{"id":197,"date":"2011-02-15T07:00:55","date_gmt":"2011-02-15T15:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=197"},"modified":"2011-02-15T10:30:11","modified_gmt":"2011-02-15T18:30:11","slug":"mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/02\/mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Mockingjay’: Chapter 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the thirteenth chapter of Mockingjay<\/em>, it becomes apparent that the Capitol is more interested in psychological warfare than violence. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Mockingjay<\/em>.<\/p>\n

What? What?<\/em> Peeta, why are you so upset?<\/p>\n

The cold collar chafes my neck and makes the shivering even harder to control. At least I am no longer in the claustrophobic tube, while the machines click and whir around me, listening to a disembodied voice telling me to hold still while I try to convince myself I can still breathe. Even now, when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been assured there will be no permanent damage, I hunger for air.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE PEETA.<\/em><\/p>\n
It was Boggs who knocked out Peeta with one blow before any permanent damage could be done. I know Haymitch would have come to my defense if he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been utterly unprepared. To catch both Haymitch and myself off guard is a rare thing. But we have been so consumed with saving Peeta, so tortured by having him in the Capitol\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hands, that the elation at having him back blinded us. If I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d had a private reunion with Peeta, he would have killed me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
BUT WHY. WHY. WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Hijacked<\/em>. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what Katniss tells us. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what she was told. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hijacked.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d By whom? By what<\/em>? What does that mean?<\/p>\n
Prim comforts Katniss while she is busy attempting to heal and it leads to one fantastic set of lines of hers when Plutarch tries to make her leave so he can talk to Katniss about what happened.<\/p>\n
Plutarch ushers the doctors out and tries to order Prim to go as well, but she says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No. If you force me to leave, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll go directly to surgery and tell my mother everything that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happened. And I warn you, she doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think much of a Gamemaker calling the shots on Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life. Especially when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve taken such poor care of her.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll allow you, my fellow commenters, to find the best slow clap GIF to fit here. FINALLY<\/em> someone calls Plutarch and those running things in District 13 on their UNENDING SHITTERY towards Katniss.<\/p>\n
Now, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s get down to business.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153So, Katniss, Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s condition has come as a shock to all of us,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Plutarch. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help but notice his deterioration in the last two interviews. Obviously, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been abused, and we put his psychological state down to that. Now we believe something more was going on. That the Capitol has been subjecting him to a rather uncommon technique known as hijacking. Beetee?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Beetee says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell you all the specifics of it, Katniss. The Capitol\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very secretive about this form of torture, and I believe the results are inconsistent. This we do know. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a type of fear conditioning. The term hijack<\/em> comes from an old English word that means \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcto capture,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or even better, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcseize.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 We believe it was chosen because the technique involves the use of tracker jacker venom, and the jack<\/em> suggested hijack<\/em>. You were stung in your first Hunger Games, so unlike most of us, you have firsthand knowledge of the effects of the venom.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Is it bad that I think killing Peeta would have been better? The Capitol has used tracker jacker venom to literally alter Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s memories so that he believes Katniss is going to harm him. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me that now wonders if Snow made it easy for the rescuers to get Peeta back, if everything he did was merely bait to get those in District 13 to bring Peeta to Katniss, so she would know that even if she had him in her physical presence, he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to be hers.<\/p>\n
The Capitol wants to break people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spirits. While it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not necessary to ignore the violence they perpetrate through their Peacekeepers or the Hunger Games, I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to acknowledge that what they do best is inflict emotional and psychological damage. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s some more everlasting about that sort of pain, too, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something I can speak to on some level. I will always remember the emotional abuse I suffered more than any of the physical abuse I experienced. At least for me, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how my mind works.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But you can reverse it, right?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d asks Prim.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Um\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6very little data on that,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Plutarch. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153None, really. If hijacking rehabilitation has been attempting before, we have no access to those records.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
FUCK. What the fuck is this<\/em>. Ok, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even expect to get Peeta back until much, much later in the book and now he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s here, but he truly believes that Katniss is actually life-threatening to him.<\/p>\n
