{"id":102,"date":"2010-12-27T07:35:23","date_gmt":"2010-12-27T15:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=102"},"modified":"2010-12-27T07:35:56","modified_gmt":"2010-12-27T15:35:56","slug":"mark-reads-catching-fire-chapter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2010\/12\/mark-reads-catching-fire-chapter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcCatching Fire\u00e2\u20ac\u2122: Chapter 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the second chapter of Catching Fire<\/em>, Katniss is horrified by a confrontation with President Snow, who reveals that he knows more about her life than she previously thought. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Catching Fire<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In my mind, President Snow should be viewed in front of marble pillars hung with oversized flags. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s jarring to see him surrounded by the ordinary objects in the room. Like taking the lid off a pot and finding a fanged viper instead of stew.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Man, you were doing so well there. That last line is so awkward to read. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not jarring as much as it is really weird and bizarre<\/em>. I think you meant to go for juxtaposition, which a snake stew doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really do.<\/p>\n
Regardless, I get what she means and I was honestly shocked to have President Snow show up so early in the story. STRIKE ONE AGAINST MY PREDICTING ABILITIES. The fact that he does show up early, though, is a sign for things to come. Shit isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite real yet, but I feel like this is a beacon of Shit Getting Real-ery.<\/p>\n
All I was doing was trying to keep Peeta and myself alive. Any act of rebellion was purely coincidental. But when the Capitol decrees that only one tribute can live and you have the audacity to challenge it, I guess that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a rebellion in itself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ummm\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m calling bullshit on this. If she was speaking this aloud to President Snow, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even have pointed out this in a review. If I recall correctly, Katniss was reminded of Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s conversation about identity on the roof in the latter half of the Games; Collins seemed to have made it pretty clear that Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions were at least partially motivated by this. So, even if her intent wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to fully be rebellious, she seemed to acknowledge that it was partially<\/em>.<\/p>\n
I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. That passage is really strange. ::shifty eyes::<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll make this whole situation a lot simpler by agreeing not to lie to each other,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What do you think?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
I think my tongue has frozen and speech will be impossible, so I surprise myself by answering back in a steady voice, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, I think that would save time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I think we all know Katniss isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a great liar, so I found this start to their conversation to be kind of refreshing. They can dispense with passive lying and Collins can quietly acknowledge that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no point to writing a scene where Katniss tries to lie to the president of Panem. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to make the Victory Tour scenes either super interesting or super frustrating. We shall see<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My advisors were concerned you would be difficult, but you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not planning on being difficult, are you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asks.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I answer.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I told them. I said any girl who goes to such lengths to preserve her live isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to be interested in throwing it away with both hands. And then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s her family to think of. Her mother, her sister, and all those\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6cousins.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d By the way he lingers on the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cousins,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I can tell he knows Gale and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t share a family tree.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Oh, snap! Collins makes their conversation so much more fascinating, right off the bat, precisely because of the honesty. I know it may seem like a small thing to latch on to, but dialogue is what can make or break a book for me. (Read Richard Price, by the way. Best dialogue writer of all time<\/em>.)<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have a problem, Miss Everdeen,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says President Snow. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A problem that began the moment you pulled out those poisonous berries in the arena.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s definitely dispensing with any sort of euphemistic pleasantry and getting straight to the point.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If the head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, had had any brains, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have blown you to dust right then. But he had an unfortunate sentimental streak. So here you are. Can you guess where he is?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asks.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Did you make the earth open up and eat him<\/em>. Someone, seriously give this to me.<\/p>\n
The smell of roses and blood has grown stronger now that only a desk separates us. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a rose in President Snow\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lapel, which at least suggests a source of the flower perfume. As for the blood\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I like the juxtaposition here (not the snake stew analogy), but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m creeped out because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like the smell of blood. If I were in Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s place right now, I would have probably peed myself already. Oh, wait, I would have died long ago. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153After that, there was nothing to do but let you play out your little scenario. And you were pretty good, too, with the love-crazed schoolgirl bit. The people in the Capitol were quite convinced. Unfortunately, not everyone in the districts fell for your act,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well, damn. I actually expected it to be the other way around.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This, of course, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. You have no access to information about the mood in other districts.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Wait, you do<\/em>? How do you measure that? I want to know more about their eerie surveillance methods.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153In several of them, however, people have viewed your little trick with the berries as an act of defiance, not an act of love. And if a girl from District Twelve of all places can defy the Capitol and walk away unharmed, what is to stop them from doing the same?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is to prevent, say, an uprising?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I certainly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect this type of overarching conflict to be introduced so early on, but now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure this will be a major focus to a lot of what happens in Catching Fire<\/em>. The fact that Katniss manage to win the Games in that manner and escape punishment may seem small, but Collins really handles this well: it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the little things, the tiny cracks in the fa\u00c3\u00a7ade, that contribute to the inevitable collapse of it all. The Capitol recognizes the power in small acts like this, so now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m interested to see what Snow wants Katniss to do to quash this feeling in the districts.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you have any idea what that would mean? How many people would die? What conditions those left would have to face? Whatever problems anyone may have with the Capitol, believe me when I say that if it released its grip on the districts for even a short time, the entire system would collapse.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Katniss rightly picks up on how bizarre it is for Snow to frame this as if he truly cares for the well being of Panem. The truth is that for many people, the system collapsing would actually be a good thing; Snow sets this up as a strawman for what he thinks<\/em> is best for all.<\/p>\n
