for both of them, but I don’t think she (romantically) loves either of them.
I agree that the romance is really secondary, and I’m glad it was done that way. Katniss is MUCH more interesting outside of her romantic feelings for either of the boys, and actually, she kind of annoys me a lot when it comes to the romance (stop toying with Peeta!).
I’m Team Peeta just because I love him as a character so much, but I’m not necessarily rooting for Katniss to end up with him. All I want is for him to be alive and happy at the end of Mockingjay.
Ha! I also declared myself Team Katniss (after I babbled on about the bread in the book: http://www.meganfrazer.com/2010/01/hunger-in-the-hunger-games/
And maybe that’s the point? That is, perhaps there is a subtle message that it’s not all about the boys, and which one the girl will end up with. By making neither choice a particularly good one for Katniss, and by making the other elements of the story far more important, it’s clear that sometimes it’s about picking yourself.
Oh man, thank you (as the person who first brought it up at Enchanted Inkpot). As I said to your comment there, this is a much better way of putting it than I did; I’ve been describing myself as on Team I Hope Katniss Doesn’t Die for ages because that’s who I care about. I like both Peeta and Gale as characters — I even have opinions on which one I’d hope she ends up with! — but that’s not even CLOSE to why I’m so engaged by these books.
For me, the Team Peeta/Team Gale thing doesn’t just irk because it elevates a subplot that’s not as central as many of the other issues in the books, but because it also feels very reflective of some societal trends I’ve got issues with in general. I think American culture is still very into the idea that women *should* end up with someone, and that a woman’s happy ending is tied up in which guy she ends up with. That really, really bothers me for reasons having nothing to do with the Hunger Games, and when I see that held up as if it *were* a (or the) central aspect of the series I recoil pretty strongly.
Just so you know, a much, much better trilogy is concluding in October: the “Evil Genius” series by Catherine Jinks.
Honestly, I don’t get the hype over these “Hunger Games” books. The first two were servicable action novels, nothing more. I may read volume 3 just out of curiosity, but they’re not that good. The characters are so one-dimensional, and the writing not particularly brilliant.
Loved your post, Jessica! Thanks for stopping by.
One more week, Kristan! LOL.
Yes, it’s interesting that often these books that focus on a girl then becomes all about the boys, once it’s set up as a “team” situation. Thanks for the link to your post, Megan!
This bothers me, too. Some folks objected to the end of GRACELING because they couldn’t understand why Katsa didn’t want to get married, and that really bugs me.
Every book is not for every person, and no one can definitively tell what makes writing brilliant. I’ve never been entirely drawn in by Jinks’ series, but for me, THE HUNGER GAMES totally works.
I love this post, definitely made me think a little more about TGH. The teams thing is fun, but totally silly if you think about it. I’m way more interested in how the whole rebellion thing is going to pan out!
But mostly I wanted to comment to give a big YESSSSSS because you recommended Sarah Waters in that interview! Love love love her. Tipping the Velvet is one of my all-time favourite reads.
What I meant by her Collins’s writing not being particularly brilliant was the simple fact that I didn’t find her prose all that descriptive. It didn’t give me that “you are there” feel. Sometimes that’s okay, but when the characters are as one-dimensional as they are in these books, it’s really not. Just my opinion, though. They’re not bad books, but I just think the hype has been way too big.
I think this entire ‘Team Man No. 1′ vs ‘Team Man No.2′ thing (especially when among adult readers) is indicative of a worrying attitude, where female characters are defined not by their own actions and choices but by the man they’re with. I hear people talking about how the choice Bella makes in Twilight is significant because in chosing the Sparklepire-ah-I mean, Edward, she’s chosing who *she* wants to be. Er…what the HELL? Since when does the indentity of your partner define who YOU want to be? Similarly, the reviews on Amazon that criticise Katsa of Graceling for chosing not to marry seem to imply that such a choice is ‘immature’, as if a woman can only be fully realised or worthy of respect once she’s legally bound to a man.
Back when I first got published, and I’d be reading reviews saying it was shame there wasn’t more ‘romance’ in my books, I’d be really insulted and wonder just what these people wanted from a romance. Now I see that they want a female character who allows herself to be shaped by her (usually male) love interest, like silly putty. To which I say: OH HELL NO.
Now when people say ‘I wish the story had been more romantic’, I feel flattered, because clearly I’ve dodged that bullet!
Heh. I was just reading reviews of GRACELING on GoodReads; one reviewer who was complaining about that wondered if Cashore was pushing an agenda. I’m betting that reviewer didn’t read FIRE, in which Fire feels the exact opposite…
I guess what I really want among YA romance is *variety*; young women who want to get married to guys, to girls, or not at all, and to not have any of that seem so unusual. *sigh* I can dream, at least.
Thanks for this excellent post! I have long been telling friends and co-readers that I’m on Team Katniss, but I didn’t have the words to explain why. Happy to be able to forward a link to your site!
Yes, to all of this.
I’ve been thinking of myself as Team Katniss-Gets-Out-Of-This-Alive, which really comes down to the same thing.
I agree. I think that a lot Katniss’s strength comes from her own woman. I’d love to see her stick to her no-marriage policy until she’s out of her teens, at least. I think that we sometimes forget just how young our characters are as we’re pairing them off…
I linked to this post in my Mockingjay Madness entry. Here’s a link if you’d like to check it out: http://derapsreads.blogspot.com/2010/08/mockingjay-madness.html
Thanks!