I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. I CANNOT EVEN HANDLE THIS.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153At least he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s alive,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Plutarch, as if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s losing patience with the lot of us. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Snow executed Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stylist and his prep team on live television tonight. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve no idea what happened to Effie Trinket. Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s damaged, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s here. With us. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a definite improvement over his situation twelve hours ago. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s keep that in mind, all right?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
PORTIA. PORTIA!!! Oh my fucking god, if Effie is dead, I may burst into tears<\/em>. Fucking hell, Collins, you are so brutal<\/em>.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s strange how exhausting<\/em> this book is. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just coming up on being halfway through it and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m tired. This is bleak and depressing and OF COURSE I LOVE ALL OF THAT, but I just want something to go right. For like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6one chapter. Is that so much to ask?<\/p>\n
People come in periodically to give me updates on Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s condition. The high levels of tracker jacker venom are working their way out of his body. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being treated only by strangers, natives of 13\u00e2\u20ac\u201dno one from home or the Capitol has been allowed to see him\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto keep any dangerous memories from triggering. A team of specialists works long hours designing a strategy for his recovery.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I wonder how disorienting that has to be for Peeta, though. How are they going to tell him where he is without triggering him? How do you not mention District 12 or the Capitol or Katniss?<\/p>\n
I read a few comments this past week regarding Prim\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s characterization and how\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s she\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6too perfect? I get that. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m starting to see why some of you said that. Of course, we are<\/em> seeing this all through Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to look upon her sister in a specific way, especially since there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not much time we spend with her anyway. But Collins does appear to use her in instances where Katniss needs a pick-me-up of sorts. Here, she gives Katniss advice regarding how upset she is over Peeta.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Katniss, I know this whole thing with Peeta is terrible for you. But remember, Snow worked on him for weeks, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve only had him for a few days. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a chance that the old Peeta, the one who loves you, is still inside. Trying to get back to you. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give up on him.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great point and fantastic advice. But it is kind of strange that she only seems to pop up to offer bits of sage wisdom like this.<\/p>\n
The story moves on to Gale and Beetee and one of the inevitable things these people were going to have to address begins to be dealt with. The rebels are at war with the Capitol and, aside from what happened in District 8, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been very little talk about fighting about, about the sort of violence that these people are eventually going to have to act out. Down in the research rooms, Katniss finds Gale and Beetee working on plans for weapons:<\/p>\n
Taking the fundamental ideas behind Gale\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s traps and adapting them into weapons against humans. Bombs mostly. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s less about the mechanics of the traps than the psychology behind them. Booby-trapping an area that provides something essential to survival. A water or food supply. Frightening prey so that a large number flee into a greater destruction. Endangering off-spring in order to draw in the actual desired target, the parent. Luring the victim into what appears to be a safe haven\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhere death awaits it. At some point, Gale and Beetee left the wilderness behind and focused on more human impulses. Like compassion. A bomb explodes. Time is allowed for people to rush to the aid of the wounded. Then a second, more powerful bomb kills them as well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
While I will wait to find out what sort of context these could be used in against the Capitol, I have to say I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m impressed. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nice to see Gale work on something he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s good at and contribute what he can to the rebellion. BUT. Yes, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a but.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That seems to be crossing some kind of line,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So anything goes?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d They both stare at me\u00e2\u20ac\u201dBeetee without a doubt, Gale with hostility. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I guess there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a rule book for what might be unacceptable to do to another human being.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sure there is. Beetee and I have been following the same rule book Presiden Snow used when he hijacked Peeta,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Gale.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6ok. So I guess anything goes for them. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pretty sure I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be truly terrible in this rebellion because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a violent person and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d try to find an excuse every five minutes not to hurt another person. Seriously, Dad, did you really want me to be in the army<\/em>. I can barely do ten pushups. America would get wasted if I had to defend it<\/em>.<\/p>\n
We know that Peeta and Katniss can kill if they need to. But can they kill entire groups of people? Why are they focusing on killing (possibly) innocent citizens in their war against the Capitol? Shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they go after those in power?<\/p>\n
I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t answer those questions yet and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if anyone else in the book can yet either. But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ok because OH MY GOD THEY\u00e2\u20ac\u2122RE GOING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW ON PEETA.<\/p>\n