I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how I dare to say the next words, but I do. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It must be very fragile, if a handful of berries can bring it down.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a long pause while he examines me. Then he simply says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is fragile, but not in the way that you suppose.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WHAT THE FUCK<\/em>. This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t elaborated on, but DAMN THAT SHIT IS DEEP. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not joking, by the way. I love the power play here, the subtext that even Snow knows there is a weakness to his all-powerful regime.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean to start any uprisings,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I tell him.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I believe you. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter. Your stylist turned out to be prophetic in his wardrobe choice. Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire, you have provided a spark that, left unattended, may grow to an inferno that destroys Panem,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Why was none of the dialogue in The Hunger Games<\/em> this sharp? Oh, right, because everyone was busy with Murderfest 2057<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Then just tell me what you want me to do. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll do it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If only it were that simple.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
NOPE. DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T LIKE THIS. Hi, dread, thanks for coming back.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Peeta. How is<\/em> the love of you life?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asks.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153At what point did he realize the exact degree of your indifference?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asks, dipping his cookie in his tea.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not indifferent,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But perhaps not as taken with the young man as you would have the country believe,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I do,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says the president. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be here if I were the only person who had doubts. How\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the handsome cousin?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
JESUS. Dude is ON FIRE. How intimidating did President Snow become in just a few pages? He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not some sitting duck or inactive, ignorant leader. HE IS REGULATING.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Speak, Miss Everdeen. Him I can easily kill off if we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come to a happy resolution,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t doing him a favor by disappearing into the woods with him each Sunday.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well, nothing is creepier than his complete knowledge of what Katniss has been up to. It deflates her sense of purpose and, understandably, causes the fear to rise in her dramatically.<\/p>\n
We get a brief flashback to what happened after Katniss returned to District Twelve from the Games as she explains what exactly Snow has seen in between the two of them in the woods.<\/p>\n
She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get the chance to spend much time with Gale alone for a few weeks because of\u00c2\u00a0 all the celebrations sponsored by the Capitol and the public appearances. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t until the furor died down that she got any sort of privacy. (Can I say that I love that she fills in these details for us? I had a feeling she wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go back and explain any of this at all.)<\/p>\n
The first thing she does when she finally has time to herself is head out to the woods, to the normal spot where her and Gale always would hang out; she waits hours for him and almost gives up hope that we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t show.<\/p>\n
Then I looked up and there he was, ten feet away, just watching me. Without even thinking, I jumped up and threw my arms around him, making some weird sound that combined laughing, choking, and crying.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Even my black heart can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deny this is pretty awesome. SO THEY\u00e2\u20ac\u2122RE GONNA KISS, RIGHT?<\/p>\n
Not immediately. They fall back into a fairly normal routine for each other and Katniss believes that everything will be the same between them. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s<\/em> when he kisses her.<\/p>\n
You would think that after all the hours I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d spent with Gale\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwatching him talk and laugh and frown\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat I would know all there was to know about his lips.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
No, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry, no.<\/strong> Do you guys do this with your friends? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t EVER<\/em>. This is seriously one of the strangest sentences ever. No thank you.<\/p>\n
Gale merely says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I had to do that. At least once.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Then he LEAVES HER THERE TO THINK ABOUT THIS. Gale, YOU ARE RUDE. Hang around and make out with her<\/em> or like do anything but leave her behind<\/strong>. <\/em>What is wrong with you, dude?<\/p>\n
Still, it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all magic and puppies and unicorns. Gale acts like the kiss never happened at all, which is totally a mature, adult thing to do<\/em>. So now Katniss is torn between two guys and everything is confusing and can we please just move on?<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll convince everyone in the districts that I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t defying the Capitol, that I was crazy with love,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say.<\/p>\n
President Snow rises and dabs his puffy lips with a napkin. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Aim higher in case you fall short.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
OH NO.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What do you mean? How can I aim higher?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Convince me<\/em>,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. He drops the napkin and retrieves his book. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t watch him as he heads for the door, so I flinch when he whispers in my ear. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153By the way, I know about the kiss.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Then the door clicks shut behind him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In just one chapter, President Snow just became the worst villain in the whole series. Bravo, Collins. He lays all his cards out on the table and hides virtually nothing. Way scarier than someone making grandiose threats.<\/p>\n
Still don’t know why he smells like blood and roses, though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the second chapter of Catching Fire, Katniss is horrified by a confrontation with President Snow, who reveals that he knows more about her life than she previously thought. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Catching Fire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,5],"tags":[28,33,24,27],"class_list":["post-102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catching-fire","category-hunger-games","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads-catching-fire","tag-mark-reads-the-hunger-games","tag-suzanne-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}