Remember Delly Cartwright? No, of course you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t! She was the girl from 12 who Peeta lied about when Katniss recognized the Avox in the Capitol, all the way back in the first book. Apparently, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a PMA attitude because she might be the nicest person in this whole series.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How are you doing?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a lot of changes all at once.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Her eyes fill with tears. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really nice here in Thirteen, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you think?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Bless your heart, Delly. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re like giant clouds of fluffy unicorn rainbows in District Thirteen! LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S GIVE EACH OTHER HUGS ALL THE TIME<\/em>.<\/p>\n
OK, I shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be so hard on her. At least SOMEONE in this book isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t full to the brim with sadness. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kind of perfect that they use her to talk to Peeta, both because her temperament is so positive and because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably best to ease Peeta into his new environment.<\/p>\n
Instructed to avoid mentions of Katniss or the Capitol, Delly tries her best to keep the conversation directed at District Twelve. That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work very well, since pretty much the first thing he says is, WHERE ARE WE?<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in District Thirteen. We live here now,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Delly.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what those people have been saying. But it makes no sense. Why aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t we home?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d asks Peeta.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
THIS IS NOT GOING TO GO WELL. How do you explain this without ending up on Katniss?<\/p>\n
Delly bites her lip. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There was\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6an accident. I miss home badly, too. I was only just thinking about those chalk drawings we used to do on the paving stones. Yours were so wonderful. Remember when you made each one a different animal?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah. Pigs and cats and things,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Peeta. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You said\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6about an accident?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
I can see the sheen of sweat on Delly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s forehead as she tries to work around the question. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was bad. No one\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6could stay,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says haltingly.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
THIS IS NOT GOOD.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t my family come to see me?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Peeta asks.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WELL, THIS IS GOING TO BE AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Delly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tearing up again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A lot of people didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get out of Twelve. So we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to make a new life here. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure they could use a good baker. Do you remember when your father used to let us make dough girls and boys?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There was a fire,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Peeta says suddenly.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she whispers.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Twelve burned down, didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? Because of her,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Peeta angrily. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because of Katniss!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He begins to pull on the restraints.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WELL. It was a nice try.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lying! She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a liar! You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe anything she says! She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s some kind of mutt the Capitol created to use against the rest of us!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Peeta shouts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WHAT?!?!?!?!?! THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S THE LIE THEY TOLD HIM? <\/em>Holy shit, this is so much worse than I thought.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trust her, Delly,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Peeta in a frantic voice. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I did, and she tried to kill me. She killed my friends. My family. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even go near her! She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a mutt!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
My god. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know what to say. This seems completely hopeless. How are they going to convince him that Katniss is not A MUTT DESIGNED IN THE CAPITOL? Fucking hell.<\/p>\n
Prim was wrong. Peeta is irretrievable. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stay here anymore,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say numbly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you want me to be the Mockingjay, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to send me away.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ugh, Katniss, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry. I wish she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to deal with this. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for something, just ONE THING to go right for her. In the meantime, Katniss asks to get sent to the Capitol.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Plutarch says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not until all the districts are secure. Good news is, the fighting\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost over in all of them but Two. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tough nut to crack, though.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right. First the districts. Next the Capitol. And then I hunt down Snow.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fine,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Send me Two.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Good lord. This is going to get fucked up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the thirteenth chapter of Mockingjay, it becomes apparent that the Capitol is more interested in psychological warfare than violence. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Mockingjay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,5],"tags":[28,23,39,24,27],"class_list":["post-197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mockingjay","category-hunger-games","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads","tag-mark-reads-mockingjay","tag-mark-reads-the-hunger-games","tag-suzanne-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197","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=197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}